The Wonderful and Whimsical World of Harry Potter
Hopefully by now, most of you have heard about the magical world of Harry Potter. The first book out of the seven book was published on June 22, 1997. I was only a year old when the first book came out. The last book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published on July 21, 2007, when I was 11 years old. I was about 7 years old, and I remember reading the first book, which I had ‘borrowed’ from my older brother, and instantly falling in love with it. The main character was close to my age and was going through so much in his life that it made me feel understood. The more I read the books, the more I fell in love with the characters and the story. When times would get tough as a child, I remember wishing that I had a Hagrid to talk to. Or when I wanted adventure, I use to wish with all my heart that I would find two best friends and we would conquer the world. But I was fine when none of those happened, because reading the books made me feel as if I was actually experiencing everything Harry was. Almost 25 years has passed since the books came out, and they are still as relevant as they ever could be. The new generations of kids are even reading the books as well, which isn’t something we see very often. One of my fondest memories of being a child is when my immigrant, Middle Eastern father came home from work one day, covered in dust and dirt, and handed me a brand-new edition of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I was nine years old, but I still remember as though it happened yesterday. This is the kind of power that books have, sure reading them is great, but it’s what they bring into your life that makes it all worth it.
The Book Café 