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06-25-2005, 10:12 AM
| | |  Will Harry keep the original readers?
The LA Times has an article focused on the issue of the original readers growing up and perhaps growing out of Harry Potter. Examples of those who've lost and kept interest are given. Quote:
If the publishers of author J.K. Rowling's books have a challenge beyond how to spend the Harry Potter windfall, it is in trying to keep the series compelling for original readers who were 10 to 12 years old when Harry was introduced in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" but who are now heading off to college, jobs or even the war in Iraq.
Quote:
"It's about a little wizard boy, and when you're a teenager you're just not caring what happens to the guy with the wand," says James (17), whose diet of nonfiction and the occasional mystery make Harry just so much kid stuff. "I just wasn't caught up with them. I never put on a cape and had a wand myself."
Quote:
"Of course, we've lost some, but I don't believe we've lost [a lot of] readers," says Barbara Marcus, executive vice president of Scholastic in charge of children's book publishing. "I believe we have expanded to parents, aunts and uncles and grandparents. And then we have the new readers. The beauty of the children's market is that our readers come into the market and they grow with us. There are new children every year who are ready for Harry Potter."
Quote:
"It's the kind of depth and sophistication that can be appreciated by an older age group as well as a very clear and compelling plot line that draws in the younger children," says Arthur A. Levine, the Scholastic editor who signed the series. "It's never been a book for very young children. In the early stages we thought it would be mostly 10-to-14-year-olds. The unusual qualities of the book were that even though there's sophisticated wordplay and humor and political satire that is appreciated by older readers, the younger readers are going for the more direct issues of character."
Quote:
"I'm just not feeling the urgency," says Alex Uhl, owner of A Whale of a Tale and a director of the American Booksellers for Children. "The anticipation is there but it's not with the older readers as much as it is with the younger readers."
Quote:
"A few of the people that I've met in college do read Harry Potter and those who don't just laugh at me and say it's for younger kids," says Brooklin Frye, 19. "Harry and his friends are going through things that kids right now in real life are experiencing — just with his friends sticking with him and sometime his friends don't agree with him," Frye says. "Half of it is, like, real fake, but his character, to me, is very real."
Source: The Leaky Cauldron  | |
06-25-2005, 10:18 AM
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#2 (permalink)
| | Nogtail
Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Among the.......STARS!!!!!
Posts: 335
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Ohhhhhhhhh........But people will continue to read it!!!!!!!!!!
1st to post
Last edited by !!!!!whacy_witch!!!!!; 06-25-2005 at 10:20 AM.
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06-25-2005, 10:18 AM
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#3 (permalink)
|  Fairy LightsSnuffles Gold Biscuits Faerie
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,922
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I think the readers will continue reading no matter what age they are, but as you get older, its not your number one priority.
Also, when you reach your teens, a lot of people would take the mick out of you reading for it, but theyre just stupid. lol
Last edited by Ally_W; 06-25-2005 at 10:21 AM.
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06-25-2005, 10:20 AM
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#4 (permalink)
| | Nogtail
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 340
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i will NOT grow out of HP lol
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06-25-2005, 10:27 AM
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#5 (permalink)
| | Banned Jobberknoll
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Australia
Posts: 499
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Quote:
I think the readers will continue reading no matter what age they are, but as you get older, its not your number one priority.
Also, when you reach your teens, a lot of people would take the mick out of you reading for it, but theyre just stupid. lol
I agree, like right now, HP isnt really my major like, there are other things that i find more important than HP, but that doesnt mean that i lose all liking for HP. Peer pressure is a big deal for HP, heaps of people would be embarassed to be found with a Harry Potter book in hand, but if you let others control what you like then you're not living your own life.
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06-25-2005, 10:57 AM
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#6 (permalink)
| | Dragon
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 20,805
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Tyler Perkins
First Year | Farmer Carter | | Ama's Secret
age doesnt matter when it comes to HP books
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06-25-2005, 11:53 AM
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#7 (permalink)
| | Poltergeist
Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK
Posts: 17,095
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Marcella Riddle
Graduated | Kaplinski Rival Sorting Hat Machine
Well, I've been reading Potter since I was 10. Just 'cause I'm 18 doesn't mean I'm about to stop. Silly people.
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06-25-2005, 12:31 PM
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#8 (permalink)
|  Portuguese ModeratorThestral
Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Neverland
Posts: 39,943
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Margaret Jacqueline Atkinson Morris
Fifth Year | Potter’s Princess A+ FangGirl
Quote:
Originally Posted by ally221289 I think the readers will continue reading no matter what age they are, but as you get older, its not your number one priority.
Also, when you reach your teens, a lot of people would take the mick out of you reading for it, but theyre just stupid. lol I agree! I don't know why the hell this happends but many of my friends do that to me! Some of them haven't read one only book! They just watch the films! Then I have some friends who joke with me because I'm a HUGE fan: they say lots of bad things about Harry Potter. Argh! I hate when they do that! One thing is for sure... JK won't ever lose me as a fan!
__________________ I gotta go back to the muggle world,
they're gonna try and tell me this wasn't, that none of this happened,
but you know what? It was real. It did happen.
We spent time here. We made friends here. That's a part of us.
Cause Hogwarts is bigger than any of us, of any of it's founders,
and it's going to be around long after we're gone.
Maybe we'll see our kids come here one day.
That's the thing about Hogwarts.
No matter how long you're away from it, there's always a way back. | |
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06-25-2005, 12:53 PM
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#9 (permalink)
|  VerboseRob's Fangirl SpyCrup
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Down Under
Posts: 2,232
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I think that as Harry gets older the older the fans will be maybe? He will be turning 16 in this book and so more real life problems such as friends, school, crushes are becoming more important.
__________________  and his eyes have all the seeming
of a demon’s that is dreaming
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06-25-2005, 01:04 PM
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#10 (permalink)
| | Imp
Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Romania
Posts: 104
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of course ppl will continue reading it!! its prepostorous!!!!
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Thankx 2 Jess 4 this glittery siggy!
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06-25-2005, 01:54 PM
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#11 (permalink)
| | Guest |
I think that some people will grow out of their harry potter phases, while others will continue to like it for the rest of their lives.
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06-25-2005, 01:56 PM
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#12 (permalink)
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Looking for a FightFaerie
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: <3 Busy kidnapping R
Posts: 3,831
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Adz
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i'm not denying the fact that there will always be some against it, but HARRY POTTER IS A BOOK FOR ALL AGES AND SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE - IT IS ADORED ALL OVER THE WORLD AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!!!
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06-25-2005, 01:57 PM
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#13 (permalink)
| | Crup
Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Here.
Posts: 2,162
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If someone has followed Harry's journey for THIS long, why should they stop just because they're one year older?
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06-25-2005, 01:58 PM
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#14 (permalink)
| | Chizpurfle
Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Germany
Posts: 699
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I won't stop reading because of my age !
How silly is that ?
But a friend of mine also thinks that HP is childish and this whole hype and merchandise thing is absolutely stupid.
That's the reason why he stopped reading after the 4th book (poor guy  )
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06-25-2005, 01:58 PM
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#15 (permalink)
| | Hinkypunk
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: With the parents.
Posts: 849
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Fiona Renée Oliveraux
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When the GoF movie comes out, I'll be 19, but I'm still going to see it with my cousin (who's 24) and my mum (who's 49). They love it as much as I do, and they're much other than me. The books, I think, are really no different. My mum will be with me when I go get my copy of HBP, and when I'm done, she's sure to read it.
__________________  ----------------------> Have you got your priorities straight? | |
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06-25-2005, 02:02 PM
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#16 (permalink)
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Looking for a FightFaerie
Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: <3 Busy kidnapping R
Posts: 3,831
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Adz
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I'll be reading it for the rest of my life, read it to my kids, and evn read it to my grandchildren (if i hav any!) and saying as i am only 13 this is a very bold (but truthful) promise!
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06-25-2005, 02:08 PM
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#17 (permalink)
| | Augurey
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Typing on the computer at Hogwarts (Is that possible?)
Posts: 819
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Well, I didn't start reading them until the second movie was released, and then I was sick of being surprised by the movies and endings. LOL so I'm not an original reader, I guess, but I'll definately stick around through the 7th book. <3 <3
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06-25-2005, 02:40 PM
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#18 (permalink)
|  Randomness Guru
*spazz dance*
self-stalkerFaerie
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Azeroth
Posts: 4,398
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Groober
First Year |
I'll be old enough to drink alcahol when OOTP comes to theaters! Wahooo! I'm gonna get wasted before screening it! Just Kidding, Drinking is bad, all it does is make you get sick all over yourself and make you fat.
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06-25-2005, 02:54 PM
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#19 (permalink)
| | Bundimun
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 31
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I was 10 when I first read Harry Potter and now I'm sixteen. I still like it. It 's not only for kids; my mom and my grandma like it too!
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06-25-2005, 03:03 PM
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#20 (permalink)
| | Mooncalf
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: In my memory warehouse. I Duddits!!!
Posts: 529
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I only started reading the books a couple of years ago and i was 17 then.
I thought it would be very focused on its appeal to younger readers, but i was emmediately engrossed (considering my age).
HP is staying around (long after the books finish) with the movies and games.
Woot Woot for HP!!  | |
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06-25-2005, 03:05 PM
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#21 (permalink)
| | Erumpent
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 13,395
| Ultimate Potterite Original original
I started reading Harry Potter when I was 11, and now I'm 14. It's not as big a difference as many of you have, but still. I have promised myself I will never not read one of the HP books! I think people will continue to love them though, yes.. | |
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06-25-2005, 03:26 PM
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#22 (permalink)
| Ministry ApprovedUpperclass Twit of the YearVanishing Badger Troll
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Watching Monty Pytho
Posts: 4,789
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Raymond Luxury-Yacht (but it's pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove)
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It's amazing how much teasing people take for reading Harry Potter because they only believe it to be a children's book. Harry deals with real life issues that affect people at all ages and it does wonders to a reader who can relate to what the characters are going through. I started reading Harry Potter just when the first movie came out on DVD and I'm can honestly say that not about to stop anytime soon. Bring it on! 
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06-25-2005, 03:47 PM
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#23 (permalink)
| | Occamy
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 28,869
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Professor McFarlane
Graduated | IndyEddie
I'm a "new" reader. The first one I read was OotP, now I've read all 5 at least twice. I'm also 20, so using age as an excuse is just dumb. If your tastes have changed, that's fine. I used to read a lot of mysteries and stuff, and now it's all just blah. Besides, there's adult level fantasy books (Eddings, Goodkind, McAffery, Fiest, etc, etc.) so magic doesn't die when you hit a specific age, but maybe it'll transform *shrugs* I read Eddings and Goodkind before HP, but it's fun, different, and has a fan base I can actually connect and talk to.
The characters are well-developed, interesting, and go through stuff kids that age actually go through (minus the 3headed dogs, dragons, goblets of fire, dementors, magic wands, yeah, you got the idea ).
I think those who are saying they're "too old" are either lying to "save face" or will come back when they realise, you're never too old for fun.
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We'll always be together cuz we're both under the moon | |
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06-25-2005, 03:52 PM
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#24 (permalink)
| | Imp
Join Date: May 2004 Location: over the hills, and through the woods
Posts: 101
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It is very typical that something like Harry Potter would get pushed to the wayside as we get older. Life has a way of doing that, but I still don't believe that the interest in the Potterverse is dwindling at all. In my personal experience, I am 22 years old and I will still continue to read the Harry Potter series, watch the movies and buy the merchandise. I even buy the kids books. I perfer the brightly-coloured covers rather than the more subdued adult covers. I don't care what other people think, and that is the big issue in a study like the one in this article. People are image-conscious. People innately want to be individuals, but they feel they must conform to a certain standard as they mature. Many people honestly believe that they couldn't be seen with a copy of Harry Potter, so if they buy it at all, many of them will hide it and feel guilty about it. I, however, am very lucky. I genuinely don't care how people view me (a very uncommon skill, so I have come to see) and I will continue to read the Harry Potter series until such time as I can't see because of cataracts. It makes me happy and I am not hurting anyone, so I will continue to persue my interest in Harry Potter.
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I reject your reality and substitute my own! | |
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06-25-2005, 04:06 PM
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#25 (permalink)
| Admires Ginny's Sanity DA Galleon KeeperSS Featured Author Clabbert
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Limerick =)
Posts: 2,546
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Mione Borthwick
Sixth Year |
I think they will continue reading, even if they are in college and what not. My sister is and she still reads them. But I guess people are diffrent. I just dont know how you could stop!! Because Harry and the rest of the characters are growing with the books. So its not like in this one your readin what they were like in PS. They grew along with the readers.
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