When I was in the 7th grade, I had a study hall that fell in the middle of the day, just after lunch. Because I had not been to all of my classes, I did not have all of my homework assignments for the day. My teacher insisted that I stay busy, which would be hard for me now but especially for the 7th grade version of myself that loved to talk way too much. My study hall teacher happened to be a Language Arts teacher so he had a library of books in his classroom. I perused his shelves and finally settled on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I knew these books by J.K. Rowling were all the rave but hadn't given over to the fad yet. I gave in and tried the first book.
I was completely enthralled by the first book, so I quickly moved onto the 2nd and then the 3rd. However, before I completed the 3rd book the semester ended, and I no longer had a study hall. For years, I said I would continue reading the books and even asked a friend to borrow all of the ones that had come out.
Last summer (2009), with the 6th movie coming out and me having a lot of spare time on my hands, I watched each of the previous 5 movies. If you know me, you know that's an incredible feat for me. I hardly ever choose to watch a movie on my own and can almost never stay awake for an entire movie. I was able to finish all 5 on my own without falling asleep.
From a teacher's perspective, I love what I have read from the books. Rowling's writing is filled with so much imagery that it makes you feel like you are actually there, experiencing what the characters are experiencing.
I'll leave you with a quote I love from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved you is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good. -Dumbledore to Harry
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