Middle Grade Monday (2) Why I Love Harry Potter!

Hey! Welcome to Middle Grade Monday, a weekly feature I started to talk about anything middle grade bookish related! I never thought I would really enjoy middle grade novels but after reading my first one this year, I was hooked! Since I review mainly YA on this blog, I didn't want the middle grade reviews to get shuffled in with the YA books so I decided to create this feature!

The Harry Potter series has always played an important role in my life because I feel like I've experienced the journey with these beloved characters. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published in the United States when I was in the 9th grade and it didn't take me very long to get lost in the adventure. I can honestly say that Harry Potter was the first epic reading adventure that I embarked on. It unlocked the reader that I am today!

Even though I had read the books and loved them, it took me a while to get into the movies. I didn't see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone until after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released on DVD. But I obviously discovered the awesomeness and a fangirl was born! I was able to experience movies 4 through 8 in the movie theater and I’m still in awe when I see my favorite characters come to life.

The great thing about Harry Potter is that it appeals to so many various age groups. Even though the entire series is shelved in the children’s section, the maturity of the content grows with the maturity of the characters. We go from middle grade novels in to young adult that are filled with dark magic, evil villains and death.

Like most of the fandom, I was sad when the final movie came out. I felt like I was saying goodbye to an entire twelve years of my life. It was like the loss of a good friend. But the Harry Potter fandom continues and there is still so much to discuss! I never realized all the little details I missed when I read the series the first time. Now that I’m reading through them again, I can really appreciate how great of a writer Rowling is and how she planned everything out perfectly. We’re also getting new and exclusive content on Pottermore! To my great delight, and the nerdy fangirl inside me, Harry Potter continues!

I'm able to keep the Harry Potter magic alive in my life by participating in a global re-read and deep analysis of the series with Alohomora! The team of podcasters are super awesome, have read the series multiple times and point out things I would never have seen on my own.  Even though I consider myself a Harry Potter fangirl, I'm still learning so much about the Wizarding World that Rowling and Universal have created! As a true Ravenclaw, I look forward to reading essays and getting involved in more Harry Potter discussions in the future!

I believe that Harry Potter will remain a constant throughout my life. I’m always going to want to read the series again and if I ever have children, Harry Potter will be read to them. Now that Universal Studios is building a Wizarding World here in Los Angeles, I will probably be visiting it regularly! When I thought Harry Potter was coming to an end, it seem like its only beginning!