Harry Potter

This summer I wrote a post about reigning in my budding tyrant, Linus.  To curb increasing negative behaviors I instituted ways to earn screen time.  The system has worked well.   It really is amazing how much behavior improves when children have less screen time.

One of the ways Linus can earn screen time is by reading with me.  He can choose between practicing learning to read or reading a quality book--no Calvin and Hobbes or Star Wars.  I'm not knocking George Lucas or Joseph Campbell's heroic cycle, but the Star Wars books written for young readers are seriously lacking.  I also want to expose Linus to all the rich literature of the world, or at least to the world beyond Star Wars.  For the record, Linus does have other interests but at the moment Star Wars takes front and center.

I decided to introduce Linus to Harry Potter.  He had a vague idea of who the boy wizard was, but had never seen the movie.  I thought it would be fun for us to read the first book together, and then use the movie as a reward.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is pretty short and mild compared to the other books.  Thanks to my years of teaching, I am fairly adept at reading aloud.  Previously, Linus had not shown an interest in chapter books despite my best efforts.  I must admit I was a little surprised when Linus sat peacefully next to me while reading and was willing to stop after a chapter (versus making me keep reading).  The teacher in me could not resist using literacy strategies with him.  As the story progressed Linus became entranced by the world of Harry Potter.  Suddenly, one chapter was not enough.  It became one chapter in the morning and another before bed.  He was an addict.

Linus began wondering aloud what life would be like if he was Harry Potter or at least had his own owl to train.  Throughout the day he would rehash the story thus far, highlighting his favorite parts.  After two days, Linus assembled his own Harry Potter costume.

Yes, I even let him go to Target like this.

Due to his enthusiasm, we finished the book in under a week.  Today I let him watch the movie while Eileen was at preschool.  He loved it.  Reading the book ahead of time definitely enhanced his experience and understanding of the movie.

Linus now wants Harry Potter legos.  He keeps mentioning how he can't wait to read the next book. I'm thinking I want to postpone reading the others a little since they get pretty scary and I really have no desire to read Goblet of Fire aloud.  That book is long!  I'm thinking maybe something along the lines of Shiloh or Sign of the Beaver.  I'm excited to break out the books from my elementary classroom library collection (they've been gathering dust since 2004).