<p>Only read through the first couple pages of the thread, but I guess we are the only ones who are not HP fans. </p>
<p>Dr Mom, you asked why and I don’t really know. I don’t tend to like books that everybody else loves (HP, DaVinci Code, etc). After all the publicity I did cave in and read the first one and it was OK. Just never had a desire to read any of the rest of them. </p>
<p>My kids might have read one of them but they are also not fans. My oldest and youngest read stuff like Tolkein but other than those they don’t read novels too often.</p>
<p>Both my boys, rising sophomores (high school/college), love HP. My older son has read every book at least twice, but my younger son has read them six to ten times each. When the first HP came out, my younger son wouldn’t read it past the 2nd page. He said it was boring. He went to see the movie though, and after that, he was hooked. Both boys are going to read the series again before HP7 comes out July 21. We’ll be in line at midnight to get our copy. They and their friends are looking forward to the next movie too.</p>
<p>I’m considering going up to Cambridge for the release in July. It will be the first one in a long time that I have missed with D if I don’t go. I bet Harvard Square is a scream that night with the Coop and all the other bookstores in the area.</p>
<p>bandit_TX: I didn’t know about the timed tickets. I’m not sure they do that at our B&N; but I should ask to be sure what their plans are. Last time at ours, as I recall, you got a number when you arrived (one line for reserved books; another for non-reserved that went after the first line), and you just had to line up that way. I think it was some ridiculous hour like 1:30 or 2 in the a.m. by the time the line snaked its way all the way up and down the store several times and finally made its way back up to the counter. Kind of ridiculous, really. 2 a.m.??? The festival atmosphere beforehand was fun, though, but my Ss didn’t care for the eccentrics and the be-costumed. Younger S may not even go this year. He’s acquired an “I’m too cool to be hyped” attitude about it now, which I understand. I’m thinking of going for awhile in the evening to watch the fun, then going back in the morning to walk right in and get our reserved copies (yes, plural) and leave. Just got to stay off the media until then if I do that.</p>
<p>Harvard Square doesn’t strike me as a place that would go crazy with a HP release party, but I guess you never know!</p>
<p>I’m expecting we’ll hear whether Harry lives or dies within the first few minutes of the release in England, to be honest.</p>
<p>DrDrewsmom–Thanks for offering your perspective!</p>
<p>My D will be at ballet intensive on July 20; she’s very upset that I won’t be getting a copy of book 7 to her until July 26. She says she won’t be able to check her e-mails for a week in case one of her friends spills the beans…</p>
<p>My boys and I are big Harry Potter fans. My youngest son (finishing up 8th grade) read the first one when he was in third grade and it was the first really challenging book for him and really jumpstarted his reading self esteem. Before HP, he was reading magic tree house books! This summer he will be at camp when the new book is released.</p>
<p>My older son is a rising college sophomore and an avid reader. He’s read each of the books several times. I pre-ordered two books from Amazon - one for him and one for me and younger son to share. </p>
<p>Regarding the original question about which age group loves Harry the most, I have to say that I don’t think that can be answered definitively. I work at a public library and have noticed HP being checked out by people of all ages, many of them re-reading. The audio books are read by Jim Dale and very popular - the perfect book for car trips with families.</p>
<p>BTW, I thought it was lovely when someone said that they donate their extra copies to their library. I do the mending of books in our library and also switch out donated newish books for our well used copies and am in need of new copies of the first three books in the series as ours are all falling apart. Since it’s the end our of fiscal year, no replacements will be bought until July. I wouldn’t be suprised if other libraries could use those donations too.</p>
<p>Yes, Yes and Yes…do you think it is generational? My son started when Harry was about the same age.</p>
<p>Yesterday, we had take your kids to work day. I was a tour guide. Kids ranged from 9-14. When I asked if they liked Harry Potter both group of kids said they really don’t care about him much.</p>
<p>I’m twenty, and I have sibs who are seventeen and fifteen. We are all very dedicated to Harry Potter, although we display different levels of fan-ish-ness. I think the reason that these books are so important to me is the way that my family reads them- together, and outl oud. Yup, thus far we have read every single book out loud as a family before any of us can read it separately. While it occasionally drives me crazy (I could probably finish each book in under five hours on my own), it has become an incredible bonding experience. Occasionally we have guest readers, and at first, only my mom would read them to us. Now, each of us can read chapters out loud. I’m certain that it has helped tremendously with our public speaking skills, as some of those words can be quite difficult to pronounce. I remember, at the death of one of the characters, we kept having to pass the book every few lines, as everyone was crying to hard to read it properly. Truly, a great experience.</p>
<p>Definitely popular with S2 and me! And…very popular all over our area. We have a Harry Potter theme for our swim league’s All Star Meet at the end of July–lots of fun with that!!!</p>
<p>I guess I’ll see all of you on the first "Now that you’ve finished #7. . . " thread !</p>
<p>I bought the first HP when Time Magazine gave it a good review, and gave it to my D for her birthday. She loved it, so then I bought the 2nd one for her. I hadn’t read them, so she nagged me for ages. One Saturday afternoon I had nothing much to do, so I finally picked up the first one. You can guess the rest! Around 1 or 2 in the morning, I finished the first book, and feeling really, really guilty, I snuck into my D’s bedroom. I felt around the room for a while, trying not to make a sound that would wake up my poor little girl. Then out of the darkness I heard “Mom, it’s next to the lamp on the right side of the desk. And you’re welcome.” Oops.</p>
<p>S is re-reading the series in preparation for book 7 arrival. HP books are his “comfort” books, he is suffering a major college withdrawal right now, so HP to the rescue. I was the one who got him hooked, summer after 7th grade, when I decided to see for myself what all the fuss was about( S, reading 1984 at the time, thought I was nuts) . After finishing the first two books in a day, I somehow convinced S that he is not too old for them. now HP peacefully co-exist with Vonnegut, Palahniuk, Nabokov, Eggers, Chabon, Hornby, Joyce and numerous others. :)</p>
<p>D is 20 and is a big HP fan. She has volumes in French, Latin, and Czech. We’ll be at the midnight party at our local independent book store on the 20th.</p>
<p>For the past few, she and a friend or three have picked up their volumes, come to our home, and stayed up all night reading. TheMom and I have our own separate copies but don’t begin until the following day. Both D and TheMom re-read more than I do…I suppose I should start in on 1-6 now so that I’m topped off and ready for 7.</p>
its way all the way up and down the store several times and finally made its way back up to the counter. Kind of ridiculous, really. 2 a.m.??? The festival atmosphere beforehand was fun, though, but my Ss didn’t care for the eccentrics and the be-costumed. 
Younger S may not even go this year. He’s acquired an “I’m too cool to be hyped” attitude about it now, which I understand. I’m thinking of going for awhile in the evening to watch the fun, then going back in the morning to walk right in and get our reserved copies (yes, plural) and leave. Just got to stay off the media until then if I do that.</p>