With the latest news that the 7th and final book in the wildly popular Harry Potter series entitles "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will be released July 21, 2007 I thought I'd relate a story about the series and my grandson that you might enjoy.
Several years ago I was looking for a birthday present for my grandson. I wanted the present that his Grandfather and I gave him to be one that was "THE HOTTEST ITEM" among adolescent and teenage boys at the time.
I had read that one of the hottest and coolest items among adolescents and teenage boys was "The Harry Potter" Series of books, which then had only 3 books in the series. So, I decided we'd give him the 3 hardcover books that were in the series.
Even though this was the "hottest" ticket item it was a gamble for his Grandfather and I. You see, my grandson wasn't a reader. But, I figured peer pressure would create enthusiasm for him and maybe he'd discover a love for reading.
Well, he opened his present, smiled and said thank-you, but wasn't really thrilled. We'd bombed out. At least we thought so until the following year when "Harry Potter" really took off. Then the teenage boys and adolescents couldn't get enough of Harry Potter. Harry Potter mania had set in and all of a sudden we (that is his Grandfather and I) were just the "coolest" grandparents as our Grandson already had the first three books in the series and was "the man" among all his friends.
Even our son-in-law was enthusiastic about the books and decided to start reading them to our youngest grandson for his bedtime stories. It took awhile but they got through the first 3 books and decided to buy the 4Th book in the series.
Well, not to be outdone by their younger brothers our older teenage granddaughters decide to read the series, too. So they, too read all three of the books in the set we had given their brother and then read Book 4.
After that they moved on to Book 5, then Book 6. They all read all of those, too.
Our grandson ended up loving the books. I'd love to say that he became a reader because of it. He did and he didn't.
He has become a reader - just a reader of a different kind of book. You see - he loves the Japanese cartoon books that you read from back to front like "Inu Yasha", "Fruit Basket", "Juvenille Orion", and the "Trigun Maximum" series.
For me, the Grandmother who gives books every Christmas that's terrific. At least he's reading. Doesn't matter whether it's comics or not. He's reading. So, I just buy him the latest comic books in those series.
So, the moral of the story is that - "Just because a present isn't initially received
with the greatest of enthusiasm doesn't mean it won't be appreciated over time."
I suspect he and his brother will want the 7th and last book in the Harry Potter's series. I'll have to pre-order it for them.
I suspect "Harry Potter" mania will take over again this summer and the books may be hard to find for awhile.
I'll let you know next summer how my two grandson's liked it.