Harry Potter entered my life when I was 9 years old. My older sister had read the first novel and was on to the second in the series when she decided to start badgering me to read the books too. I was at first against reading the books as it was about a boy but I eventually gave in. This simple decision began an obsession that is still present thirteen years, 7 books and 8 movies later. My obsession is not an isolated occurrence as this phenomenon has swept the world and the series has become an international bestseller. But what is it about the series that has related to so many people of different ages, gender, culture and generations?
For myself I believe it was of course the magic and the uniqueness of the series that drew me back time and time again, but deep down I know it was the friendship and love told in the books. Even though I enjoyed immensely the different spells, potions, classes and the Harry Potter world itself but it is how J.K. Rowling portrayed her characters and the relationships they had between one another. Without this strong character formation and development I do not believe the series would have been as successful, as it was key to “hooking” the reader who would feel that they were actually involved in the series world. You were able to first meet Harry, get to know him, see him develop as both a person and a wizard. You always knew what Harry was thinking and what he was feeling. All of this made myself feel like I was Harry’s confidant.
One other area I believed added to the series was the intelligent and exciting plot that was planned perfectly from book 1 to book 7. J.K. Rowling had really dotted her ‘i’s’ and crossed her “t’s” when it came to creating the master plot which flowed through to each novel until the last book were it all the pieces of the Harry Potter puzzle came together. Put simply J.K. Rowling is a fantastic writer.
I hope Harry Potter will continue to be a favourite in childrens literature as it was and still is for me.
