It’s the first day of our Hogwarts Summer Review Challenge. Let’s see what we’re doing for today?
Day 1: The Introduction
Hello everyone. My readers should already know me, but if you’re new to my blog, my name is Brigid and I’m addicted to Harry Potter. We’re taking a short summer break from our regularly scheduled posts and in the mean time we’ll have the Hogwarts Summer Review Challenge.
Regardless of whether you like the Harry Potter series or not, you can’t honestly deny that they were a sensation. Since 1997, J.K. Rowling’s book series has taken a hold of the imaginations of an entire generation of children, their siblings and parents, and anyone else that happened to stumble into this magical world. Potter has become more than just the books, but here are five reasons why the start of this phenomenon — the books — are awesome.
5. The Women – A Feminine Touch
A lot of emphasis is put on the Dursleys’ mistreatment of young Harry. We’re given signs that Harry is mistreated. He lives in a cupboard. He has meals denied to him (he’s very small). Dudley’s apparently allowed to beat on him. They don’t even let him ask questions.
…but we have no evidence that he was hit or otherwise overtly abused. The evidence is that he’s neglected a bit, the worse being his cupboard. Many children get sent to their rooms with no supper for punishment. Children have contentious relationships with their siblings/cousins. Children get hand-me-downs. Just because Harry’s treated like the red-headed stepchild doesn’t mean that he’s abused.
It took me some time to figure out what would be the best option for the other readers who aren’t posting on this blog. I considered reblogging (it could easily end up being poorly scheduled, and we all know I like to stay on schedule), and I considered posting a weekly review of anyone who’s written a new HP post. However, as we now only have 3 guest bloggers (1 of whom writes on this blog), I would probably just reblog every week.
My final decision was to write an update post every month. If we gather enough guest bloggers, then it might be more often, but for now once a month is enough. You can follow my Twitter feed as I’ll tweet when I see a new post. Also, links to the posts will be added to each blogger’s page every Friday when I update the rest of the links.
April’s Posts:
Jo:
I’m here to tell you, that’s both codswallop. If Dudley were my child, I’d have turned him over my knee the first time he kicked me, let alone was as big a brat as he is depicted.
….
The Dursleys are incredibly normal. In fact, they are so Norman-Rockwell-with-a-big-fat-joint-and-a-mai-tai normal, they are, in fact, *abnormal.*
Kaelee:
I love how tongue-in-cheek the narrator is, even without appearing overtly so. The opening words are especially magical to be, because in two sentences, J.K. Rowling manages to tell you everything you need to know about Vernon and Petunia Dursley, without even revealing any personal details except for their names.
…
Too often I’ll go back to rewatch or reread something I loved as a kid, and I’ll find that I can’t stand it any more. That is not the case with Harry Potter.
Now, in addition to knowing that the Dursleys spoil their son and hate anything that isn’t “normal,” we know that they flat out coddle Dudley, that they hate change, and that they let their hatred of the abnormal affect their treatment of their nephew.
…
My favorite part of the chapter by far is the snake incident.
There we go for April. You can expect another update for May on June 1st. Remember, if you’d like to join us in our re-reads, check out how on this page.
Dudley is a spoiled brat. That is one thing that hasn’t changed, and it’s not the only thing that has. Ten years have come and gone since Harry was left on Number 4’s doorstep, and it seems like nothing has changed. The garden is the same, the house is the same, even the pictures are similar, although the boy in them has grown up. But… Continue reading
“The Boy Who Lived” Chapter Art by Mary Grand Pre found on Scholastic’s website.
Chapter Title: The Boy Who Lived
This is the title that Harry Potter gains after surviving an attempt on his life from the infamous Voldemort. He lived when so many others, including his parents, died.
Pages: 1-17 in the US edition, 7-24 in the UK edition
Timeline: November 1, 1981 (a Tuesday)
Setting: Number 4, Privet Drive; Grunnings office in London (and surrounding streets)
In a Sentence: We meet the Dursleys in all their dull, gray glory and professors leave baby Harry on their doorstep after discussing everything that’s just occurred.
On the baby. We’re leaving on a doorstep. In the middle of the night. Alone.
. . . seriously?
I would just like to point out that these three people are responsible for the lives of hundreds of children on a daily basis, and they’ve just left an infant outside in the middle of a cold, autumn night without any sort of supervision. Forget being kidnapped by some evil villain: he could have rolled into the middle of the street!
All right, I’m done. We can start with the post now. It’s a long one. Brace yourself.
From left to right: Fiona Shaw, Harry Melling, and Richard Griffiths in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It does! Not many people seem to quite realize it, but it opens with James and Lily’s murders. Anyone who says that this is a fluffy, innocent children’s series is a nutcase or doesn’t actually know a lot about the books. I also feel as if I should mention that James is probably my favorite character in the series and he’s dead before the first page. My favorite characters usually end up dying (I like the hero-types), but this is a new low for me.
Now that I’ve that out of my system, let’s get started. Continue reading
Hogwarts Express (Photo credit: Natasha Hartono)
Sometimes, I wonder how much time people put into reading, especially when they’re on their second or third or fortieth read of a favorite book. Do they look at the covers and the back copy? Does anyone really read the dedications or look at chapter titles? Are we just too impatient for the meat of the story to take our time looking at the other details?
In short… yes. We usually are. Readers will look at it before they buy a new book or if it’s for a school assignment, but usually we open to the first page of prose.
In this re-read project, I’m going to take a few minutes to look at everything again. Read everything again. Take it all in just like I did whenever I got my new book shortly after midnight. I’m going to savor the books.
I’m also procrastinating, but give me some credit. This is important stuff (at least in the HP books) that we don’t pay nearly as much attention to as we should.
Platform Nine and Three quarters (Photo credit: kani-jessy)
This is a Harry Potter blog. Hopefully by now you’ve figured out that I’m a fan of the books, but you may not understand how big of a fan I am. It seems unsurprising to some who know me and very surprising to others.
I grew up with this series. I’ve gone to every release – book and movie – since they started hosting them. I have costumes and games and t-shirts and, good Lord, pretty much everything I’ve been able to get my hands on. I have a wand (I wish it worked). I have a spare wand. This has been a huge part of my life since I was nine years old.
Needless to say, I like the series. So, it’s a little surprising how hesitant I am to start this project.
It’s been a while since I last read all the books cover-to-cover, first book to last. The last time I picked up Sorcerer’s Stone was before the last book came out, which when I did my last re-read. There wasn’t enough time to read all the books before the final movie since I was working insane hours before the seventh movie and I was in the U.K. for the eighth. That means it’s been five years.
Five years. I haven’t read the books that I claim to be obsessed with in half a decade. That’s absolutely insane.
I feel like someone ready to go back to summer camp. What if it’s not as good as I remember? What if I don’t like anyone anymore or they don’t like me? Most importantly, what if everything that’s happened to me since the last time I was there makes it… less so? Less magical. Less special. Less… mine.
I’ve watched the movies much more often than I’ve read the books. After all, they air on ABC family at every imaginable opportunity (Christmas? HP marathon! Halloween? Marathon! Fourth of July? Why the hell not; the war was against the British). I remember the plot and I remember the characters, but I’m afraid I might not like the books as much as I did the first time I picked them up, or the last time, for that matter.
Graduation had just passed by when I’d read the last new Harry Potter book. I’ve gone through some schooling and more working, making and losing friends, happy times and hard times. I’ve lived and I’ve changed, but I hope I haven’t changed too much.
I suppose we’ll see as I continue reading. I often over think things and freak myself out, so it’s probably that. I really hope it’s that.
Are you ever nervous about going back to something you grew up loving? Or something you haven’t seen in a while?
Next Post: The Dedications, Chapter Titles, and Reviews
Previous Post: The Cover
Start at the Beginning: How I Got Into Harry Potter
All the Re-Read Posts: Reading the Books
All the Posts for this Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Join Us Here: Getting on the Train – Guest Posts
On the Train to Hogwarts 