[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: Too Old for Harry Potter [hardly]

[heiditandy]

> Real-To:  "Gabriela <gabolamx at yahoo.com.mx>" <gabolamx at yahoo.com.mx>
> 
> > The Harry Potter books are being enjoyed by adults and 
> children alike 
> > because the stories grab our imaginations and the characters have 
> > moved right into our hearts.  They are well-written novels with
> > intricate stories and compelling characters. They
> > transport us to another world. Isn't that the very
> > definition of a great book?  

In yesterday's New York Times (which I finally have time to post about
today) at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/25/opinion/25BRUB.html, Holly
Brubach wrote about taking her father and mother to see The Nutcracker,
and said:

<<as with so many other works intended for children, it struck me as
something that could only be fully appreciated by adults.>>

Of course, no six or seven year old - and only the very very rare
thirteen year old - will appreciate all the nuances of mythology and
subtext that pervade the book. I've seen other adults try to apologize
for enjoying them - saying they're just kids at heart - when the truth
really is that the books, while written to be enjoyed by kids, are, in
fact, very adult. The plotting, the subtlety of the interpersonal
relationships, even the discources on right and wrong - none of htat is
for kids. Even CoS seemed *off* as a film when it was forced into PG
territory instead of PG-13 (it seems they did that by minimizing Harry's
"death scene" in the Chamber) and I'll be shocked if the film version of
PoA gets a PG instead of PG 13 rating. 

What child (read: 12 and under) should read GoF without at least having
a parent or teacher available for questions? Young Adult, possibly,
would be an age-appropriate definition, but then again, so is LOTR, in
terms of when it's taught in schools here in the states. I never see
such criticisms about LOTR or the Narnia books.

Why are they made about the HP series?

Heidi, mom of a 3 year old who has been told the stories from books 1-3
(although I read PS/SS before I was pregnant with him, and both CoS and
PoA before he was born)