in your opinion (as ive not read the series) ....

[jojojojoanne]

which is the most critically acclaimed of the harry potter books and for what reason? (my friend recommended the last two books as being the most interesting)thank you.

[lil123]

I just admire the author of the books for where she came from to what she is today
She never gave up on her dream despite the odds she is a role model of mine so I enjoy all her books

[funnygirl]

Hi Jo,
As much as the book worm I am, I must say I hate the Harry Potter books. It is just not my genre.

[cazzz1975]

I thought they were kids books?! I only read non fiction

[meglet]

If you've not read any of them Joanne then I wouldn't recommend you start anywhere other than the beginning. The first two are pretty short so you'll get through them quickly and then from around 3 or 4 they get lot better.

I'm actually dead jealous as I'd love not to have read them and start all over again!

[meglet]

I should add that I rarely read fiction but made an exception in this case!

[jojojojoanne]

when the harry potter books first came out i thought they looked too childish to read,(illustrations on cover!) so i didn't bother although with the films and memorabilia ive been thinking they cant be so bad as they have been a mass commercial success over the past decade,

though what i really want to know is if they can be classed as being similar in a critical sense to the lord of the rings novels? (or is harry just a media saturated re hashed version?)or do you think harry potter could be the gcse novellas of the future? or are they too commercial?

[annie0000]

I wouldn't say that they are similar to the lord of the rings series - that is definitely aimed at an older audience. The Harry Potter books kind of grow up the same as he does in the story - his is 11 in the first book and ages a year in each one. The first 3 are certainly more a childrens read than the rest, but I would still start at the beginning and read through them all so that you get the background and characters as they follow through the series. The first ones you could probably polish off in a night or two each. The last 4 are more grown up and are a pretty good read. I would say that they are a bit like a teenage version of shrek - made for kids but with a lot to keep adults interested.

I have read them all and would say the worst bit is probably the first couple of chapters of the first book - but it is worth sticking with it.

I am not one of those geeks that think they are the best thing since sliced bread, I really started reading them to check that they were suitable for my son who is 7 and a half - he powered through the first 3 but struggled when he got to no. 4 - so he has put them away for a year or two.

It has helped me join in his and his brother's Harry Potter games.

[annie0000]

To answer your last bit - I would say that the last 4 are probably too long to be used for school study, but I could see them using the smaller books in schools but probably at a lesser level than gcse - I would think that in terms of study, you would be looking at age 10 - 13, but obviously kids of a younger age enjoy them just for the story and not for any hidden meaning.