Z and I have started bedtime reading together in earnest again after a few off-and-on episodes and we finished our third book on Wednesday night -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He had seen the movie a few times but I didn't feel like he ever really paid attention. He certainly wasn't very interested in the story or the characters. But, after our first two reads (book one and two of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series), I needed something that I would also enjoy reading and that had a good message and a strong story. I asked Z if we could read HP and he said sure.
He was excited about the book every night. We read about half a chapter at a time so we always had a bit of a cliffhanger or something to look forward to because of the chapter title. Every time I mentioned Harry's scar, Z leaned over and traced a lightning bolt on my forehead. When I said "muggle" he smiled and said "muggle, muggle, muggle". Once I had mentioned Nicholas Flamel, he asked me every night when we sat down "who is Nicholas Flamel anyway?" and I had to remind him again that we wouldn't find out until later. When the chapter called "Nicholas Flamel" finally arrived, he was ecstatic! He also thought Neville's toad, Trevor, was a hoot. Although, he won't believe me that Rubeus is Hagrid's first name. Z wants him to just be Hagrid. And Z also insists that Voldemort is a professor -- I think because he was attached to Professor Quirrell.
So, now we are sitting together, watching the film together again (along with the necessities, namely popcorn and gummy worms) and he is loving it. He remembers the book quite well and is noticing things that have been changed, like when McGonagall is calling names for the sorting hat. In the film, she calls them first name first. But in the book, they are called last name first. So when she says "Susan Bones", Z is over here saying "Bones, Susan". It's cute! He knows all the characters and even waits for certain things to happen -- like Harry seeing Quirrell in the Leaky Cauldron for the first time.
This was an awesome RIP read for both of us. I was a bit worried about spooky things like Nearly Headless Nick, Voldemort and the Forbidden Forest and scenes like the unicorn hunt and Harry finding out about his parents' death but Z did alright with them. His favorite holiday is Halloween after all! We'll definitely be reading more RIP-eligible books together through October. I pulled out our Halloween picture books but I really think he's craving something more substantial now so I bought a copy of Bunnicula and have some other choices from Eva Ibbotson and others to get us through.
Sharing the peril,
K and Z
Reminds me of when I first read HP to my son, who was six at the time - and it was the first time I'd read it, too. I read all of the first five to him, but the only one that scared him was book 4 - The Goblet of Fire.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely that you're able to enjoy it together! I was such a Potterphile that I read HP1 to my daughter when she was much too young to enjoy it, causing her to be anti-Potter until she was about 10. Now her love of HP has eclipsed mine.
ReplyDeleteAnd Bunnicula is hilarious!!
Awww. This warms my heart. Ever since I first read the first Harry Potter book, I've been thinking about how amazing it would be to read them to my own kids one day. I'm glad Z enjoyed the first one so much! Yay to little Z.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering when BB and I can start reading these. I'm just not sure he is ready like Z is. I'm going to wait a little longer as that last thing I want to do is turn him off to Harry!
ReplyDeleteTracy - I can't imagine how fun it would have been to have it be my first read too! I'll have to ask Z when he wants to move on to the next one (he already said he wants to keep going!). I wonder if he will get scared at all.
ReplyDeleteKaren - It was definitely hard to wait but I didn't want that same thing to happen with Z! We seem to be okay. :) And I must have read Bunnicula a dozen times when I was a kid so I hope it brings back good memories for me and starts new ones for Z!
Jenny - I just asked him if he wanted to read the other Harry Potter books and he said "how many are there?" and I said seven and he said "woohoo!" It's awesome. :)
Jenners - Totally wait if you aren't sure. They're pretty intense and I'm glad that I waited until I thought Z was ready.
Must admit, Kristen, I read HP to my son that age because the movie was out that Autumn, and I thought it would be best if he was familiar with the story before he saw it, to prepare him for the scary bits.
ReplyDeleteBook 4 has a very dark start, and it's the first one where a Hogwarts student, one of the good guys, is murdered.
It would be so interesting to read that to your kids... my friends and I all grew up with Harry Potter (and we were "those people" at the last movie. You know, the ones who wear their graduation robes as wizard robes and liberated some wands from trees along the street?) The one thing that I liked about the Harry Potter series (even though I think that Rowling's writing is mediocre at best, she is a good storyteller) is that the books grow with the audience. The later books have darker/slightly older themes, whereas the younger ones are more kid-friendly. It was cool to be able to read them like that, and I think it's part of why people never really grow out of the series. :P
ReplyDeleteTracy - Yes, I think it's a bit different now that the movies are all already out and he's seen at least parts of them through the 5th one. I don't think I've ever let him see any of the 6th. I think we'll probably read one book every four to six months so then by the time we get to the 4th, he'll be 8 1/2 or 9 and I think that's just fine.
ReplyDeleteBookswithout - The books started coming out when I was 23 so I never got to experience them as a kid but I read them one at a time as they came out anyway. My little sister is 12 years younger so she got to grow up with them at just the right ages. I think it's fun to see the things that take ahold Z's imagination. I hope he wants to read all of the books eventually!
Reading this has only made me more excited to start reading the books with my son after the first of the year! I can't wait to see what he thinks of them! (Keeping my fingers crossed that he loves them as much as I do!)
ReplyDeleteTif - Has your son seen any of the movies? I think it helped that Z had a familiarity with the characters and world before we read the book. I know that we like to do it the other way around as adults but I think with these longer books it seems to help us build excitement.
ReplyDeleteHe has only seen bits and pieces of the first one. I told him he couldn't watch the whole thing until we had read the books together, but you have a good point. They don't always have the patience and attention that we have!
ReplyDeleteTif - Though Z was in the room a bunch of times when the movie was on, I don't think he ever truly watched it until after we had read the book. I bet that even the slight familiarity from the bits and pieces will have been enough to get him engaged and excited.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea actually! Maybe I should show him a couple of teasers!?!
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