For my darling 7-year old stepdaughter, I’m doing something
I’ve never done during an entire lifetime of obsessive reading.
I’m waiting for her to grow up so I can finish a book
series.
See, together we’ve gotten hooked on Harry Potter. I’m late
to the Potter Party. When everyone else was reading the books and standing in
line for the first movie showings and putting posters on their walls, I was
keeping my distance from the whole phenomenon. First of all, I wanted to make
sure J.K. Rowling finished all the books before I got totally addicted.
Besides, I grew up with the great British children’s authors like E. Nesbit and
C.S. Lewis and didn’t think she could possibly compete (got that one wrong!)
And then it became a point of pride --- I was possibly the only person in the
English-speaking world who hadn’t read any of the books or seen any of the
movies.
Turns out, I was waiting for the perfect moment, which came
when the kiddo got into the books. I’ve had the incredible pleasure of reading
the first three books out loud to her, experiencing them for the first time
along with her. I’ve forced myself to put the book down when it’s time for her
to sleep. I’ve exercised gargantuan willpower in not reading ahead. I’ve
refused to watch each movie until I’ve finished its book. And I’ve been drawn
into this fascinating, intricate, wonderful world of magic the way a child
would be, seeing everything through her eyes, feeling her anticipation, her
emotions, the immense satisfaction the stories bring.
In Hawaii we finished Book 3, “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” the
morning my stepdaughter went back to Alaska. Afterwards, I drove past the
library, my fingers itching to swing the steering wheel into the parking lot so
I could snatch up Book 4. But I’ve been told it’s a little intense for a nearly
8-year old. So even though I’m a hopeless book addict and usually read through
the night if I’m deep into a story, and know I would gobble it up like a binge
eater at a buffet, I’m refraining. I’ll wait until she gets a little bit older
so we can indulge ourselves together.
So what do you think? Can an eight-year old handle Book 4, “The
Goblet of Fire”? She’ll turn eight in two and a half months. I'm fairly sure I
can wait that long. Or am I overthinking this? Should we head down to the
library this second and check it out?
Because I will. Say the word and I’ll be after Book 4 like a Quidditch
seeker after the Golden Snitch.
Hey, a Harry Potter reference! That felt good.
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