2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter! As a person who loves all things Harry Potter this is a big year. But this has not always been the case.
When the books were first released my dad bought them in the hope that they would get my younger sister interested in reading. She has never been a reader and he had heard that this was something that was getting kids to read more. But try as he might he never got her to pick one up. He read the first four in quick succession. I can remember listening to him laugh while he read the scene where Mad-Eye Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret and bounced him around the halls of Hogwarts.
I was not very interested in the stories of a young wizard because I preferred historical fiction. They seemed silly to me until the day that one of my friends started reading them. She started telling me how much she liked them and I decided to break down and try them out. I was hooked from the first page. I was a sophomore in high school when I started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and the first movie was coming out in November. In a month I had read books 1-4 and then the wait began for book 5 (in which I cried my eyes out at the end). Then 6. Then 7. But the wait was worth it.
Ever since I picked up that first book I have been a devoted fan. I have pre-ordered all the books, went to the theaters for all the movies and visited the theme parks in Orlando. When I visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter I was instantly transported into the books. The shops, actors and rides were breathtaking. I spent Thanksgiving morning eating an English breakfast at The Three Broomsticks. I downed multiple glasses of butter beer outside the Hog’s Head Inn. I rode the Hogwarts Express. I battled dragons, escaped from Gringotts and flew on a broom through the grounds at Hogwarts. I even got myself a wand. This is every Harry Potter reader’s dream!
I thank my dad (and my friend) every day for introducing me to the world of Harry Potter. I found something that made me even more passionate about reading and expanded my world. I love that still today I have kids come into the library looking for the books I read and love. They are experiencing them for the first time and I envy them. I re-read/re-listen to the books regularly and each time find something I missed before.
And now I have to go to London to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour and see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage at the Palace Theater.
th and each page has an amazing illustration or graphic to break up the text. The books are in the same writing style and format as the Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osbourne and excellent for readers who are ready for both chapter books and a beginner level fantasy series. If your reader is looking for a series that is both accessible and entertaining, I would highly recommend the Kingdom of Wrenly series!
Name: Bob
Name: Junior
On my most recent trip to Denver I was lucky enough to visit a small bookstore, Second Star to the Right. It is an older home converted into a children’s book store. 
The walls and tables are covered with toys, books and activities for all ages. The staff was knowledgeable and welcoming to all visitors. The place is truly magical. I think I was having just as much fun as the kids.
from their respective movies. Every kid was in awe of them and were excited to take pictures with them after the show.
The money raised from the performance was given to The Center in Denver, an LGBT community center. This is a monthly program run by this little book store. As a librarian it is fun to see different ways to interest kids in reading and to see love of literacy spread to all ages.
The Latehomecomer
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
My favorite audiobooks are the Harry Potter series. Jim Dale, the reader, does a great job of creating new voices for the characters. He brings the stories of J.K. Rowling to life.
during my morning routine. Apps like RB Digital and Sunflower eLibrary (Overdrive) are perfect for this. I always have an audiobook downloaded on my iPhone that I can have playing while doing my hair and eating breakfast.
With the wide variety of audiobooks available it is never difficult to find something interesting. The last several years I have been able to read over 100 books due to audiobooks. It gives me much more freedom to work my way through my list of books.
There are many tools at the library that are helpful to parents. Working in circulation, we get many parents who ask for book suggestions for their children based on an AR (Accelerated Reader) or Lexile level. These numbers can be confusing if you do not know what you are looking for. Our youth services librarians have worked hard to fix this problem.
Chelsea recently updated our Lexile level book lists along with our reader’s advisory books in the children’s department. All the books on the lists are items that we have in our collection. Each of the levels are broken down into 100 point increments. She has even placed the AR level conversions on the lists to help find books for that category as well. Lexile levels can be searched on our catalog as well. Many books have them as part of their record.