How Many Harry Potter Articles Were Named “I’m Just Wild About Harry”?

We-Who-Know know that:

1)  Children who read Harry Potter books don’t spend ten minutes adjusting their cushions to find the optimally comfortable position, because they’re too busy READING.

2)  Children who read Harry Potter don’t have to go to the bathroom during library, because they’re too busy READING.  Also, they don’t need to get a drink.  They’re glued to the page. 

3)  Children who read Harry Potter also REREAD Harry Potter.  I am of the school that rereading is a sign of a healthy reader.  (Not the only sign, and some excellent readers never reread.  But nevertheless.)

As these article writers DON’T know these things, and AREN’T librarians, they ought to retire with a blush of shame.

We have a big reading culture at my school–my children come from highly literate families–and because of this, there are always what I call "status books"–thick books that kids want to be seen reading, books that they like to carry around.  So even children who don’t have a prayer of getting through these books demand THE LORD OF THE RINGS and ERAGON and JURASSIC PARK–I’m talking about third graders, here.  And then, once I’ve given them the standard "I’ve always been a pretty good reader, but I couldn’t have read this at your age.  It’s really written for older children, but you can give it a whirl.   If it’s too hard, don’t make up your mind it’s boring–give it another try in a year or two," speech and the book has been checked out, the child needs to use the bathroom.  He needs a drink.  He needs to find the exact perfect spot to place his cushion, often disturbing other readers in the process. He needs to peel back the velcro from his shoes, over and over.  In this way, library period passes.   When he comes back three days later, the bookmark is still in the front of the book.

But with Harry Potter, they don’t go to the bathroom, they don’t need a drink, they leave their classmates and their cushions and  the velcro on their shoes ALONE, because they’re reading.  Their bodies are still, their faces are intent, the pages are turning steadily. Over the weeks, the bookmark moves through the book.  I don’t know what younger children are getting out of these books, because often the books are too hard for them;  they’ve got to be missing half of what’s going on–but they’re getting something; they’re chomping away at ’em and extracting enough marrow to keep them chewing.  So–even though we had to adjust our whole Fiction shelving system to make room for all the multiple copies of J. K. Rowling–I’m a fan.  I’m in favor of the whole thing. 

So there you are.  If you’ve found repetition it is simply because I have mixed together two e-mails.  I am particularly fond of the phrase, "they’re chomping away at ’em and extracting enough marrow to keep them chewing."  My thanks.