Dying and age-appropriate fiction

[qaztroc <gliese229b@aol.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 52358

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt at y...>
wrote:
> 
> I'm wondering if JKR is purposefully moving the
> reading level of her books up as well as the series
> progresses.

<snip>

> My
> feeling is that JKR may be purposefully writing her
> books for older readers thematically, while
> technically leaving them accessable to younger
> readers.

I totally agree on this! It's been bugging me for a while
that the media constantly refers to the HP series as
"children's literature", while I think it is obvious that 
GoF, for example, is more appropriately fit for teenagers.
After reading GoF, I re-read PS/SS, and it struck me
how different the general tone of the story was -- PS/SS
very clearly fits into children's literature (age group 9-12),
but that is less and less true for the following books.
 
Some examples:

In PS/SS, we hear a lot about sweets (Bertie Bott's, 
chocolate frogs). Much less so in GoF, where we hear a 
lot more about money (Leprechaun gold, gambling).
 
The main plot in PS/SS is about someone trying to steal
something. In CoS it is about a monster hurting poeple.
In PoA it is about someone apparently trying to kill the 
hero. In GoF someone actually gets killed.

My general impression of quidditch is that it is getting
more and more dangerous. Nothing really bad happens in PS/SS,
Harry breaks his arm in CoS, in PoA the quidditch final
turns into a brawl, in GoF players nearly get killed in
the world cup.

I'm sure it is possible to find more examples to illustrate
the progression. Anybody?
 
--
Qaztroc