HARRY POTTER!!!!

For those you who are not fans, kindly disregard this entry, for those of you who are, I think you will understand the following words. First of all, if you haven't, READ THE LAST BOOK!! I read and finished the book last Wednesday in 11 hours. While reading, I took breaks to make it last longer, I even did housework. Do you know what I mean? It was one of those times in the life of a reader that sends you to another world. It is a world in between the words you are reading and real life; a time when your subconscious whispers loudly to you to stop reading for fear that it will end. Your heart also urges you to stop, even as your greedy eyes devour the words and as the pages on your left begin to grow smaller in number while the pages to your right slowly disappear, again your heart screams STOP! All because, after all these years of having Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, Mr. & Mrs. Weasley and even the not so likable characters as your circle of friends, that relationship begins to dis..apparate, I mean disappear as the pages on the right dwindle. You've cried with them in the loss of Dumbledore and the unfairness of Sirius Black becoming a beloved memory, you've laughed at Fred and George's antics and cheered them on when they defied those around them, you've chased the snitch on the Quidditch field as if you were the seeker, shuddered when Harry named 'He who must not be named' by his name, and you've yearned for Lily to be alive, for Harry never to have been an orphan. But then you realize, his story would not have been told and you selfishly take that last part back.

On Wednesday, I lived the last 759 pages with a bittersweet feeling. Cheers to JK Rowling, who as an author, I applaud. As a teacher, I find Harry Potter to be a good way to lead children to want to read, and contrary to what some might think, Potter isn't the only way; however, he is a dang good option. Rowling's Potter is not simply a household name with money signs behind it, but he is a dear friend to many. Yet, his presence has been a source of conflict and debate like so many literary characters before him. At ths same time, Harry Potter has lead many children to a love of reading, as CS Lewis did (and still does) with his Narnia books for me. But it was Potter who brought that love out in me again. They, Harry Potter and Joan Rowling, pulled to the surface my identity as a reader. I was captured by words and the enthralling story found when those words come together. In certain parts, I saw everything as clearly as if I were a bug perched on the rim of Harry's glasses. In my mind, time stood still as I interacted in that in-between world, tugging between my heart and the selfish appetite of my reading eyes. Those same eyes began to cry when I realized I was three chapters from the last page and they laughed again when I thought I was finished, but an epilogue magically appeared. All that being said, Hurrah for Harry Potter and for book seven. To Rowling, cheers for the story, for creating new friends for us to love, for allowing us to look in on those friends' lives and for sharing the good times and the difficult times of loss. To the debates that will stem from the final book, good times will definitely result and hopefully creative thinking will ensue. Finally, to all Potter readers, read on and in the end you will hopefully agree, All WAS well.