Helena Moore

This is a world written by J K Rowling, a world of witches and wizards and muggles. The author is known throughout the globe, there isn’t a child or adult alive who doesn’t know her name … or Harry’s for that matter.

I am even now sitting at my computer with a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in front of me while writing this to help me spell Voldemort’s name correctly (I had forgotten) but I keep being distracted by it. It is too easy just to open the book at any page and just read on for hours. That is the magic of Harry Potter and the talent of J K Rowling at work.
When the first book came out I was 11-years-old, and actually bought it on a whim while browsing in my favourite bookstore.
I started reading the book the night that I bought it … and, of course, it was finished by the next morning. I had not slept a wink. As I got older I was able to fully appreciate the advanced and more complex plots as my reading skills and understanding developed.
I found that the first few books were smaller with a fairly simple story line, which made the book ideal for 11 and 12-year-old me, and each year the books became larger and more complicated which I found to be much more of the type of book that I wanted to read as I got older and my reading became more advanced.
I have read and re-read the books more times than I can count because Harry Potter is special to me – as to all teenagers in the world that are my age. Why? Because the Harry Potter books come out the same time each year, and each year, like us, he grows one year older.
When the first book came out he was 11-years-old, and so were we. When the second book came out we were both aged 12. As a result we were special. We could always relate to the characters and understand their feelings, frustrations and reasoning so much easier then anyone-else.
The characters act and think exactly the same way as we do.
I was – and still am – able to picture clearly parts of the books happening in my own life: such as riding a broomstick, learning how to create a Polyjuice potion and avoiding love sick fans … I wish … more like not being able to find a date for the school dance, trying to find the best way to hide the latest outbreak of spots or trying to cram the night before an important exam is more like it; unfortunately.
The characters are not only wizards and witches fighting against the evil wizard Lord Voldemort but young people with normal problems (like trying to stay awake during a ‘History’ (of Magic) lesson.
In an era of Big Brother, X Factor and Pop Idol the books also illustrate how fame is not such a good thing, even giving us an example of what Harry could have been like if he had grown up knowing he was famous, almost as a warning of what could happen if you let fame get to your head.
J K Rowling has managed to create a fantastic story of wizards and witches learning magic while also fighting against one of the greatest evil wizards of all time – at the same time as showing how not-so-perfect and rather ordinary teenagers are thrust into an adult world.
Muggles know exactly how you’re feeling Harry and Co! But only muggles like me know what it’s like to wait for the next book to come out … especially after a cliff hanger like the one at the end of book six. Growing up with Harry has been an experience like no other.