This is a series that holds a very special place in my heart. Growing up, I’d have movie marathons, watching Harry grow up and learn the ways of the Wizarding World at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry’s story has always resonated with me and made me believe that while the world may be ordinary, there is always something magical happening.
Plot
Harry Potter lives a horrible and miserable life. He is forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs by his dreadful aunt and uncle with their dreadful son, Dudley.
Everything changes when Harry is introduced to the world of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry meets a wizard named Hagrid who whisks him away to magical banks run by goblins, stores full of magical potions, paintings that are alive.
He’s brought to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he is taught the ways of the wizarding community and meets students that are more like him than ordinary “muggles” ever have been.
Harry is brought into a world where his parents are more than just people who died in a car crash, but people who saved the world. He’s a celebrity and everyone wants to know Harry Potter, the boy with the lightning scar who stopped the one and only Voldemort.
As Harry navigates his way through his first year at Hogwarts, he realizes that not everything is as it seems. A powerful object is hidden deep in the castle and it’s up to Harry and his friends to stop a dark evil from taking hold of it.
Characters
Harry Potter is an extraordinary character. He has lived his entire life, basically being abused by his horrid Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley Dursley and he’s forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs. It’s a horrible life where he has to sneak out in order to eat enough food and is punished for doing absolutely nothing wrong. It’s something no child should ever have to endure, yet he does and he comes out stronger for it.
Eventually, Harry is brought into the wizarding world and instead of feeling horrible for having the disadvantage of being brought up as a muggle, he took it with stride which I really loved seeing. Each adventure only made his character more interesting to read about and follow along with.
Ron was a character that I immediately enjoyed. He’s always struggled being in his brother’s shadows and I couldn’t help but want to learn more about him. From the moment that I met him, it was clear that him and Harry would be good friends. He was friendly and kind and welcoming, not being Harry’s friend for fame.
Hermione has always been my favorite character. She’s been someone that I’ve admired as I grew up, knowing that book smarts are helpful and if i work hard, then I can do great things too. At the beginning of the book she was definitely annoying, but as the story went on, I doubt the boys would have survived without her!
Setting
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a setting that will always warm my heart. Full of secrets and mysteries, the magic makes it all worth it. It’s a beautiful and magical castle filled to the brim with extraordinary wonders.
Writing
Before I compliment Rowling’s writing, I want to say that I don’t support her as an author or as a person. If you don’t know what happened surrounding Rowling and the comments that she has made, it’s something you should definitely search up and learn about.
Despite this, Rowling’s Harry Potter books are a series that will probably never get old, despite the fact that she has. These books are written for a younger audience, but it fits so well. It shows the magic between each page, each word written to spark joy in a child’s life and I don’t know how I went my entire childhood without reading these books.
As I mentioned earlier, the Harry Potter movies definitely hold a special place in my heart and I often rewatch them when I need some sort of nostalgia. The books actually overtake these movies in terms of magic and feeling. I fell even more in love with each character, the words bringing me closer to them and feeling them even more.
In Conclusion…
If you haven’t read (or seen) Harry Potter, you need to do it now. This series is fun and magic filled, full of exciting adventures as Potter grows up and discovers more and more of the extraordinary wizarding world.
Rating: 4.5/5⭐
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