For those hordes of kids and parents who have kept up with the Harry Potter experience since the first book was published in 1998, Saturday’s release of the seventh and final book in the series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is going to seem like the end of the world.
J.K. Rowling has made a mint for herself (some estimates put her wealth at $1 billion), for the companies that published the Potter books (in America, Scholastic has garnered a cool $800 million) and brought untold numbers of children and their parents to local libraries and bookstores.
It is a true phenomenon. Harry Potter has sparked “a ‘golden age’ of teen literature, ushering in an era of increased and varied publishing in the area of teen literature,” said Paula Brehm-Heeger, president of the Young Adult Library Services Association, in an e-mail.
“Book sales targeted to those aged 12-to-18 in the United States have risen 23 percent between 1999 and 2005,” Brehm-Heeger continued. “Activities and programs at libraries related to Harry Potter have helped young people see libraries as fun places to be and to see reading as ‘cool.”‘
Denver Public Library Children’s Services Manager Carol Edwards takes it a step further, saying that Harry and company are a series that people want to read more than once.
“One of the most interesting effects I’ve noticed is that kids, especially boys, are more likely to identify themselves as readers than in the past,” Edwards said, adding, “Suddenly a big fat book has some cachet.”
But what has made the books so popular in the first place?
“The Potter books are popular because of their universal themes wrapped in a fantasy package,” said J. Marin Younker, chair of the YALSA’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults committee. “Issues of identity and growing up, good vs. evil, romance and relationships with friends and family are explored.”
Now that Harry has the children reading, the onus seems to be on keeping them interested in books. But parents can feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of children’s books. Libraries and bookstores can and do help.
Brehm-Heeger said parents should “talk about what you read and ask about what your teens are reading. Ask a librarian to suggest books for teens, visit your library’s website for recommendations or read book reviews, stories, poems, graphic novels, magazines or books out loud together.”
But you can get even more specific help than that. According to the DPL’s Edwards, “Almost every library knows about great books that kids who love Harry will enjoy reading while they wait for the last book and to move to after they finish. New books are being published every day that are marvelous fantasies that grab the imagination and won’t let go.”
In fact, the library has a list titled “If You Like Harry Potter,” which contains more than 40 suggestions for alternate reading.
Edwards says, too, that for those parents who don’t want their children to read Harry Potter because of the series’ magical elements, the library can offer alternatives.
“There are great stories about everyday kids and exciting stories about survival that are inspiring accounts to read,” she said. “We all need to remember that some of these titles are in the nonfiction section, and reading biographies and true life adventures build reading proficiency too.”
Another bonus from the Harry Potter books, according to Judy Bulow, Tattered Cover Book Store’s children’s books buyer, is that the books have instilled a willingness in children to try more challenging books.
“Since the first Potter hit the shelves,” Bulow said, “parents have testified to their children’s interest and willingness to read these books that are often above their reading level. The kids love the books and will work to read them.”
She went on to say that, “The books have made children less afraid of picking up a huge book of 700 pages; in fact, they seem to prefer the thicker books.”
And parents shouldn’t be afraid to seek help from bookstore staff when trying to find an appropriate book to keep their child interested in reading, Bulow said.
“This is the very best thing about staff in the children’s section, especially in the children’s section in an independent book store – the staff reads the books and can recommend them on that basis,” she said.
She added that some children who read beyond their particular age “still need subject matter appropriate to their age level,” and the staff at a bookstore can help with that, as well.
Bulow said that parents should realize that each child is different and that, “Parents need to trust them to know what they might like but also be able to gently stretch their reading limits. A knowledgeable staff can speak to both parents and young readers.”
Staff writer Tom Walker can be reached at 303-954-1624 or at twalker@denverpost.com.
Sheer sorcery
A look at the Harry Potter saga by the numbers:
27.7 Millions of copies of Potter books sold since 2001 in the U.S.
12 Millions of copies in the first printing for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
50,000 First printing for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the first in the series
$34.95 Cover price for “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”
$22.99 Cover price for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”
$829 Millions in revenue for Scholastic Press, the American publisher of the Harry Potter series
Source: Publishers Weekly
