The End of Harry Potter

July 08, 2010

Goosebumps, I got goose bumps, I'm not going to lie when I saw the new Harry Potter preview. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows arrives in November and the new trailer has just surfaced. Although, I have mixed feelings about the last two movies, on the one hand I’m very excited, on the other I’m a little sad. It didn't take me long to jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon. I started reading the books in early 2000 before the last three books had come out. I was immediately hooked. I'm so enraptured by these books, I even remember where I was the first time I really looked at them. I remember where I read The Sorcerers Stone, in my room at my sorority house at the University of Missouri.

I remember ordering Order of the Phoenix from Amazon, and going to the midnight release party for Half Blood Prince, and I was lucky enough to actually organize and plan the midnight release party for The Deathly Hallows. To say I'm a fan might not be a strong enough word.  I have a dog named Sirius, a cat named Weasley, and a line of names from Harry Potter waiting to be bestowed on my future animals (Luna for a girl, Lupin for a boy).

I read The Deathly Hallows as slow as I could stand knowing this was the last book. Even though it was the last book, I knew in the back of my head that there were still going to be movies. Now as the final movies approach, I know this is actually the end, forever. So how am I really feeling? I'm not sure. Once the last movie has been watched, will a sense of mourning set in? I don't know. What is great about this series though is that it will stand the test of time. I'm excited about reading these books and experiencing them all over again with my own kids (when I have them), or reading them with future nieces and nephews. I love the books so much that I have no qualms about reading them over and over again. I am often surprised about what new facts I find out when reading them again. How could I have missed that the first time? Harry, Ron, and Hermione are like old friends, and anytime I read the books I get to visit them again for a little while. I doubt I'm the only one that feels that way; at least I hope I'm not. I hope other people love and cherish all things Potter as much as I do.

So for now with excited anticipation, I wait for the next Harry Potter film to arrive. If it's been a while since you've read the books, go and check out your favorite one, or share the series with a new generation. I cannot count the number of kids who started reading and continue to read because of the Harry Potter books. JK Rowling's impact on childrens literature, or literature in general, is astounding. If you haven't read the series at all, I encourage you to give it a try. It really is that good.