Welcome to my Friday Book Club for July and this is a little bit of a throwback too.

We had the good fortune for our Boys to be young when the Harry Potter Book Series began to be published, the first in 1997.  The film of the first book was released in 2001 when Eldest was six and I took him to see the movie, he absolutely loved it and so we then bought all the books as they were published and I read them to him.  Youngest when he was old enough to also see the film wanted me to read the books to him too, so I got to go through the books twice and of course we saw all the films at the cinema as soon as they were released.  Youngest always used to call Harry “Har Potter” when he was little!!!!!

The reason I have chosen these books for Friday Book Club is because they are so well written that adults can read them, J.K. Rowling did an amazing job of writing them for children but not writing down to children.  This means that adults can read and enjoy them.

When I was little we had the Narnia Series of books written by C.S Lewis and again they were written for children but adults can read and enjoy them.  Of course the films of these books were not made until recently and I have to say I enjoyed the books more than the films in this case.

I have been watching the Harry Potter films again whilst I have been doing my ironing and as they are so long, because they did not miss that much of the story from the books, I get a lot of ironing done to them!!! 

Both the Boys have the Harry Potter set so I think I am going to borrow one of theirs and take them away with me on holiday and read them again.  Who doesn’t like to escape into another World made of magic, even if there is an evil in it, because it is eventually defeated and that is how our World works.

Here they are in the Great Hall.  By the look on their faces you would think we had told them that they had to stay at school!!!!!!

As you know we took the Boys to Harry Potter World when it first opened to see the sets and where the films were made and it was a great visit and again if you have chance, it is well worth a visit. 

Happier faces!!!

Harry’s bed on the set.

The three of them outside Hagrid’s Home.

They just look like Ron and Harry don’t they!

Getting their Wands at Olivanders.

A brilliant and very accurate quote from J.K. Rowling at the end of the visit.

Eldest will deny it now but when he was eleven he wanted to be Harry and he copied Harry’s look and the sort of bag that Harry carried at school and the way he dressed.  Here is a picture of him from 2007;

Here is Eldest, on Bonfirm Night, on the right in that jacket with the sparkler pretending to cast a spell.

As you can see from this still of the Film The Prisoner of Azkaban Harry has the same jacket on!!!!

I will say that I am so glad that our Boys wanted to emulate a book character rather than some “stars” today who seem to make money out of nothing!!!!!

The Harry Potter Books can be found in every form from Amazon and if you like fantasy books they really are worth reading.  Of course if you like something which is a little less magic but more about relationships and family then give the Narnia series a go, again who doesn’t want to walk through the wardrobe to a new realm where it is always winter and almost Christmas!!

I hope you all have a wonderful Weekend and Happy Reading.

Hugs, Susie xx

The Library at Hogwarts.