Yes, I'm 34 years old, a parent and of course I've read the books... really, I think people just like to make up things to worry about, after all, there's not enough real evil in the world, let's read it into things like, oh, I don't know, children's books. There is nothing evil about Harry Potter, quite the contrary, it's the stuff of dreams and childhood fantasies. A place where the weird and fantastic are normal. Everything has an unusual name, there are strange creatures, magical powers, friendships and fun, secrets and mysteries that cry out to be solved. Where things are outlandish, forbidden and where each individual is special and unique, wow, imagine that, a place where every child would feel special and unique, as they all should. My favourite characters, besides Harry would be Hermione Granger and Hagrid, both should be outcasts, they would be in the normal world, but at Hogwarts the magical, smart little girl and the gentle giant are extraordinary. I would hope that reading the books and/or seeing the movie would teach children more tolerance because I sense a strong message of acceptance here. Least favourite? Besides Harry's enemies, well, Malfoy because, well, he's so nasty. Children have always been and always will be intrigued and bewitched by cool names, characters and places, as we adults are. The movie differs from the books with a more modern feel, plenty of clever lines, effects and cool catch phrases, but they kept the same old world charm and magic. Not to mention a diverse and large selection of merchandise. If we're so freaked by mythical characters, well, there are many holidays and politicians we should look into.
