Harry Potter's legacy benefits authors, worldwide readers of all ages

Harry Potter's legacy benefits authors, worldwide readers of all ages

University Park, Pa. -- The Harry Potter craze for 2007 has begun. Promotional posters and products for the fifth movie, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," due in theatres July 11, are everywhere. Booksellers and retail stores of all varieties have created countdowns for the release of the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," on July 21.

Penn State librarian Steven Herb, author of two children's literature textbooks, can't think of any other book as wholeheartedly anticipated by cultures throughout the world. Yet the Harry Potter books are among those on banned books lists. According to the American Library Association, in 2006, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Banned Books Week, readers voted the Harry Potter books their most favorite challenged title. They also were the most frequently challenged of the 21st century.

Despite this, Herb said U.S. publisher Scholastic Books has ordered 12 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" for the first print run, and that's just in the United States. Most children's books, he said, have a first print run of about 5,000 copies. Books that have received the Newbery Medal may see a 100,000-copy print run.

"This is 120 times that," Herb said. "That's amazing."

Through the work he has done, Herb knows what it takes to make a children's book a best-seller. Pure luck has a lot to do with an author's success, but so does a good idea. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has used all the right ingredients for a good children's book. The way she combined them into her own recipe has made her series enjoyable for people of all ages and backgrounds.

If anyone should know children's books, it's Steven Herb, recently appointed to the Follett Chair in Library and Information Science by Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Chicago, and also head of the Education and Behavioral Sciences Library in the University Libraries and affiliate professor of language and literacy education at Penn State. One of his duties as Follett Chair includes research and development in youth services. He also is director of Pennsylvania Center of the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. It promotes books, reading, libraries and literacy to the citizens and residents of Pennsylvania.

Secrets of Harry's success
The primary component of the Harry Potter series, Herb said, is independent characters. By sending them away to boarding school, the children are on their own. Many successful children's novels separate the kids from the parents, giving them more freedom. Plus, the magic in the wizarding world -- games of Quidditch played on brooms, curses and spells, good versus evil -- adds an exciting element of imagination for the readers.

Another key piece to Rowling's books is identifiable characters. Herb said whether it's having a crush on one of them, knowing the pain of being dissed by friends or coming from a poor or big family, strong characters like Rowling's are more easily enjoyed by readers. And because Harry Potter is a series, Herb said, children feel like they are classmates and friends with the characters. This is why he thinks most children at the mid-elementary school age would enjoy the books more than younger students -- they can identify more with what the characters are going through.

An additional factor to Rowling's mega hits, Herb said, is the complexity of her creation, presented in a simple way. He cited the detail that characters in paintings, photos and trading cards move and leave their frames to do other things. He says the elaborateness of the wizarding world Rowling created reminds him of J.R R. Tolkien.

"She, like he, has created so much background that the reader doesn't see but still welcomes it," Herb said. And from what he has read about Rowling, she seems very deserving of her success. While critics seemed initially hesitant to give her novels acclaim, the books have won a number of prestigious awards. Herb said Rowling has stayed true to her process, and he would be shocked if she continued to write for the series, since she has said she would not.

Success by association
Because of the Harry Potter success, classic and fantasy books are becoming more visible and commercial. Herb cited series such as "The Chronicles of Narnia" (authored by C.S. Lewis), "The Chronicles of Prydain" (Lloyd Alexander), "The Dark is Rising" (Susan Cooper) and the Golden Compass trilogy (aka "His Dark Materials"; Philip Pullman) that have been rejuvenated.

Other writers are benefiting from Rowling's success too. Enter the terms "books sold" plus Harry Potter in Google Book Search and 308 titles will appear, starting with "Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts" and ending with "Getting Rich in Your Underwear: How to Start and Run a Profitable Home-based Business," referencing Rowling's entrepreneurial success.

Herb pointed out that the Harry Potter series also revitalized the popularity of many other banned books.

Beyond making the world a better place for many fantasy and series authors, the Harry Potter books have revitalized kids' interest in reading. He said young boys tend to abandon reading more readily than girls, but the Harry Potter phenomenon has prevented more of them from doing so.

Herb called Rowlings' series a cultural phenomenon, comparing the release of the latest book to the debut of a new Beatles song. People remember where they were and what they were doing the first time they heard that song, he said, and today people have similar memories when experiencing a new Harry Potter novel.

Last words
Keeping in mind what he learned from Rowling's sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Herb made a few predictions about what to expect in the seventh and final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

"I think two things will happen in this book," Herb said. "First, there's either going to be a serious surprise or redemptive resolution with Snape and Dumbledore. I don't think Dumbledore was wrong to have faith in Snape and I think it will be restored."

Herb also thinks the character Neville Longbottom will play a huge part of the last book. He's really responsible for winning the house cup in "The Sorcerer's Stone," and his parents were rendered not dead, but still cursed by Voldemort. There were too many ties to Neville in the last book, so he thinks Snape and Neville will be the characters to watch in this final book.

As for the Harry Potter movies based on the books, Herb thinks filmmakers are doing a good job with them. The "Prisoner of Azkaban" was his favorite, followed by the "Goblet of Fire." He said he's excited to watch the havoc the Weasley twins will create with their new joke shop. He thinks they add a lot to the stories. However, he is most partial to another Hogwarts student. "Hermione's my favorite character," Herb said.