From: Sue McGown <smcgown>
Date: Wed, 10 May 2006 07:48:04 -0500

My library is for K-5 in a private school and I had a very interesting discussion with my 4th graders yesterday. Two students were giving a report on J.K. Rowling and this prompted a long and very engagin discussion about the books and the movies. All the students said they read the books first and liked the books better.

 These are bright students who love using their imagination to creating the setting and characters in their minds. Then, they say, the movie does not replace their own images. I was so encouraged to hear their intelligent discussion about the books, characters and comparison to the movies.

I can't speak for all children. But I can tell you my 4th and 5th grade students are reading the whole book, understanding the nuances of plot and character development. They are eagerly awaiting #7 - just as I am. She is a great storyteller and has kept my attention through each book. I think she did an amazing job of preparing us for #7 in the last book. We can hardly wait!

The other wonderful advantage of the Potter books is that they have stiumulated students to want to read these older series by Lloyd Alexander and Susan Cooper. My students also have enjoyed those! Perhaps they would not have read them without the stimulus of Harry Potter.

Sue McGown St. John's School Houston, TX

Connie Rockman wrote:

>Perhaps I am revealing my own intellectual shortcomings, but I find the
>Harry Potter books anything but simplistic and shallow. They may appear
>deceptively simple on the surface, but I feel they are growing
>increasingly complex and nuanced. They stand up to multiple readings,
>and just holding all those details, plot threads, and characters
>together is an astounding bit of work, in addition to all the subtle
>learning about relationships, family, prejudice, and character growth.
>
>Recently, I had the pleasure of re-reading the entire Prydain series of
>Lloyd Alexander. The series will soon be reissued and repackaged in new
>paperback editions. It was interesting to revisit books I loved on
>first reading (30 years ago) and read aloud with my own children.
>Compared to the Potter books, they are not as lengthy or as complicated
>in plot, but what both series have in common - and what is lacking in
>much fantasy, I think - is humor. I believe that is a key ingredient
>that has made the Potter books so popular - with all ages - and is a
>good reason to remind today's kids about the Alexander books. Even
>though I knew how the series would end, in the last chapter of The High
>King, I found myself in tears, at my advanced and jaded age - that's
>special! The new editions contain pronunciation guides for all those
>tongue-twisting Welsh names.
>
>The time frame when kids take to these various fantasies can vary
>widely from child to child. I remember a girl in an upper-elementary
>reading club I was running when HP started taking off. She steadfastly
>refused to read them, had no interest, and couldn't be convinced
>otherwise when she was 10-12 years old. I saw her recently, now a
>junior in high school, and has just started reading HP, is careening
>through the series, can't get enough of it, and insists on owning all
>six volumes.
>
>Someone in an earlier post mentioned the Dark is Rising sequence as
>'boring' to kids - but that hasn't been my experience. My son has a
>winter solstice birthday (Dec. 21) and read The Dark during the season
>when he was turning 11, as Will does in that story. It was a
>galvanizing experience for him, he loved every page of each of the 5
>books, and has been a science fiction/fantasy reader ever since (he's
>now a 30-something physics teacher.)
>
>There are no real guideposts for who will take to fantasy or when.
>Some will unfortunately miss it altogether. But for those who are able
>to give themselves to fantasy, I think there is no wiser truth than
>what Susan Cooper said in an article entitled "Escaping into
>Ourselves":
>
> ". . .We aren't escaping out, we're escaping in, without any idea of
>what we may encounter. Fantasy is the metaphor through which we
>discover ourselves." (Susan Cooper, Dreams and Wishes: Essays on
>Writing for Children, McElderry Books, 1996)
>
>Connie Rockman
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Received on Wed 10 May 2006 07:48:04 AM CDT