Alicia64 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Harry Potter. For ages I've heard about this miracle book series. My boys are eight and I've been reading aloud wonderful gems from the past for years. They received Harry Potter for Christmas and I'm reading it aloud to them , but Harry Potter is not what I would call a gem. It seems like the whole world loves this book series, but I don't think it stacks up next to Roald Dahl, Clyde Robert Bulla, Edward Eager, Edith Nesbit, Mark Twain etc. etc. Now, I've only gotten 3/4 through the first book, but I'm not seeing it. My boys, however, LOVE it. One of their faves up until now was the Rats of NIMH, but they say Harry Potter is better! Really. . .? (No, I don't actually say that to them.) Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevilla Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 The first two books read like adolescent lit and aren't that great IMO. They do set up the charactres and major plot points though. The series really gets good in Book 3 and progresses from there - when you compare Book 7 with Book 1 it is almost like reading two entirely different series, they get THAT good. Also remember that the books increase their depth as the character grows. At first Harry is 10-11 years old - not even logic stage yet - and the books are more simple due to that. By the end he is 15-17 years old and tackling far more challenging things in life and thought. The series actually helped me work through fear of death in a significant way :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 The first two books read like adolescent lit and aren't that great IMO. They do set up the charactres and major plot points though. The series really gets good in Book 3 and progresses from there - That is good to know. We petered out after the second book. Maybe we need to at least try the third one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy_of_4 Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 It starts picking up a little with the 3rd like PP mentioned. It really picks up in the 4th. Each book gets more in depth with the story. It is my favorite series by far. I started reading it when I was 10 and I am 24 now and I still reread it ever few moths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We don't read HP at all, so not everyone in the world loves them. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 My boys, however, LOVE it. This is what makes it the miracle series. I agree with you, though. I think HP is insipid. Which is why I let my kids read it on their own--so they could enjoy it and I could not have to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 By the third book I wasn't so much struggling to get through, and I didn't find the rest of the series to be intolerable. By book 3 or 4 Rowling was finally assigned a competent copy editor, though all the later installments would have been considerably improved by some judicious pruning. Rowling does plot well, exceedingly so at times :tongue_smilie: but she never once gives the reader the benefit of the doubt in allowing them to come to a conclusion on their own. My chief criticism is that there's disappointingly little mystery left at Hogwarts by the end of the series. That and the ending -- was anyone else expecting the Teletubbies to show up in the climactic "battle" along with everyone else? (Well, OK, there was curious omission of the eventual fate of Hermione's parents.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 This is what makes it the miracle series. I agree with you, though. I think HP is insipid. Which is why I let my kids read it on their own--so they could enjoy it and I could not have to read it. This. I don't read Magic Tree House aloud, neither will I read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I sat down and read the entire series the December after the final book was published. It was okay. Even good in some ways. I'd never have guessed it would be such a hooplah, especially if I were a publisher, but I'd have given it a chance... I have no idea why it is considered so spectacular. Its a "good" series, but "great"? Not in my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 We don't read HP at all, so not everyone in the world loves them. :tongue_smilie: :iagree: (I have read the first one but we don't read them as in continue.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 The series actually helped me work through fear of death in a significant way :). Now that's what I love in a book. When the story actually helps me become a better person in some way. Okay, I'll keep plugging through. But, thank you everyone, for not throwing tomatoes at me! And thank you to those who've agreed w/ me too! Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I don't think they are great, and the writing stinks. They in no way compare to a series like The Dark is Rising Sequence, or the Earthsea books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 By the third book I wasn't so much struggling to get through, and I didn't find the rest of the series to be intolerable. By book 3 or 4 Rowling was finally assigned a competent copy editor, though all the later installments would have been considerably improved by some judicious pruning. Rowling does plot well, exceedingly so at times :tongue_smilie: but she never once gives the reader the benefit of the doubt in allowing them to come to a conclusion on their own. My chief criticism is that there's disappointingly little mystery left at Hogwarts by the end of the series. That and the ending -- was anyone else expecting the Teletubbies to show up in the climactic "battle" along with everyone else? (Well, OK, there was curious omission of the eventual fate of Hermione's parents.) :iagree: Mostly. I really like them, but I think I'd sum them up by saying great story, great details and world building, so-so writing. I think from JK Rowling's perspective, she did leave out a lot (like her big Dumbledore reveal a couple years ago), but I agree, she threw in most everything but the kitchen sink there from the reader's perspective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I liked the first book a lot. I felt that it broke new ground in several significant ways. However, for all of that, it was still a children's book, albeit a long one. However, I continue to be impressed that each book broadens the story SO MUCH and improves on the prior ones significantly, and yet each of volumes one through five feels complete. Frankly, I think that six and seven are two parts of the last volume, and I resented tremendously the wait between publications of the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I had a similar reaction initially - I picked up book one (years ago, pre-kids), and thought - ok, it's an average kid's book, what's the big deal? I never thought I'd read the series. Then, stuck in a motel in Missouri in a snow storm, I watched one of the movies - The Goblet of Fire - and was immediately interested. It was much darker and more interesting than I had thought. I ended up reading the whole series with Dd when she was in 1st-3rd grades, and she absolutely loved it. I really liked it too. And - I have found it a really easy way to introduce literary analysis: who is the protaganist? what does he want? who is the antagonist? what does he want? it's such a simple story, from that point of view, and she knows it so well, it's made it much easier to do LA with harder (more complex) books. And, now a part of our family mythology, is the great quote "It is not our abilities that make us who we are, it is our choices." I'd read it again just for that ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I wasn't thrilled, but then again, I'm rarely thrilled with things that have such a huge mass appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.W Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I almost bagged the series at the beginning of the 3rd or 4th book. I enjoyed the books, but I was getting bored with every book starting with his birthday and ending with him saving the world by the end of the school year. But I stuck with it because my kids love the series and I wanted to see if my youngest was mature enough to read past the 3rd book. I'm glad I did finish the series and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. So even if you're not wowed with the books, I'd still give the books a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaughingCat Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 FWIW I did not think the series got better as it went on - just longer and more tedious. I did manage to finish all the books (and I'm not a "must finish the book"-er) but the last book in particular really skirted the edge of "put down and never finish" for me. LL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I heart Harry Potter. At the same time, I made my son wait until to read them until just now - he got the books for Christmas. He will be 9 next month. It's not something I would have chosen as a read aloud for when he was younger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iucounu Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Agree. DS5 didn't like the first one much, and after skimming it I formed a very low opinion of the writing. I later leafed through one of the later ones and didn't see much to recommend it either. We've given the rest of the series a miss, and I won't be giving them to DS2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I love HP. :) I think if you are trying to compare them to great works of literature, then yeah, you'll be disappointed. :) They are fun, interesting, kids books - which got a lot of kids to read when they wouldn't before. It made kids excited about books coming out. I think that was the big appeal. I honestly didn't think I would like them, but went and saw the first movie because there was a Star Wars preview beforehand (yep, I'm a dork... :D ) and thought it was fun, so I read the books and loved them! We own them all, but I haven't decided yet when I'll let the kids read them. It'll depend on maturity and will probably be different for each kid. I can't compare them to the Magic Tree House books, I find them vastly different. I consider this a much bigger picture, a much more expansive story, than what is told in the MTH books. I often try to read what is 'current' and find myself laughing at the idiocy (um, hello Twilight! Worst writing and dumbest thing I've read in a LONG time! :D ) but I think, for what they are, HP is great. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I don't care for them either. It's a matter of taste, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 The first two books read like adolescent lit and aren't that great IMO. They do set up the charactres and major plot points though. The series really gets good in Book 3 and progresses from there - when you compare Book 7 with Book 1 it is almost like reading two entirely different series, they get THAT good. Also remember that the books increase their depth as the character grows. At first Harry is 10-11 years old - not even logic stage yet - and the books are more simple due to that. By the end he is 15-17 years old and tackling far more challenging things in life and thought. The series actually helped me work through fear of death in a significant way :). :iagree::iagree: I wasn't hooked til the 3rd book on my first read through, now I love them all though. With the exception of Order of the Phoenix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I have no desire to bring Harry Potter into our home so I definitely won't throw tomatoes at you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Well, tomatoes would be messy, so I won't throw them at you, but I LOVE Harry Potter and so do my boys and hubby! I guess I can understand how you feel, because so many people are enthralled with Jane Austen, and I just think "Ugh" and "Yawn" when I try to read those books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 It seems like the whole world loves this book series, but I don't think it stacks up next to Roald Dahl, Clyde Robert Bulla, Edward Eager, Edith Nesbit, Mark Twain etc. etc. :iagree:The HP books don't stack up next to other, better writers. No HP for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caedmyn Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I have no desire to bring Harry Potter into our home so I definitely won't throw tomatoes at you! :iagree: I did, however, read the first book years ago and I wasn't impressed with the quality of the writing. And I'm not one who reads many classics. I just didn't think the writing was on par with the better YA books out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlylocks Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 We don't read HP at all, so not everyone in the world loves them. :tongue_smilie: :iagree: - we don't read HP either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) I can't compare them to the Magic Tree House books, I find them vastly different. I consider this a much bigger picture, a much more expansive story, than what is told in the MTH books. It's not that the content is similar, but rather that I place both series in the class of books better left for kids to read themselves -- MTH for fluency building, HP and similar series for kids to have the satisfaction of being pulled through a high-interest plot-driven story and finishing huge series on their own. Edited December 29, 2011 by nmoira missed word Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 It's not that the content is similar, but rather that I place both series in the class of books better left for kids to read themselves -- MTH for fluency building, HP and similar series for kids have the satisfaction of being pulled through a high-interest plot-driven story and finishing huge series on their own. Again, thank you everyone. I have a better understanding now of the HP phenomenon. Why I love Magic Tree House: kids learn all kinds of facts about interesting topics. Why I'm okay w/ Harry Potter: since my kids homeschool and don't have a TV, I feel like this series is allowing them to have something in common w/ their public school friends. Still, I do wish we'd waited a little longer. They'll be nine in April. Thanks, everyone. I think I had the wrong expectations. I thought HP was in line with Roald Dahl or something. For what it is, it's good enough. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pen Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 (edited) This. I don't read Magic Tree House aloud, neither will I read Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, etc. My delayed reader gets to read these out loud to me. It is wonderful. They are great for that purpose, IMO! Edited December 29, 2011 by Pen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Nyssa Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I have enjoyed the HP series very much. I think they are extremely good books-- not on the level of my beloved E Nesbit, Lewis, or Tolkein-- but still very good. I do, however, think that they struck a nerve in our culture at that particular moment, and I'm not sure why it was HP and not some other book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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