The Idea Men are Plotting…

Metro Briefing |
New York

Manhattan:
Reading by J. K. RowlingBy Jennifer MedinaPublished: September 6, 2007 

This article isn’t that big but I need to have it in to help with my other article that will connect.  On October 19, J. K. Rowling will be at Carnegie Hall to read from the new book named “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows”.  Forty different schools will be picked based on how well their reading standardized test scores were (YEAH NCLB…pff) with administrators picking forty students from each of those schools.  On top of a Q & A secession, 5,000 books will be donated to the schools.I had to give a little brief on that because I though that was great.  I like Harry Potter a lot and I am glad it is getting into libraries for kids to read who can’t afford to buy the books.  Now that I have started on this whole Harry Potter thing, I can go to my tie in article of… 

‘Harry Potter’ spurs growth of fantasy genreRowlings’ novels have made ‘reading books for younger readers OK for adults’By: Chris Kridler
Florida TodayPosted: Monday, September 10, 2007 

Cindy Heinig, a youth librarian at
Florida’s Cocoa Beach Public Library says “There’s just been a tremendous surge of new fantasy, and sometimes it’s compared to Harry Potter, but these are all titles that stand on their own.”  That is what I like to hear, J. K. Rowling, like many authors before her, have inspired an outbreak of new fantasy novelist.  This is where I need to have my tangent so bear with me.On a side note, in this article is a young adult writer named Stephenie Meyer.  The series of books she writes are young adult oriented, but more for the female crowd.  This book is a fantasy, romance novel with Bella and Edward being main characters.  Edward is a vampire though, which leads to Bella falling in love with him.  There’s a lot more to the whole story of course but I don’t need to go there.  My girlfriend loves the books and I cannot begin to recount many nights she curled up with one of Meyer’s books in hand.  Meyer first book was “Twilight” followed by “New Moon” and “Eclipse” which this article states that ““Eclipse” has pushed “HP and the Deathly Hollows” out of the No. 1 spot on USA Today’s best seller list.”I felt that it was important to mention her because now that ‘Harry Potter’ is done, what’s next on the list for young adults to read.  Sure the “Twilight” series sounds too cheesy, but it is actually fun.  I have read some of it…(waits for laughs) and it really isn’t that bad.  Vampires, werewolves, and supernatural powers with a love story on top (sounds like the next Final Fantasy huh?).

Anyways, ‘Harry Potter’ once being viewed as a young adult novel may not even be that any more.  In a review written by Stephen King which was published in Entertainment Weekly Magazine, he said “These books ceased to be specifically for children halfway through the series; by ‘Goblet of Fire,’ Rowling was writing for everyone, and knew it.”  I believe this to be true; upon the introduction of the Death Eaters at the Quidditch World Cup and Cedric’s death in…ahem…a cemetery.  Harry Potter had to grow up and so did his cult reader crowd.

Links for Reference:

Stephenie Meyer at Wikipedia

‘Harry Potter’ spurs growth of fantasy genreRowlings’ novels have made ‘reading books for younger readers OK for adults’

Manhattan: Reading by J. K. Rowling