In these posts I hope to share a little about what I am reading with my two children. Not exactly a review but a look at a book we’ve read together and how it worked for us. For context, my daughters are currently 8- and 11-years old. They are both excellent independent readers but we choose to continue our family habit of reading a chapter together before bedtime.
When I discussed reading the Prisoner of Azkaban with my children, I delved a little into my reluctance around Harry Potter, so I won’t get into all of that again. You may notice that it’s been over a year since we last read Harry Potter together and my kids have patiently waited, even as most of their friends have rushed ahead of them. After completing The Lord of the Rings together earlier this year though, it felt like time to return to Harry and Hogwarts.
Warning!!! Spoilers for Goblet of Fire ahead!
I have long held that there is a major tonal shift in the Harry Potter series in book 4 and I stand by that. It isn’t only the death of Cedric Diggory at the tail end of the novel, although that’s obviously a huge part. It’s that the first three books are stories about magic and friendship and kids learning to do funny little spells. Yes, Harry is an orphan, his parents killed by an evil wizard, but think of how many protagonists in children’s books are orphans. Hogwarts is a haven – a place where misfit Harry finds a home and people who love him and even though there’s some sort of baddie in each of the first three books, we know there will be a happy ending and we know that Harry is safe.
Book 4 is where that safety is shattered. Harry is transported right from Hogwarts right into a scene of utter magical evil. The chapters where Voldemort is resurrected are truly dark. And Harry isn’t just coming face-to-face with the dark wizard, he’s learning that some of his classmates’ families are also on the side of evil. He has to learn that a professor he trusted (and that Dumbledore trusted) has been false and attempting to harm him the whole school year. And we learn that the students at Hogwarts are not necessarily safe. Cedric’s murder is done so offhandedly and with such little thought by Voldemort that it really is shocking in a children’s story.
At the same time, I’m not necessarily against these types of plots for children. The Lord of the Rings has some dark and horrifying parts and overall I think it’s one of the most beautiful stories there is. Right now, we’re reading aloud the next book in the Anne of Green Gables series and my children don’t know this but in the next chapter we read, a baby is going to die. Dark magic and evil wizards may not be real but evil and injustice and cruelty are, unfortunately, a part of our world and are things that my children will come to learn about. The beauty of books is that they can introduce new concepts to our children in a safe environment.
My girls really did enjoy Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I enjoyed getting to share that experience with them.
Karissa Reads Books 