Go to http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org and scroll down to July 28th. They have scans of an article that was in Newsweek. Lupin looks bad but from what I've heard, that's just a bad picture and he shouldn't be judged by that image alone. I'll wait until the movie to make any real judgements.

I love the books. I've fallen in love with the series. The movies, too. It's all just captured my imagination. It could have something to do witht the fact that my husband reads them out loud to me to. :love:

Harry Potter movies are the big W.


Loved em~Make more plz

YAY...for SURE!!

I find the harry potter books to be a nice pleasure read. Very easy to get through and entertaining. Fairly 'fluff' but they get kids reading and are fun.

Thanks for the link Madprophet. Neat to see.

Nay.... can handle it..... dont know what it is...... just Nay..

I've only seen the movies and I'm not impressed at all.

so nay

Haven't read the books, haven't seen the movies but i'm guessing i wouldn't like them.

Harry Potter makes for great "dessert" reading. The movies, er, they could be worse.

Harry Potter is an easy read. I really identify with him - except I'm not a wizard child that lives in England.

Actually, I identify better with Dorian Grey...no wait...

Dorian Gray? You should see the "faithful interpretation" of him in <i>The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen</i>. But yeah, I've read explanations for Harry Potter's fame that firmly finger the Boy Who Lived's similarity to Gray.

I am halfway through book #4 - The Goblet of Fire - and it's really good. I really like these books. The author has a LOT of imagination, and comes up with really good plots with great twists and surprises. I don't agree with the argument that they are teaching witchcraft to our kids, though. People seem to have forgotten The Sword in the Stone, Lord of the Rings, and ALL the fairy tales they heard growing up.

If you have half an imagination, and enjoy adventure stories and/or science fiction, you should try Harry Potter.

I'm totally captivated. I've read all the books. Thank you JK Rowling.

Thanks for listening.

Nah, just for the fact that I would never read a 900+ pg book. I was totally against seeing the movie, but ended up watching more of it than I thought when my mom and sis were watching it. But that was the first and last time I see a HP movie.

I liked the movies, but I think is was a bit much for the young one in the theater...

Yay!

I am a huge Potter fan, currently reading The Order of the Phoenix. Looking forward to more books and more movies.

Yah. Easy reading, and entertaining. JK Rowling may be the lady that saved all of our kids from being illiterate...

I'm an English major and a professional writer - and I firmly believe Rowling is one of the best at the craft today.

Yay, all the way.

I never would have tried them but a business partner and friend bought me the first 4 all at once and guilted me into reading them. 2 weeks later after I finished them all I was glad.

Its not high literature by any means but its simple fun entertainment. It has a real page turned feeling to it. I hated having to go to bed at night, I always wanted to read one more chapter.

Eh. Right between yeah and nah.. I don't want to waste my time reading those books when I could be reading... Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman or even Catch 22. But, I do like the movies.. only after monthes and monthes of friends hassling.. it came down to 2 choices on a saturday night when I was home sick.. Watch Harry Potter or watch Freddy got Fingered... God Bless Harry Potter... so I live seen both movies now, and will probably go see the 3rd opening week, there is no way I'm sitting in a theater full of kids on opening weekend.

I Love Harry Potter: A Very Short Essay By Cedar

I am a librarian, so my very livelihood depends on people reading. Unlike any book before it, Harry Potter is causing people (not just kids, in fact, I do NOT think this is a children's book series) to put down their video games and read. It has accomplished things no other book has done. The first printing of Order of the Phoenix had 8.5 MILLION copies. By contrast, a book by John Grisham usually gets about 1.5 million copies in a first printing. Parents, children, librarians, teachers...everyone is reading this book together. It's not just a literary experience, it's something that encourages families to discuss books.

J.K. Rowling is not J.R.R. Tolkien or Diana Wynne Jones, but nor does she ever pretend to be. Her wit and clean writing style attract people like myself who normally wouldn't touch a fantasy book with a 10-foot pole. There are many jokes that adults can understand that don't detract from a young adult's enjoyment of the book. Harry is a very human character, and there are peripheral characters that all of us can relate to. I'm sad that Scholastic is marketing this terrific young adult series as a children's book, because it definitely is not, but other than that my quibbles are few.

Is it worth the hype? Who cares? The point is, people are excited over a BOOK. It shows that in an age of television and the internet, the printed word and reading for pleasure are still valued. That, I think, is more important than the specific title of the book.

Listen. I use the books to try to relate to teens. She captures every age she is writing with extreme clarity. Very impressive. My father in his pediatrics practice has used the 5th book as a reference for frustrated parents of mid teens. The Angst is perfectly displayed in that book. All while writing some great intrigue.
Like shingles on a house, she layers intriguing bits on each other so when you are over one, there is another one that started in the background that makes you want to read on. She is really good that way. It is not kiddy stuff, just has a wide audience. Kind of like the hobbit and LOTR, you can read it as a kid, but you get the most out of it as an adult. this one just sets its sights a bit lower, you just have to be a late teen to get it all...

Yay

it's not literature. But it's nice pulp, easily readable even for people who aren't native english speakers.

it's the equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie. it's nice entertainment, and could get people interested in reading more.