Harry Potter: such a controversial little boy

Okay, so I know there are over 600 reviews of Harry Potter on this site, and my thoughts might be repeated in some of those reviews, but I am not about to wade through them to find out. In looking for a banned book to write about in pestyside's Banned Book Write Off, I decided to find out why so many people think this book (and the whole series) should not be available for others to read. The results still have me baffled, but first...

Yes, I was a skeptic too
In 1999, I kept seeing elementary aged children with copies of various books in the Harry Potter series, and I chalked it off as some new sensation I was too old to be concerned with. A couple of years later I waiting for my flight in the airport and saw a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on a stand in the book store. I had nothing better to do for the next couple of hours, so I figured I'd pick it up so I could see what all the hoopla was about and decide for myself if it was overrated or actually worthy. I found it worthy.

So, what's it about?
For the five people left on the planet who don't already know, here's the skinny: the book opens as a young baby is delivered to a doorstep on Privet Drive in London. Ten years later, we learn that the baby is poor Harry Potter, an orphan who has been raised by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia Dursely, a couple who detest him. They make him sleep in a cupboard under the stairs and focus all of their love and affection on their own son, Dudley.

One day letters start arriving for Harry from some owls, but the Durselys won't let him see them. On the night of his tenth birthday, a huge man arrives to tell Harry that he was born to two wizards, and that Harry himself is a wizard who has been accepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This large man, named Hagrid, takes Harry on an introduction to the magical side of London. This is kind of like a parallel universe to the muggle (nonmagical) world, which can be entered through secret entrances in the muggle world, such as by pulling on a loose brick or crashing into certain walls.

Arriving at school, Harry learns that his parents did not actually die in a car accident, as he thought. Rather, they were murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort (aka 'He who must not be named' or 'You know who'), who then attempted to murder Harry but apparently died in the process, leaving a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. For this reason, Harry is something of a celebrity in the wizarding world, known as 'the boy who lived,' and he never had a clue.

The story in this book follows Harry through his first year at Hogwarts, as he makes friends and rivals, while learning the rules of the magical world, learning how to mix potions and cast spells, and also learning about his parents. There's also something fishy going on with a couple of his professors, and Harry can't help himself from trying to get to the bottom of it, along with his two new best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

For the stragglers out there who have not yet read this book, that's as much plot as you'll get out of me. I'll be darned if I'm the one who's going to ruin any more surprises this book may have in store for you.

So, why all the positive hoopla?
By now, most people in the world know British author J.K Rowling's success story: an impoverished single mother who dreamt up the story of a boy wizard while on a train ride, she spent countless hours at coffee shops hammering out the details of Harry's world while her daughter slept in a pram at her side, and as a result, is now a kajillionaire. For me, she earned every one of those kajillions because the magical world she created is so convincing.

One thing I found interesting here is that the magical world (which has no separate name) is actually embedded within normal muggle (nonmagical) society, but you can only enter the magical side if you know how. The detail given to this world is incredible, down to its own slang, currency and social classes.

While the magic element takes this book into the fantasy genre, there are mystery elements as well, with Harry piecing together subtle clues sprinkled throughout his first year at Hogwarts to come to his conclusion about the suspicious secret between two staff members. What readers don't know until they work their way through the rest of the series, is that there are actually a few clues left in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that will resurface in later books in this seven book series. This demonstrates the intense amount of planning Rowling put into each book of this series, intentionally laying down puzzle pieces to be picked up several years later.

At 309 pages (in the hardcover version), this book is a quick read once you get into it. Rowling does not use any words that are too complicated for younger (8-10 year-old) readers, and any unknown words are ones created by the magical world. In fact, I have recommended this book to adult ESL friends and family members as an "easy to read" book in English.

The argument for banning Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series is one of the most-challenged in the past decade. Apparently, there has been a shift in mindset in recent years, and while books filled with sex, drug use and vulgar language are still popular targets for banning, Fantasy is the latest genre under attack. Fantasy. Umm, doesn't the name fantasy imply to people that it is make believe and "out there?" Apparently not enough.

The most common argument in favor of banning Harry Potter books is that by portraying witchcraft and wizardry in a positive light, it might encourage an interest in children to practice witchcraft and sorcery, something the Bible condemns. My biggest problem with this argument (other than the whole "freedom of religion" thing) is that witchcraft isn't presented in any kind of religious sense here. The magical world is basically just another country, like Canada or Mexico.

The other main argument in favor of banning this book is that Harry, Ron and Hermione frequently break rules in pursuit of the truth, teaching young children to disobey their elders. That is something that happens quite frequently in children's books, movie and television shows, so I don't really understand why poor Harry is getting singled out on it. To Rowling's credit, Hermione frequently tells Harry and Ron (at least in this book) to mind the school's rules.

In the end...
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone is a wonderful book, whose greatest attribute (aside from the sheer pleasure of reading it no matter how many decades old you are) is that it has inspired kids to take up a renewed interest in reading. In a time where video games and text messaging occupy most children's priorities, it is refreshing that a ten year old boy's coming of age has shown preteens that reading is cool, too.

In my volunteer time at my daughter's school library, I have noticed that the Harry Potter series and Star Wars books are the most popular amongst the second and third graders. While I think the first few books are appropriate for those ages, the books' themes get darker as Harry ages, so I'm not sure I would recommend the later books until fourth or fifth grade. In the end, it's not my decision though; it's the parents'.

As the series' opener, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is essential reading for readers who want to get lost in another world. While some may be too young for Harry Potter, no one is too old to enjoy reading about him.



This is an entry in pestyside's Banned Books Write Off. To get involved in helping speak on behalf of kids' freedom of speech/reading, go to http://www.kidspeakonline.org