The books are filled with vivid images: horses with gigantic bird heads, enormous snakes that slither in huge caverns, man-horses ("You have a human on your back!"), forbidden forests, and paintings whose subjects move. The Hogwarts School (Gryffindor, Quidditch, the forbidden forest) feels like it should exist somewhere: you only have to catch a train from platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross railway station!
Harry Potter, and his best school friends, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley form the main attraction. They have a middle school friendship that blossoms further with each book. The tender lessons on persistence, camaraderie and loyalty are universal. I think I can anticipate what they will face as the books progress, but for now it's fun to enjoy their young adulthood.
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is of course a cultural phenomenon. Eight movies
. A theme park. Conventions. Merchandise. In my own middle school youth, I had the Lord of the Rings, but they are heavier going than Harry Potter. I like the lightness and emotion in Harry Potter. I am glad I'm reading these!
