Why is Harry Potter on the cover of every newspaper and magazine lately? I know he just wrote a book, but why is he so special?
Where you been?
Harry Potter did not write the book, he is the main character of a series of (now four) books aimed at pre-teens. The books have been fantastically popular, beyond anything else in recent history, at one point holding three of the four slots on the NY TIMES Best-seller list (IIRC).
You might want to read one of those articles, or listen to one of the news shows, and they’d prob’ly describe the phenomenon.
The general reaction has been delight that here is a book that children are eagerly buying and reading and talking about. The small minority reaction is that this book is about witchcraft and therefore sinful or harmful to the psyche or undermining the foundations of religion or something. (Plot synopsis: 11-year old discovers that he is a wizard with magical ability; a small number of other children are also, and they go to wizard’s school together.)
nit pic…the author is a “she”
I agree with CKDextHavn…fun to read, very popular with kids, some controversy, plus anticipation (these books are not cranked out weekly like some other kids’ series books)
I talked to my sister about this, and she pointed out that it’s one of the few juvenile series in recent years that has gotten boys to enjoy reading. I had been wondering about the whole phenomenon myself, but I thought that was a good point.
I think it’s great that these books are getting kids to read . . . What I find slightly depressing is that many of the books’ fans are adults. Did grown-ups used to read The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew? Why aren’t they reading adult books, like . . . well, MINE?
Aw, come on, Eve . . . even adults like to go back to being kids just for a little while. As an avid reader, I read plenty of “adult” books, but the innocence and charm of Harry Potter is always appealing. They’re fun little nuggets of brain-candy.
I kinda like the Onion’s comments on why it is so popular:
“Combines the fantasy of JRR Tolkein with not being long”
“Just realized that (what’s his name?), King of Narnia, is just a big, preachy, a**hole”
I think I shall never read these things, not as long as there is good classic fantasy out there.
Sure, adults read them. They’re darn good books! I’ve always had a fondness for children’s literature (did a brief stint in the editorial department of a children’s book house).
The Harry Potter series is well-written, funny, has good characters, plot development, etc. All the stuff that keeps you glued to the pages. Just because the main character is a child doesn’t mean it’s beneath the interest level of adults.
BTW, we bought HPIV last nite and, since we knew three of us would be vying for it, we started reading it aloud. Got through the first 100 or so pages. It’s a fast read, and very engaging.
Then my voice gave out, and my daughter swiped the book and stayed up until 2:00 finishing it.
The latest one is 734 pages long. When I gave it to my 12-year old, her eyes got big and she said, “It’s going to take me while to finish this.”
Kevin B.
I never saw what the fuss was about. I mean, he did a great job of keeping Hawkeye and B.J. in line, but I always felt he had an unnatural relationship to that horse of his. Besides, can you trust anyone from Missouri?
Maybe not. My 10-year-old nephew got his copy on Saturday the 8th, started reading it Sunday and finished it on the way to camp Monday morning.
Quoth Myrr21:
If you mean Aslan, He’s allowed to be preachy… You DO, of course, know who He is?
The only other kings I recall in Narnia are Peter and Edmund… I don’t think that Caspian is ever called “king”, is he? And Peter was more of a doer than a talker, and Edmund was the sinner of the bunch.
ROFL! That’s a good one.
MR
This would have been a lot better a pun if the character played by actor HARRY MORGAN wasn’t named “Sherman T. Potter”. But he was. You’ve mixed real actor name and character name. 
Cartooniverse
I have an idea. Download her books from alt.binaries.e-books
then read them & you can see what her writing is all about.
Her first threee books are there.
As J.K. Rowling knows, wizards are made of wood. As in “we’re off to cedar wizard.”
Eve, I read a LOT, including biographies. Generally, though, I don’t read “celeb” bios. I did read The Ragman’s Son by Kirk Douglas, but that was a gift. It was interesting, but probably not something that I’d pick up for myself.
Mostly I read fantasy, science fiction, and mystery, when I read fiction, and science or craft stuff in nonfiction. I’ll probably pick the Harry Potter books sooner or later, as I generally like fantasy written for kids. I’m a big fan of Diana Wynne Jones.