Too Old For Harry Potter & Season's Greetings

[Anne <urbana@charter.net>]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Amy Z <lupinesque at y...>" 
<lupinesque at y...> wrote:
> But this line was truly sad:
> 
> "Of course, we have all read similar books out loud to our children 
> and enjoyed the experience, possibly enjoyed the book itself –
only 
> because we were vicariously enjoying it through them."
> 
> If s/he's never read a book to a child and enjoyed the book itself, 
> not vicariously but directly as a reader 
> moved/amused/inspired/impressed by an author, well . . . actually, 
I 
> just don't believe her/him.  It can't be done, unless s/he's 
reading 
> her/his children nothing but See Spot Run.
>
I have read all 4 Harry Potter novels to my 6-year-old daughter. I 
read SS and CoS myself long before she was ready to listen to them (I 
think she was about 4 then) and enjoyed them, but I enjoyed them much 
more when I read them aloud to her earlier this year. Technically 
they are "children's books" - but thanks to JKR's omniliteracy, the 
books overflow with (often sly) references to folklore, mythology, 
etc., many of which go straight over kids' heads.  The Harry Potter 
books, IMO, are great reading for adults as well as for kids, because 
they are full of the stuff of human existence -- drama, pathos, 
humor, suspense, suspicion, skullduggery, love, hate, valor, 
cowardice, etc. etc....and a little thing called The Battle Between 
Good and Evil. Anyone who can say that adults should be *ashamed* of 
reading Harry Potter must not have ever actually read the books 
him/herself. This person who thinks novels need to be "difficult" in 
order to have lasting value needs to get a clue, or two, or a 
thousand.

Anne U
(anyone ever tried reading "Under The Volcano"? I rest my case)