| July 2001
To Potter or Not to Potter --
And
Other Summer-Reading Questions
by
Susan Heyboer O’Keefe
I’ve
been asked my opinion of Harry Potter, a timely topic as the series is
on summer reading lists everywhere.
I have a confession: I’m
way behind on my Potter. Not
being a fantasy fan, I wasn’t drawn to the series as some readers are.
However, between the Potter phenomenon itself and some scattered
accusations that the fourth book is anti-Catholic, I was interested in
catching up. I’ve read
Books One and Two, skipped Book Three for lack of time, and am now in
the middle of The Goblet of Fire,
the massive book four. They’re
the enjoyable reading one would expect from a bestseller, but other
issues are involved.
Besides facing the anti-Catholic charge for Goblet
of Fire, the series has also been criticized from the very first by
the Christian right as promoting magic.
A charge from the secular front is that the series has grown much
darker with time and is leading kids down a different path than when
they first began. I’m
sure there are many other objections from many other sources; a
phenomenon this big will always have its detractors.
Here are some assorted thoughts on the issues:
Harry Potter has been aging a year a book, and these later volumes are
written for a correspondingly older audience; J. K. Rowling has said so
herself. It might be
suitable for certain bright seven- or eight-year olds to discover the
books for the first time and plow through all of them in one month.
Other bright youngsters might benefit from having the books doled
out, one a year.
Is the series or at least Book Four anti-Catholic? I haven’t seen a trace of bias yet and will be surprised if
I do. Does the series
promote magic? Yes, in that
it makes magic attractive, but haven’t books always done that?
Think of Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, and other well-loved classics.
On the other hand, no, the series does not promote
magic. The magic always remains on the level of fantasy, rather than
something attainable in normal life.
Emphasizing this, the series endows magical people with their
abilities through their blood line, not through hard work, wishing, or
anything else a child might try at home.
Many people applaud the Potter books, saying anything that gets
kids to read is wonderful. Other
people denounce Potter to the point of burning the books in public.
Underlying these criticisms lies the larger issue of censorship.
Do critics have the right to censor such books -- to have them
removed from reading lists, from school libraries, from public
libraries?
My
opinion? No! Censorship is a gross violation of First Amendment rights and
the first step on a treacherous journey.
I say this, understanding the issue from both sides. I’m a writer, yes, so freedom from censorship has special
meaning for me. I’m also
a mother who had to pull her then ten-year-old son out of a literature
course because I objected to the required reading list.
Why did I do it? How did I
know to do it? Simple -- I
got the reading list ahead of time and read the books myself.
The book I objected to is well known, well respected, well loved
-- and deservedly so. But
it is not a children’s book. Some
misguided teacher thought, since the narrator was ten- to twelve-years
old during the novel, that the book itself was appropriate for ten-year
olds. It was not, and I’d even go so far as to say that the book
could be traumatic for some kids.
When I called the school to withdraw my son before class started, I
asked whether anyone else had complained. “No one,” I was
told. Okay, so now I was the local nut. But the following
year the course was not offered again. When I asked about it, this
time I was told that there had been too many complaints.
Obviously, sometime during the middle of the course, parents looked over
the book at home, or over the dinner table asked what their son or
daughter was reading, or perhaps had to answer some question prompted by
the lurid situations in the novel. Only then did parents know what
their kids were reading and complain.
All round, it’s a difficult situation because, as parents, we trust
the schools and we trust the teachers to make good decisions.
Generally our trust is well placed. Also, there simply isn’t
enough time in the day to live one’s own life, much less your
child’s life as well. But do as much as you can. Read
popular children’s books before your child does. If you think
Harry Potter or some other title may not be appropriate for your child,
read it yourself. If you still think it’s a poor choice, don’t
let him or her read it. Or, if you know the appeal will be too
great or if your child has to read the book for a class he can’t drop,
read the book along with him and counter any objectionable parts with
your own reason and parental authority.
Well, having gone on for much too long, I’m going to close here by
recommending a few novels for middle-grade and YA summer reading, many
if not all of which will show up on school lists. These span a
wide age range from the juvenile bathroom humor of Captain
Underpants to the award-winning tale of rape and its consequences in
the teen novel Speak.
I’ve read all the books on the list recommend each as good, but only
you can judge whether a particular book is good for your own child.
In no particular order --
·
The
Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
·
Summer Reading Is
Killing Me by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith
·
John Riley’s
Daughter by Kezi Matthews
·
Because of Winn
Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
·
Harris
and Me by Gary Paulsen
·
When
Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
·
Maniac
McGee by Jerry Spinelli
·
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
·
Bud,
Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
·
The
Summer of the Swans by Betsey Byars
·
Ella
Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
·
Bridge
to Terabitha by Katherine Paterson
·
Number
the Stars by Lois Lowry
·
The
Giver by Lois Lowry
·
The
House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
·
Holes
by Louis Sachar
·
Midwife’s
Apprentice by Karen Cushman
·
Speak
by Laurie Halsey
If a book is not
on the list, it does not mean I don’t recommend it.
It may simply mean that I haven’t read it yet, no matter how
famous it is.
Children's Book-of-the-Month Club author Susan Heyboer O'Keefe has two
new books this spring: Love Me.
Love You and a board-book edition of One Hungry Monster. Her
other titles include Angel
Prayers, Sleepy
Angel’s First Bedtime Story,
and Good Night, God Bless.
For fun, book info, and great parrot photos, visit http://www.susanheyboerokeefe.homestead.com
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