B and I turned the last page of Harry Potter's The Deathly Hallows two nights ago. I am making a point of blogging this to help me remember when I am older, and grayer.
We started reading the HP series at the start of Grade 2, and B's reading skills were pretty average. Book 1 took us almost until Christmas to complete. Book 2 was a little faster, you get the picture. Now, we are a moments away from Grade 3 being a thing of the past, and we have completed the whole series. To say I am proud of where he has gotten to as a reader is an understatement. I think back over the last two years, and all the changes, and through HP, B learned how to read. What a gift.
My favourite time of the day with both of my boys are those moments before sleep, when we read and snuggle together. This is the golden time. I will cherish this time forever and HP is a part of it. With C, we are reading the Chronicles of Narnia and the time is just as rich.
I think of all the hours we spent reading HP together, whether it was my voice or his, and I am filled with joy. It has been an amazing journey. If I loved HP before, I appreciate it more now. What a crowning accomplishment to create this series. Thank you JK Rowling. Love it. That Universal Studios is going to create an HP land out on the west coast... AWESOME. Great timing!
I am a little sad the series is done. Like coming home from an amazing vacation, there is a bit of a let down. I have tried to entice B to read a few other books, and he reads the first page and tosses them away. "Too boring" he says with a droll voice. He is tainted forever by a great story. The true disadvantage of HP is that it sets the bar really high and makes the journey for the next series not all that easy. I am going to head in to the mall today (say it isn't so) and I will pick him up a copy of Percy Jackson, the Lightning Thief which will hopefully be just as enduring.
If you want your kids to read, especially boys, find what they love and cater to it. I wholeheartedly endorse this. I was trying to find my old Black Stallion novels.. but couldn't find them. I suspect I will need to go through some books. I tried to entice B with some old Nancy Drew's... for some reason.. he had no interest.
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