Here I am a grown woman enamored of a series of books about a boy wizard. Curious and curiouser. First, let me just say that these books are not children's books. They deal with real issues and real characters. Some of which just happen to be children. They are heartfelt- entertaining- clever- imaginative and funnier than you would ever imagine. And it starts quite by accident, the way you fall in love with the characters. Like any good book, they get under your skin. You get lost in the story and in the wonder.
But underneath all of that, after you have read them a few times, you learn that nothing about this series is just surface. Every little nuance, every little thing, from the names of the characters to places in history- everything has its meaning and significance. And this is another thing I love- J.K.Rowling doesn't talk down to her readers, indeed she inspires you to search out the answers to the clues she leaves. Not only are the books fantasy of the best sort- they are also, at their heart, good old fashioned mysteries. (And only snobs claim to not like those.)
So yeah, I love Harry Potter. He makes me laugh, cry, think, feel, escape... everything a good book should do and then some.
It's been said that the mark of a good writer is that he or she makes you want to go out and write your own. J.K.Rowling has done that to me in spades. I would of never taken up the mantle of fan fiction had I not been so enthused and in love with this world she has given us. True, it's only fan fiction and true, in the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn't matter. But it matters to me and it matters to me that I write and finish something. I've learned a lot of things about myself by working on these stories.
To me, they will always be the thing to turn to when I need some reassurance that imagination is still the truest thing.