Merlin's beard! Harry Potter's over?

Oh man, Harry Potter. Talk about your childhood memories. I’ve been diligently reading (and rereading) the Harry Potter books since the fourth grade, when I spent an entire Friday afternoon, evening, and early morning reading the first installment, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Since then, I have been devouring the new books and going through the earlier chapters to refresh my memory on J.K. Rowling’s ridiculously intricate plotting and development. I would stay up late on Potter fan websites, reading other readers’ theories about what might happen in the next books. I dragged my family to a screening of the movie A.I. – Artificial Intelligence (yes, the movie with the boy from The Sixth Sense as a robot with feelings) just so I could watch the preview trailer for the movie version of the first book. I plastered the walls of my basement with clippings from magazines and Internet printouts. I went to three midnight release parties at Barnes and Noble and ordered “butterbeer” (really sugary chai) from the Starbucks and dominated in trivia contests. One of my friends even hosts a podcast about Harry Potter, and I try to butt in every once in a while.

It’s become something of a cliché to say my generation has grown up with Harry Potter, but I sure do feel that way. I started reading the first book when I was 10, a year younger than the character of Harry in Sorcerer’s Stone. I finished the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in which Harry is 17), a month after my 19th birthday.

At the same time, however, I’m not too worried about outgrowing Harry like I outgrew American Girl dolls and Power Rangers and Beanie Babies. Even after finishing the last book I am itching to start back at the beginning – I don’t know if I’ll ever get sick of the story.

Every new book was shrouded in publisher-upheld mystery, but the moment I cracked open the binding it was like I was settling down to catch up with an old friend – just the right mix of awestruck epic and deliciously familiar.

Posted by Jordan at 8/12/2007 11:03:00 PM