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Who should read Harry Potter?
I cringe when I hear Harry Potter read by teachers to children in second grade. Or that Harry Potter is required reading for a fifth grade class. Although there are children in the classroom ready to hear the stories, not every child is. The first book is less intense than those following, each book grows more intense, and therefore, the appropriate age for each book goes up, depending on the individual child’s maturity.
I dislike classroom reading of the books because the stories should be discussed within the family, by parents who know their faith. A teacher might be restricted from explaining that the phoenix represents resurrection. The Headmaster Dumbledore has a pet phoenix throughout the series names Fawkes. Fawkes rescues Harry in one book, sings a funeral song in another, and plays an important role in the books.
The phoenix has traditionally been viewed as a symbol of Easter — the resurrection — because it is a mythical bird that dies periodically by burning itself up, and then rises again from its ashes. There are phoenix stained glass windows in some Catholic Churches. The Church Fathers used the phoenix to communicate the mystery of the resurrection of the flesh and the concepts of virginity, chastity and filial piety. The public school teacher might be afraid to connect Transfiguration classes with the Transfiguration of Christ in her classroom. The teacher might not be at liberty to discuss good and evil.
Age appropriateness of Harry Potter books (depending on the child and maturity level)
It frustrates me to read about movie merchandise targeted to four to nine-year olds, who are much too young for a movie rated PG-13. I know one mom who let her son read the books, but when the Goblet of Fire movie came out rated PG-13, she previewed it and thought it was too violent. Because Harry is going through adolescence, more mature themes are introduced with each successive school year. Harry develops a crush, and Ron acts immaturely towards a female student out of jealousy. Eight-year olds do not need to be exposed to these issues.
Note: The movies are not the books. Preview the movies before allowing your children to watch them — they are scary for many young people. Pay attention to the ratings. Movies One, Two & Three are rated PG, Four is rated PG-13, yet Decent Films rates all four movies “Teen & Up” for good reasons. Check on line to see why they have the ratings they do (www.decentfilms.com) at Decent Films.
I believe parents should read the books first. This is a good idea for a great many books, not just Harry Potter. Even the Bible can be confusing without parents. For example, Jesus says to become like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And St. Paul says that when he was a child, he thought like a child, but then he put aside childish things. Which way should we follow? In the same way, in the Old Testament God instructs the Israelites to wipe out an entire people; and yet Jesus, in the New Testament, tells us to love our enemies, and do good to those who would do us harm.
When people found out I was writing a Catholic book about Harry Potter, their first question was always, “Are you FOR or AGAINST Harry?” and I say: “I’m for parents deciding for themselves what’s right for their own family.”
After reading the Potter stories for themselves, parents have a good idea if their child can handle the intensity of the storyline. Read the book aloud to a child who is mature enough. Another choice is listening to an audio recording together. Least desirable is letting your child read it without knowing what’s in it yourself, thinking you are off the hook because someone says the books are okay: I rate the books PG, in need of parental guidance. Your children need your guidance with the series. This book strives to provide you with guidance so together you and your family can share the Potter books, using them as an opportunity to start interesting conversations together.
Also undesirable is allowing children to see the movies without reading the books. If you’ve already done this, it might be time to take a trip to the library and check out the books. You’ll be able to discuss what was left out of the movies, how the movies differ from the books and if it makes any difference to how the story works out. You can talk about how much better the books are than the movies.
The magic and the witchcraft should be addressed, which is easy to do. If a parent said, “You know, honey, J.K. Rowling doesn’t believe in magic, dragons and spells herself. She’s just pretending about the magic, using her imagination to tell a story, like a fairy tale,” it’s enough. Even if you don’t have time to read the books with your children, you can say this. If you’ve grounded your children in their faith, they’ll read the book through with the eyes of their beliefs — the beliefs you’ve instilled in them.
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