#21 Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling

It took me a while, and I finally reached the halfway mark. Every time I get ready to make the next post I start shuffling my list. Then I start moving the remaining books up and down. This was higher at one point then it was lower. It was never put in my last countdown. That was a horrible miscalculation, and I regret that decision a lot.

Harry Potter had taken off when I started reading it. I thought the first book was amusing, and for kids. I had kids that were 12-13, and I thought it was great to have a fantasy book that was so well done targeted to that age. I mean, the hobbit is, but few others are. They seem to be for young adults, adults at that point, or for small children. I think this is the last teen book on my countdown. I will have to dig to make sure.

The first book was good, and the second. Then I noticed something. When I read the Prisoner of Azkaban, I noticed that the writing was growing up. By the Order of Phoenix, we were touching on dark subjects. Subjects that were not preteen in nature. I do not know if it was the plan, but the books changed, and they really sucked me in.

I will say that the Order of Phoenix was the book where I became a fan. The angry teen, the problems in life. Feeling ignored, loss, anger. All are things that most teen books ignore. They like to gloss over those as just something that happens, or try and say that they do not exist.

It is good to see a character grow up. Too many kids books, the kids are perpetually 12. Even though they are supposed to grow, or we just pretend they are that age for book after book. I think that is a disservice to the kids. Knowing life can be hard, but lived is important. There are far more messages in these books than I want to think about.

As I look back, I love the series even more. From the childlike wonder of book one, to the adult darkness and despair of book seven. The themes of friendship, and love in the middle of horror and sadness cannot be undervalued. You can read it years later and see new things, new little Easter eggs to help you in life. So I thank Rowling for this engaging and loving jaunt through life.

When push comes to shove, it ended up as 21, but it could have easily ended up far higher depending on my mood that day.