H is for Harry Potter

Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration

I have yet to meet anyone in the wonderful world of children's literature who has not been profoundly touched by Harry Potter or JK Rowling's journey. For me it's not just the way the books shone a spotlight on the quality and viability of children's literature, nor the richness of the storytelling, it's the way JK Rowling put books into children's hands. And they read them. Oh, how they read them. 

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My students craved these books in a way I'd never seen before. Even the most reluctant reader was swept away by the boy who lived. That is the true gift of Harry Potter. I still see the magic anew each year when one of my 5th graders picks up Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone for the first time and doesn't stop until they've finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Harry Potter stories have had a special place in my family as well. My daughter, Melissa, was eleven when she picked up the first book. She grew up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. No one could wish for better friends.

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How has Harry Potter woven his spells into your life?

Click on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge logo in the sidebar to access the links to all the superheroes participating in this blog hop.

View From the 5th Grade Trenches - January 2011 - Hooked on a Series

Here in the 5^th grade trenches we LOVE a good middle grade literature series.  My credit card is steaming from overuse as I fill our shelves with the latest installments of our favorites.  I get excited when a kid comes charging in the door waving a new series they’ve just discovered.  I’m a pushover.  I’ll make a beeline for the bookstore and grab up every piece of the series I can get my hands on.   

What hooks a middle grader on a series?

О   Characters – Who wouldn’t want Harry Potter for a friend? 

О   Adventure – It’s a blast to face obstacles, danger, or wonders we’ll never face in real life.  Let’s ride a dragon, fight the Minotaur, or live underwater.

О   Humor-Humor-Humor – Make us laugh and we’ll follow you home. 

О   New Worlds and Fantastic Places – We all voted here in Room 15 that we want to go to school in a castle like Hogwarts.

О   Relatability - Kids love seeing themselves in the situations and dilemmas they find in books.  It helps them understand similarities in their own lives and can be very validating.

О   Attachment – Readers, 5^th graders included, make emotional investments in stories that we follow over multiple books.  There is a sense of loss and sorrow when the path we’ve been sharing with our characters comes to an end.  How many of us took to our beds for weeks after finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, knowing it was the last time we’d break bread with Harry, Ron, and Hermione? 

The top three series being read in our classroom even as we speak are:

                        PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by Rick Riordan

                        “It’s fun watching a kid have to make big decisions.”

Robyn, Kyle, Ilker, Fernanda

                        “Every page is heart pounding, exciting, and breath taking.

                                    Mark, Tyler, Sal, Caleb, Aryanna

                        HARRY POTTER by JK Rowling

                        “The Harry Potter books make you wish you had magic.  We would

like to have teachers like Mad Eye Moody, Dumbledore, and

Lupin.”

                                    Hazel, Kathleen, Pratik, Rylee

           

                        DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney

                        “It’s a funny look at facing challenges.”

                                    Melina, Jerry, Kait, Gage

HONORABLE

MENTIONS:             THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by CS Lewis

                                    LAST DRAGON CHRONICLES by Chris D’lacey

                                    SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS by Lemony Snicket

THE 39 CLUES by Various Authors 

What are your favorites?