Mischief Managed.

Every so often, there is a piece of entertainment that manages to move a generation. I firmly believe that Harry Potter is one of these masterpieces that managed to entertain, teach, and emotionally attach young people to fictional characters and a story we wish was real. I know I was sad when my letter to Hogwarts never came at age eleven. Harry taught me to be brave even when things got scary, Ron taught me it was okay to make outrageous statements, Hermione taught me that you can be smart and share it. Luna taught me that it was alright to be a little looney, and Neville made sure it was okay to be a little off, too. These characters are a part of me, and helped me through some tough times. But the biggest accomplishment of all was that J.K. Rowling taught a whole generation of young people that it was fun to read. I am not ashamed to admit that it took me a while to be able to read silently to myself, age seven to be precise. Once I started, I never stopped. But Harry Potter was my first real venture into long chapter books, at age eight. Rowling's masterpiece made me realize that books were my escape, a handheld way to get away from reality's daily troubles. From then on, I have read everything and anything. I love love to read, and I am a regular at my local library. And I completely blame Ms. Rowling. I hope that Harry has managed to do for other children what he did for me, make me see that novels were a marvelous thing. Reading should never ever die, and there should always be books for children and adults of all ages to pick up and escape their lives. As long as you don't live inside fiction, an occasional escape is just fine.

My feelings about this though begin and end with the books. The films just never did it for me. I believe in order for a book to film franchise to work, they need to be stand alone movies, and I feel that you can be very confused if you have never ever touched a Harry Potter novel. That is not to say I don't go see them, or discourage others. But I feel that every person should at least try out Harry in book form too, as there is such depth to these books, the sheer detail insane. The woman put so much thought into each and every moment, it is a master piece for the ages.

I am a giant Harry nerd, but you probably would never guess until you get me talking. I didn't see the movie at midnight, I didn't dress up. But I did buy books four through seven at midnight and read them until I was finished. Books are like candy, they should be gobbled up, but savored. And Harry Potter novels are like that super special sweet that you want to eat over and over again. So thank you J.K., for introducing me to the most wonderful hobby I have. I truly appreciate it.