tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post5341375006990536639..comments2023-10-30T08:00:54.059-04:00Comments on Laurel's Leaves: HP Week: The benefits of books firstLaurel Garverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-21349959271026773982011-07-13T14:33:02.761-04:002011-07-13T14:33:02.761-04:00I wish I grew up reading the books! I was already...I wish I grew up reading the books! I was already in college when the first one came out, and I didn't start reading them until the third one I think? But after that, the anticipation and excitement that came with each release was AWESOME. I love that feeling when a sequel is about to be released and I sit down and gobble it up all in one night. And to experience that with my husband and others was wonderful too. <br /><br />I think we don't have to worry about our children experiencing it different than we did when we read them. Because they will most likely be anticipating a new set of series so they will know what it felt like for us.Abby Minardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963640263845561309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-89320845872883780952011-07-12T10:46:54.426-04:002011-07-12T10:46:54.426-04:00Michael: As a parent, it's tough to make kids ...Michael: As a parent, it's tough to make kids wait, but we're still holding strong. My daughter isn't yet 9 and I won't read her book 4 until she's at least 10. I told her there was kissing in book 4 and that made her far more willing to wait. LOL.<br /><br />I'd read the books prior to every movie, so my experience of the films isn't quite like yours. I often was irked at Chris Columbus's directoral decisions that weighed visual spectacle above essentials of the plot. But that's because I knew ahead of time just how much was being left out. On their own terms, his films hang together pretty well and do make Harry's world compelling.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-82116311843374690312011-07-12T10:41:55.046-04:002011-07-12T10:41:55.046-04:00Melissa: I can't tell you how many students fr...Melissa: I can't tell you how many students from other schools ask to audit the class. It filled in under an hour that last time it was offered. It is fascinating how our reading context shapes our reading experience. Didn't your sense of danger and stakes increase between books 4 and 5 because of the wait?<br /><br />Jennifer: Thanks for the follow! I had all seven books read aloud to me by Joel (who is guest posting here) the first time through. There's something magical about sharing books this way with someone else. And for sure you digest them more slowly and notice details you might skim when reading silently.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-27855258164246735812011-07-12T10:36:40.529-04:002011-07-12T10:36:40.529-04:00Laura: I don't know if it's unrealistic as...Laura: I don't know if it's unrealistic as much as countercultural to ask kids to wait, to ask them to approach things only as they have the maturity to handle them. Rowling's work rewards the patient, a virtue that our culture has overwhelmingly devalued. That's really Joel's point here.<br /><br />Colene: Interestingly, self-control is one of the things that makes the good characters good in this series. Patience is the one virtue Harry most struggles with, especially in book 7.Laurel Garverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657218435228802535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-91000739138345481452011-07-12T00:32:54.915-04:002011-07-12T00:32:54.915-04:00If I had children I would definitely spread the bo...If I had children I would definitely spread the books out. Let them experience them as they were intended.<br /><br />Actually I happen to see the first movie first. Not until after the second movie came out did I discover that these were actual written children's books. <br /><br />I picked up the first book after Chamber of Secrets. I read Sorcerer's Stone in one day. Grabbed two and three and read them in the next two days. Goblet of fire had just come out a few months prior. <br /><br />After completing Goblet of Fire, I had to experience the long, long wait for Order of the Phoenix. I was obsessed. I re-read the first four several times in that two year span.<br /><br />As for the movies, Only the first two create the magic for me. Once Richard Harris died, Dumbledore's character died along with him for me. Not to mention Christopher Columbus was THE best director and they should have let him finish with the rest of the movies.Michael Di Gesuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17047267262428143113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-46168665893155506272011-07-11T18:56:03.501-04:002011-07-11T18:56:03.501-04:00I read all 7 books to my son who was 7 at the time...I read all 7 books to my son who was 7 at the time. I enjoyed reading them aloud to him much more then when I read them to myself probably because of the slower pace. This is a great post. I found you on Jen's blog unedited. And now your newest follower.Jenniferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16232979489927013323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-11735344363903791842011-07-11T12:53:46.747-04:002011-07-11T12:53:46.747-04:00Laurel, it sounds like your husband teaches the mo...Laurel, it sounds like your husband teaches the most amazing class! :-) I love this post and agree that there is going to be a totally different experience for new readers. I read the first 4 books rather quickly, then waited, and waited for the rest to trickle out. That waiting was torture. I remember when Voldemort 'came back' and I waited for the next book for a year, I just kept thinking, 'Voldemort is back. He's out there! And I don't know what's happening!' It felt so real to me, those long waits for the next book. Reading them that way provided a different experience.Melissa Sarnohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11215683401795724259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-55146854308914762182011-07-11T12:25:27.406-04:002011-07-11T12:25:27.406-04:00Wow. Amazingly put. And I couldn't agree more!...Wow. Amazingly put. And I couldn't agree more! She's a genius for how she made this world and these books. So right about needing to read them slowly to absorb them and not all at once if you're a first time reader. I'm glad I read them as they came out, though, and was forced to wait! I don't think I would have had enough self control to take them all in slowly otherwise!Colene Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06086195075690893194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4263988256560129564.post-40975554310821340442011-07-11T07:18:30.156-04:002011-07-11T07:18:30.156-04:00I think there is a benefit to reading slowly but i...I think there is a benefit to reading slowly but it's unrealistic to expect kids to read like that, or anyone! But I'm glad I read HP when there was buzz but no movies. I had no idea what to expect. I think kids miss that today.Laura Paulinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06503090226508079501noreply@blogger.com