Tales of Earthsea came out decades before Harry appeared. It was quite good, but it is not as absorbing as the Harry Potter series.
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Tales of Earthsea came out decades before Harry appeared. It was quite good, but it is not as absorbing as the Harry Potter series.
Tales of Earthsea....I don't really like that sery by LeGuin- I like some of her other series though....
On HP:
-Now when I read the whole series back, I think that the books are getting less and less interesting as time goes on...I still think that the 1st book is good :D
....I still want to know what happens in the end...
Yeah, Harry Potter is fun the first time through, and maybe even the second, but after that...well. I enjoyed the first book the most simply because it was fresh: Hogwarts, Quidditch, etc. The books are not all the same, but neither are they fundamentally different from eachother. It's new and fun at first but the glamour wears off as the story goes on; however, I gotta hand it to the author for creating memorable characters. :)
Oh my God! More than two-thirds of the posters actually like Harry PottyTrainer. Am I among philistines here?
*Pulls hair out by the roots*
Are those independent observations, or do you have some problem with Rowling's writing?Quote:
Originally Posted by starrwriter
Yes, I have a problem. I'm an adult with mature tastes in literature.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterL
Amazon says HP books are written for the 9-12 years age range.
I wonder what the actual average age is for HP readers.
Then why are you concerned about the quality of children's literature?Quote:
Originally Posted by starrwriter
Because some day those children are going to be leading our governments and being influential citizens.Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterL
Do you think previous generations read higher quality books? I grew up on Judy Blume and the Sweet Valley High series - No Prize winners there......Quote:
Originally Posted by Levenbreech Vor
Young people the same age as the millions (billions?) reading "Potter" could understand and gain important insights from a book like "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" while being entertained. See my point?Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterL
Also, Rowling's book won't teach any of them how to write well.
Do you see less value in the insights in Harry Potter than in the insights in J.L. Seagull?Quote:
Originally Posted by starrwriter
While reading Harry Potter won't teach anyone how to write well, it exemplifies good character development, plot development, and how to insert theme into a story without appearing to do so. Rowling isn't a truly great writer, but is a very good writer. Her skill in the craft of writing is greater that that of any other writer of children's literature that I have encountered. Some mild changes in the plot and setting would make those very good adult literature.
Papayahed already made a great reply. Ask yourself whether you would rather have a future government leader or influential person who read Harry Potter or one who never read anything and played video games and watched TV.Quote:
Originally Posted by Levenbreech Vor
Personally, I read Kenneth Roberts and C. S. Forester and a huge amount of history when I was in that age bracket.
Starr,
you are a phillistine? Funny I would have never thought by your picture that you were that old. Have you considered that your taste in what the youngsters should read is generational? What I mean by that is with each generation the older folk always, well a lot of the time say that the new generation's music, literature isn't as good as theirs was. Isn't it a matter of taste?
People have been criticizing the younger generation for thousands of years. If the criticisms had merit, then the human race would have destroyed itself a long time ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by rachel