Katy Wickham - Text Set by

Academic or pleasure reading

kwickham1 — 2019-02-01 22:52:55 UTC

The wonderful world of wizards and muggles! When the Harry Potter books first came out, there was almost zero chance that they would be read in a school setting. My kids were in elementary school when they came out and there were many kids who were so excited about these books. Parents were very quick to pigeon hole them as being inappropriate because of occultism and witchcraft association. According to an article by Neary (2015),  https://www.npr.org/series/pop-culture-happy-hour/2013/06/11/190669029/what-kids-are-reading-in-school-and-out

it says, "... research shows that as young readers get older, they are not moving to more complex books. High-schoolers are reading books written for younger kids, and teachers aren't assigning difficult classics as much as they once did." (para 1) This would make it seem like Harry Potter books would be ideal in the classroom, however, because it is a fantasy novel, I think it will be earmarked for pleasure reading and not academic. I give Harry Potter a 20% chance of being read in an academic setting and 80% chance of being read for pleasure. The article goes on to quote Anita Silvey, a graduate teacher, "Reading leads to reading. It's when kids stop reading, or never get started in the first place, that there's no chance of ever getting them hooked on more complex books." (para 20) If nothing else, Harry Potter opens that door to reading!

Image #1

kwickham1 — 2019-02-01 22:56:54 UTC

J.K. Rowling was born Joanne Rowling and later added the 'K' after her paternal grandmother, Kathleen, as requested by her publisher. She got the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while she was sitting on a delayed train at King's Cross. Over the next 5 years, she mapped out all 7 books and by 1998, the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published. She has won numerous awards and recognitions for the Harry Potter series. She has created a world that entices young and old to want to be a part of the wizarding community. Furthermore, she has opened up the world of reading and adventure to kids and adults who before these books came out, didn't like to read anything! That, in my opinion, is the greatest achievement of all!

Image #5

kwickham1 — 2019-02-01 22:58:03 UTC

This quote voices a strong theme that runs throughout the Harry Potter books. We don't need to be great or have lots of power to make a difference. This is the essence of Harry Potter and his friends - after all, they were all children! It was because of these children, who didn't have very much power or magical knowledge (except for Hermoine) that defeated Lord Voldemort.

Age range

kwickham1 — 2019-02-05 22:22:45 UTC

The Harry Potter books are appropriate for young readers 8 -15. But these books are very good reads for adults as well. For the younger reader they are a great story about wizards, good over evil, and adventures. For the older reader, there are more convoluted meaning that the reader is able to grasp from the cleaver nuances that are hidden just under the surface. Dumbledore has a wealth of knowledge that he gives oh so subtlety. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

Awards #2

kwickham1 — 2019-02-05 22:23:36 UTC

In 2008, J.K. Rowling received the Edinburgh Award. The Edinburgh Award is awarded to students who have successfully taken on outside endeavors while in school. While in Edinburgh J.K. Rowling trained to be a teacher and taught at the city's schools.

Awards #1

kwickham1 — 2019-02-05 22:23:50 UTC

In 1998, J.K. Rowling won the Children's Book of the Year, British Book Awards for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. In 2008 she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Book Awards.
Often referred to as the Nibbies, they are awarded once a year. The awards are a celebration of all aspects of the book and publishing industry.

Annotated Bibliography #1

kwickham1 — 2019-02-05 22:24:06 UTC

Rowling, J. K.. (1997). Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone. New York :Scholastic, Inc.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first book in a series of 7. It is about an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard, much to the chagrin of his Aunt and Uncle who try to keep him from his wizardry destiny. He eventually makes it to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets two other first-year students named Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. They end up on an adventure that takes them through harrowing experiences and finally thwart the plans for domination and control of the Wizarding world by the arch-nemesis, Voldemort.

Annotated Bibliography #2

kwickham1 — 2019-02-06 18:04:57 UTC

Rowling, J. K. (1998). Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets. New York :Scholastic, Inc.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the next book in the series. It follows Harry, Ron, and Hermoine on a new adventure where spiders are acting strange and Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, discovers an old diary that belonged to Tom Riddle, a young Voldemort. She becomes enchanted with the diary and Harry learns that he can speak parcel tongue. Harry has a battle with a basilisk that Tom Riddle awakens in the pipes of Hogwarts. Harry kills the basilisk, takes his fang and stabs the diary. Ginny awakes from her trance and Tom Riddle is destroyed.

Annotated Bibliography #3

kwickham1 — 2019-02-07 16:21:57 UTC

Rowling, J.K. (1999-2007). Harry Potter Books 3 - 7. New York : Scholastic, Inc.
The final five books are Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, and the Deathly Hallows. Each book continues the adventures of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine as they try to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. There is a Tri-Wizard tournament where Cedric Diggory, a student at Hogwarts, is killed and Harry wins the tournament and it is confirmed that Lord Voldemort is back! Things begin to look very dire for the trio as well as all the wizarding world when those in favor of Lord Voldemort come into power and try to take over Hogwarts. Harry and his friends have to hunt down the horcruxes which are pieces of Voldemort's soul that he has hidden away in little trinkets to keep him from being utterly destroyed. The books culminate in a battle between good and evil. I won't spoil the ending if you haven't read the books, but let me just say, these are some of the best books ever written!!

Annotated Bibliography #4

kwickham1 — 2019-02-07 22:32:23 UTC

Rowling, J. K.. (2001). Fantastic beasts and where to find them. New York : Scholastic, Inc.
Fantastic Beasts takes place 70 years before the events of Harry Potter. It is about a young wizard, Newt Schamander, who is an expert with magical beasts. He is traveling the world in search of magical beasts. He stops over in New York where he had an encounter with Jacob, a no-maj/muggle, gets his briefcase with all his magical beasts mixed up with Jacobs, loses some beasts in the process which starts them on a zany adventure in search of the beasts. But there is a bigger threat lurking in New York that threatens both the No-maj and the wizarding world.

Annotated Bibliography #5

kwickham1 — 2019-02-08 20:16:52 UTC

Rowling, J. K. (2012). The casual vacancy. New York :Little, Brown & Co.
The Casual Vacancy is an adult book that J.K. Rowling wrote after the Harry Potter books. It is a story about a little town in England that on the surface seems like idyllic country village. However, just beneath the surface you see that it is a village at war with itself. Husbands are at war with their wives, store owners are at war with their customers. The rich are at war with the poor and teenagers are at war with their parents. When a town counsel member unexpectedly dies, it throws the little town into the biggest battle it has ever seen.

Annotated Bibliography #6

kwickham1 — 2019-02-08 20:37:09 UTC

Galbraith, R. (2013). The cuckoo's calling. London: Sphere.

This is a detective series J. K. Rowling wrote under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. They are about a detective named Cormoron Strike, a disabled Afghan war vet. He is a private detective who is on his last dime. Everything looks pretty dire for him until John Bristow hires him to find the killer of his sister.

Image #4

kwickham1 — 2019-02-08 22:28:57 UTC

This is a saying that Harry Potter had to say to his Marauder's Map to make it work and give him the ability to see where any person in Hogwarts is physically. It also displays the mischievous side of those who possesses the map.

Image #3

kwickham1 — 2019-02-08 22:29:09 UTC

This is a quote that Dumbledore said during the Hogwarts first dinner of the year in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. There is a lot of speculation as to what Dumbledore meant when he said this phrase. However, I believe that he was simply reminding the students that when things get dark - both physically and figuratively - seek light and knowledge and don't panic. We also see Ron use the deluminator to find Harry and Hermoine in the Deathly Hollows.

Image #2

kwickham1 — 2019-02-08 22:29:18 UTC

This quote is about J.K. Rowling. She was a single mom and has described herself as being as poor as one could be in Britain without being homeless. I have been in this situation, as well. I was a single mom of three kids. I was never homeless, but I was getting help and things seemed very hopeless for a time. As horrible as these times were, I, too, gained a foundation on which I could rebuild my life.

Awards #3

kwickham1 — 2019-02-11 20:15:48 UTC

In 2008, J.K. Rowling won the James Joyce Award for her "services to the written word." I couldn't find a link to the the James Joyce award, only to the wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce_Award

This award is given to a recipient who has achieved outstanding success in his/her chosen field.

Award #4

kwickham1 — 2019-02-12 15:32:30 UTC

Commencement Speaker for Harvard University, 2008
J.K. Rowling was honored to be chosen to be the commencement speaker for Harvard University in 2008. She delivers a speech of subtle wisdom and humor that captivates the audience. One of my favorite phrases she said in her speech was, "There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you. (para 12) I wish all commencement speeches could be as engaging!

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/