Trailer Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Season 1) trailer

[Rabulias]

In 2000, the (then 3) Harry Potter books were very popular and there was great anticipation for the next book in the series. I worked in IT for a local public library so I had seen Harry Potter mania firsthand. I read the first three books and found them diverting and entertaining, but I definitely considered them as "kid books." That summer, book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released, and it was a big deal. The holds list on copies at the library was huge. I went with some friends to a Borders bookstore that had a midnight release party for the book, and I bought a copy there to read. I read it over the next couple days, and I vividly remember getting to the graveyard scene while reading in bed, and staying up until 1:30am finishing the book. The death of Cedric and the whole dark necromantic resurrection of Voldemort came out of left field for me, and I said to myself these are not just for kids anymore....

I also remember using my D&D familiarity with liches to help clarify the concept of horcruxes to my non-D&D friends who read the books.

 

[trappedslider]

Thank you for answering. I figured you probably read it as an adult, just didn't want to presume it. I was 10-11 when first book came out and about 19-20 when last one came out, so i read it "in real time", being close to age of Harry. Lot of what you wrote about in your previous post, you don't perceive when you read it or watch it as a kid or teen. HP was for much of my generation (and those 2-3 years older/younger) one of the first books in fantasy genre. I read Hobbit and Narnia then HP 1. When you read it as adult, with decent amount of sf/fantasy classics under the belt, it falls short.

I got the first book when I was in 8th grade/middle school from my cousin as a christmas gift. I pawned a Playstation I was gifted to get book five when it came out. I was at every midnight showing for the movies i could attend same with the books.

I'm sure some folks in this thread and even the wider forum would argue with this: The books caused a renaissances for children's reading, if not for how popular they became, I'm not sure how popular other book series would have landed. At least among those of us who get into HP as kids and grew up with them.

I didn't actually read Lotr or The hobbit till high school which was also when the LotR movies came out, I never heard of earthsea till i saw adverts for the tv show, which i didn't watch either.

 

[Micah Sweet]

In 2000, the (then 3) Harry Potter books were very popular and there was great anticipation for the next book in the series. I worked in IT for a local public library so I had seen Harry Potter mania firsthand. I read the first three books and found them diverting and entertaining, but I definitely considered them as "kid books." That summer, book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was released, and it was a big deal. The holds list on copies at the library was huge. I went with some friends to a Borders bookstore that had a midnight release party for the book, and I bought a copy there to read. I read it over the next couple days, and I vividly remember getting to the graveyard scene while reading in bed, and staying up until 1:30am finishing the book. The death of Cedric and the whole dark necromantic resurrection of Voldemort came out of left field for me, and I said to myself these are not just for kids anymore....

I also remember using my D&D familiarity with liches to help clarify the concept of horcruxes to my non-D&D friends who read the books.

Yeah, I picked up book 6 day of release and read the whole thing through that day at a Starbucks near the bookstore. Still my favorite of the series.

 

[billd91]

I was well over the target age for the HP books when they came out... but my kids weren't. So they made great books for me to read to them before they were reading for themselves. The issues brought up were pretty gripping and largely well-told. The complexity of the stories increased with the age of the protagonists and most of the moral messages were pretty strong.

As time went by, some elements came out that were distinctly less courageous of Rowling. Her confirmation that Dumbledore was gay long after it was relevant felt more like queer baiting than anything bold and inclusionary. But what sunk it all for my family was finding out just how terrible Rowling would become. Now, I won't cross the street for anything Potter (though I might if a pod of orcas sank her yacht).

 

[The Firebird]

I read the books a while after they came out. Especially 5 had a reputation for being overly long, and I stopped there until the movie hit. Once I finished 5 though, 6 & 7 were both around and were fast reads, just a couple of days each.

The movies played as large of a role for me. Because I was still in middle/high school, they were a fun community event. Everyone knew the stories, everyone wanted to see the movie, and there was a lot to talk to about.

I ended up doing a marathon of all 8 with some friends after we graduated high school. Which, was actually a good way to watch them. Certain plot threads, like Ron breaking his wand in 2, got old when you were watching just that film, but were pretty funny when there was more story soon after.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I read the books a while after they came out. Especially 5 had a reputation for being overly long, and I stopped there until the movie hit. Once I finished 5 though, 6 & 7 were both around and were fast reads, just a couple of days each.

The movies played as large of a role for me. Because I was still in middle/high school, they were a fun community event. Everyone knew the stories, everyone wanted to see the movie, and there was a lot to talk to about.

I ended up doing a marathon of all 8 with some friends after we graduated high school. Which, was actually a good way to watch them. Certain plot threads, like Ron breaking his wand in 2, got old when you were watching just that film, but were pretty funny when there was more story soon after.

I'm used to doorstoppers, so book 5 was not a problem for me.

 

[trappedslider]

I also remember the "satan panic" when the books exploded popularity, that was amusing.

I'm used to doorstoppers, so book 5 was not a problem for me.

Same

 

[Reynard]

I also remember the "satan panic" when the books exploded popularity, that was amusing.

The pearl clutching has never ceased, but the Satanic Panic was a real thing that hurt a lot of real people. Midwesterners burning copies of HP was not a satanic panic.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I'm sure some folks in this thread and even the wider forum would argue with this: The books caused a renaissances for children's reading, if not for how popular they became, I'm not sure how popular other book series would have landed. At least among those of us who get into HP as kids and grew up with them.

No matter my own dislike of the series, I think this is true. I teach elementary school and I still see HP inspiring kids to level up their reading from picture books and graphic novels to chapter books.

Everyone's got their own lines in the sand, and mine is a living author that still benefits financially from fandom. So for example, I'm Jewish and will still read the self-professed antisemite Roald Dahl to my students. But at this time I would not read Harry Potter to them.

 

[jian]

I remember becoming dimly aware of HP when a friend enthused about the “accessible fantasy” and “grownup storytelling” from the first two books in 1999. I read them and that firmly downgraded my opinion of my friend’s literacy criticism skills to a permanent F. I thought they were basic kids’ fantasy, fine but silly. I was 24 at the time.

By the time the first film came out in 2001 the media juggernaut was undeniable and everyone was reading them. I’m glad to see that’s mostly died down now, it’s mostly parents choosing them for their kids as far as I can tell (if asked I generally recommend Percy Jackson or whatever instead).