November 16, 2001,
was a milestone for all who contemplate such in regards to storytelling.
This is the
twentieth anniversary of the release of Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone movie, one that sent an already
phenomenal literary success into the stratosphere of cultural treasures.
The first books
were published a few years before, beginning in 1997. As a new millennium burst
forth, and with the trauma of September 11 2001 just marking the new age, civilization
needed a global hero to do battle with the dark forces.
Previous super heroes
were muscular and donned impressive outfits. Harry was small; a bespectacled pre-teen
with no support at home.
But Harry had magic.
For those who
write kidlit, the return of magic to stories was welcome. Children were back to
reading, even though teachers didn’t assign these books in school. What made
the series especially impressive was that people of all ages bought and read
the books. Childless folks of parental age also gobbled the volumes up.
Then, beginning November
16 2001, came the movies. They didn’t replace the books. People watched the
movies, and went back to read and re-read the books. I know the volumes on our bookshelf
were tattered from use.
Whether you are a
fan or not, Harry Potter’s appearance on earth is something to celebrate for
all the reasons I mentioned.
We needed him. We
need heroes still.
5 comments:
I think the world definitely needs magic. I enjoyed both the books and the movies.
I no longer read SFF like I did in high school but the HP books were so good. My stepmother bought me the first when Max was a wee baby and I was hooked. JKR is an amazing storyteller. My kids read them all when they got older. I'm glad I waited until they were about 10-11 because the books got darker as the series went along. Watched the movies. So well done. I wonder what the next big thing will be for the kids who are turning 10 today. It's got to have more than magic...something miraculous! Yes!
How my daughter loved those books. I enjoyed them, too.
Love,
Janie
JKR is definitely a terrific story teller. I enjoyed the first HP books but didn't read the last few because they were getting too dark for me.
On the dust jacket of some of the early HP books, there were fan letters from kids. They were priceless.
I reread the HP series often.
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