Kim Culbertson

  • Home
  • Books
  • Author
  • Events
  • College Advising & Essay Consulting
  • For Teachers
  • Contact

Potterheads

March 13, 2014 By Kim Culbertson 69 Comments

Over the last year, my family has read the seven Harry Potter books out loud to each other. We have spent many hours curled up inside the world J.K. Rowling built around her boy wizard, his friends, and their journey. Harry Potter has traveled with us – to our winter vacations the past two Februarys, to weekends away, and, last summer, we loaded all the books onto Kindle and took them with us to Scotland and Switzerland. One of my favorite memories from our trip was reading to each other on the sprawling lawn of Urquhart Castle as the wind came off the rolling waters of Loch Ness. Recently, we closed the book on the last page of book seven. My daughter looked at us, tearful, and asked, “Now what?”

I was telling this story the other day and a friend remarked, “Wait, Ana read them all?” This surprised her because she knows my daughter well and knows that she won’t read anything dark. As a little one, she refused to watch most Disney movies on the grounds that “Disney hates mommies!” and wouldn’t watch Tangled until several weeks ago because that witch “totally freaks me out. I mean, she steals a baby and pretends to love her. That’s messed up!”

But she’s fine with Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. That makes sense.

I asked Ana, “Why are you okay with the Harry Potter books, but you don’t want to try other stuff?” She shrugged and said, “No matter what, no matter how dark, there is always hope. Besides, JK Rowling is funny. She always throws in something funny.” Ana’s right. She does do that. Over the past year, my husband and I found ourselves cracking up as we read, especially because as educators we appreciated her commentary on schooling via the wonderful Hogwarts world.

But I’m a Potterhead now even more than ever for a personal reason. Rowling’s books have acted as a gateway for my child to explore some darker themes, some more complex concepts. We’ve had amazing discussions about racism (all the Mudblood, half-blood threads), about slavery (Ana was Dobby for Halloween last year), about death and love and compassion and betrayal and sacrifice. The list is endless.

Harry Potter has given Ana a literary reference point, one she has embraced with her whole heart. Now, when we read things that are tough, we find her saying, “That reminds me of that scene in Harry Potter …” and she’s able to process more difficult content. I’m not going to be throwing Stephen King at her anytime soon but I’m thrilled to know this series has given her a way to process the harsh things she encounters in the world at large.

The other night, she snuggled on the couch, re-reading book six for about the fifth time, and she said, “Mom, sometimes I feel like these characters are with me even when they’re not.” Then, she giggled, “I know, that’s kind of weird.” I told her it wasn’t weird to me at all. It’s why I’m a reader, why books matter so much to me. I am the sum of all the books I’ve read in my life, all those stories and characters and triumphs and failures help guide me through a world that often doesn’t make sense either. I told her how happy I was she had Harry and Ron and Hermione and Neville and Luna as friends to help her.

I want to end with one of my favorite quotes from Albus Dumbledore. It sums up the reason I love writing YA Fiction, why it matters so much to me to write for this age group: “Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young.”

Filed Under: POV Blog

Comments

  1. bevlyon says

    March 13, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    Love this, Kim. When I was in grammar school there was a series of biographies written for children. I read every one I could specifically to give me hope that I could overcome a difficult childhood and succeed in life. Unless you object, I’d like to quote your sentence that starts, “I am the sum of all the books…” in a service I’m putting together for UUCM in May on “Art That Transformed Me.” Bev

  2. kimculbertsonwritesYA says

    March 13, 2014 at 7:00 pm

    Thanks for sharing that story, Bev! And I’m honored you want to use that line.
    🙂

  3. Alice Acheson says

    March 14, 2014 at 5:05 am

    This quote is indeed wonderful, but your entire essay was superb!!!!!!!!!!!

    Cheers, Alice ========== Alice B. Acheson, Book Marketing/Publicity Specialist P. O. Box 735 Friday Harbor, WA 98250 360/378-2815

  4. Erin says

    March 14, 2014 at 5:22 am

    This post made me cry. “I know, that’s kind of weird”! Every night I miss reading this series.

  5. Outside Inn says

    March 14, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Glad to know we’re all living in the same world.

  6. Iris says

    April 12, 2014 at 2:33 pm

    your daughter seems very much like me
    Although i haven’t read the Harry Potter series yet…
    i too feel like the characters I read in books are around me occasionally
    Making me happy about the time i closed that certain book that changed my life

  7. kimculbertsonwritesYA says

    April 12, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Thanks for the comment, Iris!

Trackbacks

  1. wonder woman sex games says:
    December 7, 2021 at 8:17 am

    furry dog sex games https://cybersexgames.net/

  2. online casino no deposit sign up bonus says:
    December 10, 2021 at 1:30 pm

    golden nugget online casino nj https://casinoonlinek.com/

  3. jacks casino online says:
    December 11, 2021 at 3:05 am

    online casino with $5 minimum deposit https://onlinecasinoad.com/

  4. san manuel casino online says:
    December 12, 2021 at 10:48 am

    new online casino pa https://casinogamesmachines.com/

  5. hard rock online casino says:
    December 12, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    online casino usa legal https://conline-casinos-hub.com/

  6. caesar online casino says:
    December 13, 2021 at 4:25 am

    hard rock casino online https://onlinecasinos4me.com/

  7. best real online casino says:
    December 13, 2021 at 7:27 am

    online casino canada https://online2casino.com/

  8. online casino games real money says:
    December 13, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    casino games online real money https://casinoonlinet.com/

  9. 888 casino online help says:
    December 13, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    free online casino games real money no deposit https://casinosonlinex.com/

  10. keto rice says:
    December 14, 2021 at 6:43 am

    what is keto flu https://ketogenicdiets.net/

  11. easy keto snacks says:
    December 14, 2021 at 8:19 am

    keto bhb pills https://ketogendiet.net/

  12. best keto supplements says:
    December 15, 2021 at 5:08 am

    slim fast keto https://ketogenicdietinfo.com/

  13. keto syrup says:
    December 15, 2021 at 9:17 am

    what can you eat on a keto diet https://ketogendiets.com/

  14. custom essays writing says:
    December 15, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    write good essays https://anenglishessay.com/

  15. professional essay writing service says:
    December 15, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    writing essay help https://topessayswriter.com/

  16. admission essay writing says:
    December 16, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    write a reflection essay https://yoursuperessay.com/

  17. writing college admission essays says:
    December 16, 2021 at 11:37 pm

    help writing college essay https://howtowriteessaytips.com/

  18. writing an argumentative essay says:
    December 17, 2021 at 3:26 am

    write my essay 4 me https://checkyouressay.com/

  19. marcia gay harden dating says:
    December 17, 2021 at 6:24 am

    spain gay dating https://gayprideusa.com/

  20. bdsm gay dating sites says:
    December 17, 2021 at 8:41 am

    free gay polish dating sites https://gayfade.com/

  21. dating gay nursing school says:
    December 17, 2021 at 10:54 am

    gay dating sites like zoosk https://gaysugardaddydatingsites.com/

  22. concept of critical thinking says:
    December 19, 2021 at 6:59 am

    critical thinking in psychology https://criticalthinkingbasics.com/

  23. questions about critical thinking says:
    December 19, 2021 at 8:53 am

    is critical thinking a soft skill https://criticalthinkinginstitute.com/

  24. critical thinking for kids says:
    December 19, 2021 at 10:21 am

    critical thinking image https://criticalthinking2020.net/

  25. define: critical thinking says:
    December 19, 2021 at 1:49 pm

    analytical critical thinking https://uncriticalthinking.com/

  26. quoting in essay says:
    December 19, 2021 at 4:01 pm

    pro choice essay https://choosevpn.net/

  27. should marijuanas be legalized essay says:
    December 19, 2021 at 4:59 pm

    process analysis essay examples https://topvpndeals.net/

  28. profile essay example says:
    December 19, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    thesis example for essay https://tjvpn.net/

  29. exploratory essay example says:
    December 19, 2021 at 9:24 pm

    rewrite my essay https://thebestvpnpro.com/

  30. essay outline format says:
    December 19, 2021 at 11:39 pm

    why this college essay https://vpn4home.com/

  31. essay grammar check says:
    December 20, 2021 at 12:25 am

    the summary of an essay is located https://vpnshroud.com/

  32. essay pro says:
    December 20, 2021 at 3:25 am

    explanatory essay https://vpnsrank.com/

  33. how to write a good hook for an essay says:
    December 20, 2021 at 5:56 am

    best college essay https://vpn4torrents.com/

  34. national junior honor society essay says:
    December 20, 2021 at 7:07 am

    essay plagiarism checker https://windowsvpns.com/

  35. 3conventions says:
    December 31, 2021 at 3:14 am

    3villainy

  36. gay chat randome says:
    January 2, 2022 at 3:57 am

    older gay chat https://bjsgaychatroom.info

  37. hunter biden gay boyfriend dating says:
    January 2, 2022 at 8:46 am

    gay dating profile “always-looking” https://gayfade.com

  38. free gay twink dating says:
    January 2, 2022 at 10:03 am

    gay dating site/crosword https://gaysugardaddydatingsites.com

  39. gay sissie video chat says:
    January 14, 2022 at 3:53 am

    all free gay chat rooms https://bjsgaychatroom.info/

  40. gay foot fetish dating says:
    January 14, 2022 at 7:53 am

    newest gay dating site https://gaypridee.com/

  41. gay videeo chat says:
    January 14, 2022 at 9:19 am

    gay chat phoenix https://gaytgpost.com/

  42. freee gay chat says:
    January 14, 2022 at 1:29 pm

    free cam to cam gay chat https://gay-buddies.com/

  43. gay black dating says:
    January 15, 2022 at 1:06 pm

    gay dating sim https://speedgaydate.com/

  44. free online casino slots says:
    January 28, 2022 at 11:00 am

    free x rated slots https://2-free-slots.com/

  45. slots lotty manna says:
    January 28, 2022 at 1:24 pm

    calendar with time slots https://freeonlneslotmachine.com/

  46. pearl warriors slots says:
    January 28, 2022 at 6:20 pm

    free slots 777 three rows https://candylandslotmachine.com/

  47. wizard of oz slots says:
    January 28, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    river slots app https://pennyslotmachines.org/

  48. slots winning video 2022 says:
    January 29, 2022 at 12:16 am

    penny slots free online https://slotmachinesworld.com/

  49. slots for fun says:
    February 3, 2022 at 8:10 am

    king kong slots https://slotmachinesforum.net/

  50. vegas free slots games says:
    February 3, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    free triple diamond slots https://slot-machine-sale.com/

  51. vegas slots casino says:
    February 3, 2022 at 4:26 pm

    ceaser slots https://beat-slot-machines.com/

  52. sun and moon slots says:
    February 3, 2022 at 8:16 pm

    charlestown slots https://download-slot-machines.com/

  53. sun and moon slots says:
    February 4, 2022 at 12:42 am

    slots for fun https://411slotmachine.com/

  54. how to win at slots says:
    February 4, 2022 at 2:44 am

    free x rated slots https://www-slotmachines.com/

  55. fre slots says:
    February 4, 2022 at 6:04 am

    slots for fun https://slotmachinegameinfo.com/

  56. i need help with my dissertation says:
    February 10, 2022 at 9:19 am

    mba dissertation help india https://buydissertationhelp.com/

  57. dissertation abstracts international says:
    February 11, 2022 at 9:09 am

    writing a rationale for dissertation https://dissertationwriting-service.com/

  58. english literature dissertation help says:
    February 11, 2022 at 10:34 am

    dissertation topics in education https://help-with-dissertations.com/

  59. dissertation acknowledgement sample says:
    February 11, 2022 at 1:29 pm

    example of dissertation https://mydissertationwritinghelp.com/

  60. best dissertation writing services uk says:
    February 11, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    apa reference dissertation https://dissertations-writing.org/

  61. need help with my dissertation says:
    February 11, 2022 at 10:55 pm

    dissertation memes https://helpon-doctoral-dissertations.net/

  62. 2airline says:
    June 21, 2022 at 1:05 am

    3oughtn’t

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Books by Kim Culbertson

the wonder of us Possibility of Now (Scholastic, January 26, 2016) Catch a Falling Star The Liberation of Max McTrue Instructions for a Broken Heart Songs for a Teenage Nomad

Follow Kim

Facebookinstagram
  • The Wonder of Us
  • The Possibility of Now
  • Catch a Falling Star
  • The Liberation of Max McTrue
  • Instructions for a Broken Heart
  • Songs for a Teenage Nomad

© 2023 Kim Culbertson · Log in