Harry Potter Essay, Research Paper

In the past couple years, there has been a growing phenomenon in the world of children’s literature, this phenomenon is Harry Potter. J.K. Rowlings series of novels about a young wizard and his years at “Hogwarts School of Wizarding and Witchcraft,” has become one of the most successful children’s book series of all time. Before reading any of the now four novels, one may find it hard to believe that a children’s novel may be so entertaining. But once one starts reading any of the four books, it is plain to see why these books are so popular.

Before first reading a Harry Potter novel, I was skeptical that a children’s book about an orphan wizard going to school would be entertaining. But within 15 minutes I found myself unable to stop reading. There are many elements, which contribute to this novels addictiveness. The character development is simple yet complex enough to get an adult reader interested. From the large gentle giant Hagrid, to the malicious trouble maker Lucious Malfoy.

Another aspect which I believe makes the novel so great, is the authors writing style. The way Rowling writes, the story is always moving without periods in which the reader is struggling to continue reading on, but instead leaving the reader in a suspense so to speak of what will happen next. Whether it is a fight for his life, winning a quidditch match, or just staying out of trouble, these novels are anything but boring. This I believe, is one of the biggest reasons why these books have been such a success, the author knows how to keep the story going at all times in order to maintain the readers attention.

Another factor which I believe has led to the novels success is that while reading, the reader wishes that they could live in this fantasy world created by Rowling where life is anything but ordinary. The novels make the reader somewhat desire a life like the one led by the characters of the novels, like going to a school to learn wizarding, always having extraordinary things happen and just being at Hogwarts seems like an unequaled joy for some. These novels have the ability to reignite the long lost imaginations of adults, and keep the imaginations of children strong.

Although I am a strong supporter of this book series, I do find one thing wrong with the books. All the novels have endings which are almost the same, Harry saves the day and Voldemort the major antagonist gets defeated in one way or another. Also only Harry and his friends seem to be the ones who go on adventures to defeat huge beasts or save family members from monsters known as dementors, this to me makes the novel slightly unappealing but still one of the best books I have ever read.

In conclusion, the Harry Potter book series may seem like a mystery success at first, but once read, they are easily understood and enjoyed by many. Although it contains one small flaw, it still maintains its appeal to many. The characters, plot, and overall depth of the books combine to make, in my opinion the best book series published in the past 5 years.