Marji: "That is correct.
They definitely do get darker. I've read all four HP
books because I wanted to know what was in them, since my
kids were reading them. We do allow fantasy in our home (Tolkien,
C.S. Lewis, myths, fairy tales, etc.), so I don't have a
problem with that aspect.
I do not think J. K. Rowling is
a very "good" author (just my opinion!)
The fourth book did get much
darker (several murders of main characters, and a heavy
emphasis on the Dark Arts, etc). [Click here to read a
review by a teen on the fourth book:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire].
I decided that my kids would not read any more HP books
unless they were approved by me. I will not let them see
the movie unless (and if) we see it first and approve it.
I've seen several articles now
that state that whole school systems are letting kids out
of school to go see this movie. That mystifies me. WHY?
What is the draw here? It can't be just that "Hey, they
actually read a book!! We've got to support their 'reading
habit'." If so, the schools are pretty desperate. No, I
think it is some "other" reason. What, I don't know.
Anyway, coming from a pretty
tolerant stance, I would put out a warning on book four,
and likely the following books, as Rowling has indicated
they will continue to be increasingly dark. I could not
believe that my 9 year old was up all night reading book
four in the dark, alone (she got to it before I did). It
was frankly scary and disturbing. I still haven't gotten
over that sense of parental neglect on my part.
By the way, my two dd's have
not been apparently bothered by their reading experiences;
but neither are they clamoring for book five (when it comes
out), nor have they been begging to go see the movie. So I
do think they have been affected, or taken aback a bit (and
they are serious fantasy lovers). And they would let me
know if they really wanted to see it badly (we finally saw
Princess Diaries by request, so yes, they do "beg" from
time to time :). And we were one of the families who bought
one of the HP books at midnight at the local bookstore. I
think something has changed for my dd's as well.
For me, in the final analysis,
I no longer feel good about the series."
Michelle wrote: "I must admit, I've
seen discussions of this topic turn nasty, and certainly don't want to
see that. I know what I've decided for my family, and it
certainly isn't my call to decide about YOUR family. That said, I must
say that I think it DOES matter, very much, what we present to our
children. True, it is critical that it "sticks with our values" but
quality DOES matter. What does it say to our children if we want them to
be the best, do the best, live up to the extremely high standards of the
gospel--but their entertainment doesn't matter, as long as its values
aren't too warped? I think we are in a time where we are preparing our
children to meet the Savior--to take the gospel to every single human on
earth, not to mention taking ordinances to every single human who's ever
lived.
We don't have time for twaddle and drivel
and junk. We need to have fun, yes, but we need to maintain all our
standards while we are doing it. Literary standards count, too. I
believe we are literally crippling the minds of our children if we
expose them overmuch to substandard literature. Charlotte Mason often
compares literature and education to food. I think we need to be very,
very careful about handing our children lots of Twinkies and Hershey
bars if we want them ever to choose fresh vegetables and whole grain
bread. We form their tastes at an early age--both with food and
with mind-food. I'm not saying that no one should ever read
something just for fun, but I am saying that quality does matter, a lot
more than we commonly give it credit for in this day and age of slipping
standards."
