Last night was a night to remember. As I put on my Harry Potter outfit, one last time, it dawned on me that this would be my last Midnight showing for Harry Potter- ever. It was a monumental occasion since it meant that the era of Harry Potter was ending. No more anticipation for the next Harry Potter book to come out and no more movie premieres to attend. The book series I first opened fourteen years ago has now come to a close.
I remember like it was yesterday, the day I opened my first Harry Potter book. I was sitting in my bedroom, on my bed prepared to dive into this book. All of my friends had started to read it and being a fan of Disney movies and tales of magic, I could not wait to get started. I was hooked from the first page and read the first book within three days. It was truly a magical experience. J.K. Rowling's books make you feel like you are "watching" the story. Her writing style, her descriptive words and character dynamics, make her books series a one of a kind. With a lively and animated cast of characters, who have battles in each book around performing an array of magical feats against the predominant theme of good versus evil. Her stories not only flow together, but she has made "first-generation" readers, feel like we have grown up with her characters.
J.K. Rowling's creation of this story is a story in it's self. J.K. spent several years after graduating from college in relative poverty; she worked briefly as a teacher, and, after her divorce, lived off the English public-assistance program while taking care of her baby daughter, Jessica. (By the way- I love that her daughter's name is the same as mine). During her children's naps, Rowling created this story about Harry Potter. Over time, while her children napped, she frequented a small English café and penned, unbeknownst to her, what would become a literary and pop-culture phenomenon -- -Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone.
After last night's Midnight premiere, I made a promise to myself that I will encourage my children to read the Harry Potter series, before they watch the films. I am a firm believer that books are always better than the movies, and I think it is important for my children to experience them the way I did. Reading the books and painting my own "pictures" of what the characters look like, how qudditch is really played, and what Hogwart's school really looks like. Imagination is a critical ingredient to have in your life and I want them to experience the magic behind these stories, just like their mother did.
Before Harry Potter, I was really into The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. These books also paint a magical place where good versus evil meet in a land of magic. All books that were a big part of my childhood. Even though the era of Harry Potter has finished, the magic behind the books and their stories will live on forever and I can't wait to pass it on to my children. I take pride in being a "first generation" reader and will never forget how I felt when I read each book for the first time.
Thank you J.K. Rowling for the memories and for creating such a magical experience. Are you a Harry Potter fan??
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