WWP: It's June 21...Parents -- do you know where your kids are?

IT'S JUNE 21...
PARENTS -- DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE?

...I've always known what's coming. I have never said these are books for very young children. -- J.K. Rowling's own words.⁽¹⁾

Who Is the Real Audience of the Harry Potter Books?

Let's get this straight. Because the main character is a child hero, both the publishing industry, and adults in general, have labeled the Harry Potter books as Children's literature. It is an axiom, which is always presumed. But while that may have been the marketing focus, it wasn't the author's intention.

Ever since her first book was published, J.K. Rowling has constantly tried to explain that she is writing the books for someone at her own level - novels that she, personally, would enjoy. She always describes how she targeted them to readers, similar to herself (at her current age), when she started writing the series.⁽²⁾

If She Wrote the Harry Potter Septology to Appeal to Her Own Age, Then Why Do Kids Relate to It So Well?

J.K. Rowling defines her first-person technique (events described from the character's perspective) as being evolutionary, by which the books progress with each successive year, as Harry ages:

...I always wanted Harry to grow up plausibly...the plot demands that he ages about a year a book...that he comes of age in the final book. I have a real moral objection to books that freeze children in pre-pubescence even though they're actually, in earth-years, sixteen years old...but...they're still behaving as...eight-or nine-year-olds.

⁽³⁾

While her success with conveying that evolution has been debated, the very fact that it has been studied indicates that the literary community is quite aware that the books are intended to mature. That means, in each book, the reading level goes up. Therefore, a child of 9 years old, who is reading the first book, will be reading Harry's 11 year-old thoughts (only two years above her age group). Projecting from that, if the final book was available now, that same 9 year-old would be reading a book that is written at a 17 year-old level -- eight years beyond her age group!

Consequently, Book 1 has immense juvenile appeal, but that is why later books quickly advance beyond very young children. J.K. Rowling has described how she intended Book 1 to be "gentle," and how Harry is "very protected"⁽¹⁾ (thus naive) in Book 1. But her hero is not caught in a static, fairy-tale motif. He is "alive," so he ages and changes as a real person would - based on his experiences and environment. Unfortunately for our hero, that environment is becoming very dark and dangerous in Book 5. For us readers, that means experiencing evils, pain, and possibly even a death that, we are led to believe, will be one of our beloved characters.

In What Ways Have the Books Been Getting "Older"?

SUBJECT MATTER

Even those who haven't read the books, but have seen the second movie, are aware that there is already some scary stuff going on in Book 2. While no one died in it, there are several life-threatening scenes, not to mention, numerous monsters. Harry learns a lot more about the dark side of wizardry, and that there are some very nasty wizards and spells to contend with, besides Voldemort (the main villain).

By Book 3, there are gruesome, wraith-like creatures with scabbed hands, that feed on your happy thoughts, or suck your soul out of your living body. Harry learns about a deranged murderer who killed 12 innocent bystanders just to make it easier to escape. Throughout the book, Harry is haunted by an ominous death omen, as that same murderer pursues Harry. The reason people like this book so much is because Harry and the others learn to deal with these dangers and rise above them through their own bravery -- with the help of some new, favorite characters.

If you think Book 3 is a bit dark, Book 4 revolves around the mysteries of 7 deaths. In year 4, Harry's class is taught that there are curses that can torture, kill, or totally control another human. We find out that Voldemort's followers are still hanging around, pretending to be normal citizens, while waiting for word of Voldemort's return. These are the people who helped Voldemort maintain his reign of terror by torturing and killing families. We also hear how Voldemort used genetic differences to encourage creatures to slaughter one-another in his quest for ultimate power. The wizards had been through a horrible dictatorship, and now are concerned about the future. Could it start all over again? According to J.K. Rowling, this book was the last one in which Harry was "protected," so we can only imagine what he might face in Book 5....

READING LEVEL

The vocabulary has become more advanced.
In Book 1, some of the hardest words in the first chapter were "craning," "chortled," and "tawney." By Book 4, the very first page has "derelict," "inhabitants," "seethed," and "ill-disguised."
The length of the books has increased.
The number of pages has grown from about 250 pages for Book 1 (an already long read for children), to over 630 pages. It is widely publicized that the length of Book 5 is almost 900 pages!

Just How Bad Will It Be -- Is This Something Parents Need to Worry About?

J.K. Rowling announced several years ago that, although Harry and his pals will mature, she will not address Muggle issues such as teen sex or kids on drugs.⁽³⁾ Those kinds of issues do not affect the world of her characters, and she considers them "inappropriate" for her series. Plus, her characters have much broader concerns -- such as staying alive and saving their world from a genocidal megalomaniac...while still passing their school exams!

J.K. Rowling made it clear the septology would be safe for children from a moral perspective, but it will be blunt, brutal, and potentially scary. There is, though, one important social theme that has been at the core of the Harry Potter books from the very first chapter. She will continue to explore and even expound greatly on the bane of bigotry and intolerance. Both good and bad characters are coping with the intolerances they suffer from others, as well as the consequences of their own prejudices. Again, very moral issues that concern all children directly.

Since everyone needs to be so secretive about Book 5, there is no way to know in advance just how disturbing it will be for children. There is already one review, and the indications are that the book is a brilliant piece of literature, but definitely very dark.

So What Age is Appropriate -- How Will Parents Know?

There are three sources that parents have to help them decide:

Specific information about the book
Once we know the actual plot and specific story elements for Book 5 (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), it will be much easier to guage the proper age target. Therfore, our advice to parents is that if there is any doubt, to read the book yourselves first - or at least wait until you hear from reviewers or others, what they think is the appropriate age bracket.
Reading aptitude of your child
Some younger children have already tackled Book 4 and loved it, some needed help from their parents, while others were either intimidated or overwhelmed. The vocabulary coupled with the sheer length of Book 5 will help to weed out those kids who may not be mature enough to handle it.
Your own instincts
When I was 13, I was really disturbed by Gulliver's Travels, yet it is often recommended for children. So, if your child bawled through the Chamber of Secrets movie, he may not be ready for Book 5. As a parent, you know what your child likes as well as what upsets him. If you have a true blue fan, then you probably already know it's okay for her to read it -- no matter how young she is.

And the Answer Is...

We are NOT trying to discourage kids from reading Book 5. We talk to young kids every day who have read the first 4 books all by themselves, love them, plus have awesome insights into the mysteries hidden in those pages. The only purpose of this article is to alert parents that the books are not specifically written for children, therefore, some younger children could be upset by Book 5. For years, we have listened to J.K. Rowling advising parents that scarier stuff is coming, and we want to make sure that parents are heeding her warning. As long as parents are prepared, there won't be any problem.

Should your child read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix alone, with your help, or not at all? The best answer according to J.K. Rowling, herself, is:

It depends on the kid … I have proud mothers saying to me, "He's six and he loves them," and I'm thinking, I personally wouldn't have said, "go for it" with a six-year-old...because I knew what was coming, I knew they would get darker. So it depends on the child.

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...and you know your child best!

¹ Time Magazine, October 30, 2000.

Visit the Time Magazine U.S. Website

² National Press Club, October 20,1999

Q: Did you write the book for children or adults?

A: I wrote it for me...I wrote something that I knew I would like to read now, but I also wrote something that I knew I would have liked to have read aged 10. So, I never really wrote with anyone in mind.

² Barnes&Noble, March 19,1999

Q: Did you have any idea that Harry Potter would appeal as much to adults as it does to kids?

A: In one way it did surprise me, but that was because I had never imagined a lot of people liking the book. And in another way it didn't surprise me, as I really wrote the book for myself -- and I am after all an adult, just barely!

³ CBC News World