Harry

Thanks to an intense lobbying effort from my 8-year-old daughter, I can now be counted as one of the vast legion of fans of the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. I've just finished Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (#4 in the series), and stayed up late last night digging into book 5. To put it bluntly, I'm hooked.

My daughter, who is a voracious reader, started reading Harry towards the end of the school year last Spring. By her birthday in July, she had read all 6 previously published books, and was counting down the days to her birthday, not so she could celebrate with a party (which she did), but because book 7, the final book in the Harry Potter series, would be released to the public on that same day. She devoured that final book (which she got as a birthday present) in just a week's time, and it took her that long only because she wanted to savor it, rather than rush through it.

As my daughter shared with me tidbits from these novels, I, trying to be a good parent, asked some pretty pointed questions, and found myself more and more intrigued. The morning that she finished the final book, she came to me with such a look of triumph on her face and proceeded to say, "Papa, you have to read these books!" How could I refuse?

I'm a big believer that as a parent I need to have an interest in the interests of my kids. Since I too love to read, I asked her for book 1 (which she took down from it's special place on her bookshelf and handed me with a smile) and began. Almost immediately, we switched roles. She became the one asking me pointed questions each night before bed, and sharing little insights and giving foreshadowing hints. I've now instituted a rule with her that she can't reveal anything that I haven't read, no matter how small a detail or hint it might be. It's been a really great point of connection for the two of us.

Like many books in the past that include magic (The Lord of The Rings trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia) as a part of the plot, there have been some Christian groups attempting to boycott the Potter novels, or at least to turn people away from them. I, for one, am thrilled that my daughter has read these books (multiple times now), and that they have led us into some deeper conversations on evil vs. good (Voldemort vs. Dumbledore and Harry), racism (pure bloods vs. mudbloods), injustice (the role of House Elves) and predjudice (preconceived notions towards muggles and giants). Like The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time, my daughter has seen God between the lines and through the characters. I'm truly thankful for the role these books are playing in our relationship.

Now if I can just figure out whose side Severus Snape is on...