From the Mailbag: Letter of the Month

As you’ve probably noticed, HogwartsProfessor is ‘under renovation.’ In addition to the retro look, if you’re writing me at john at HogwartsProfessor dot com, I’m not receiving your mail today (try john at zossima dot com). Thank you for your patience while the house-elves work their digital magic.

I don’t know whether I can post during reconstruction but here is something I hope you will enjoy. I get two or three letters a week from serious readers who take the time to tell me they have read my books. Often times, they write to share mistakes they’ve found, which is a great help, thank you very much. Not as often, maybe once or twice a year, I get chewed out; last week a mom wrote me to say she had just read Looking for God in Harry Potter and she was still convinced Harry was evil (cue passages from Leviticus). It turns out she had read Looking and watched the first three movies. Oh, well. Orson Scott Card said, in response to Mark Twain’s comment that the Book of Mormon was “chloroform in print,” that “no book can survive a hostile reading.” Certainly that is true of Looking and Harry Potter.

Every once in a while, though, I get a letter that makes me laugh out loud or blush. Yesterday I received one that made me do both. It was so flattering and humorous that I have to suspect it is a prank; remember when it used to be Ivy League sport to write outrageous, fictional letters about Jerry Springeresque personal situations to Dear Abby to see if she’d answer with advice in print? A testimony like this one, forgive me, made me think the guy was pulling my leg. Anyway, I got his permission to post it. You decide. [Read more…]

‘Harry Potter and the Reading Spell:’ Can you say “Global Shared Text”? Try It Out

RFI posted a story today called ‘Harry Potter and the Reading Spell’ about the breadth and depth of Harry’s reach into the hearts of readers everywhere. I have to admit these stories about Harry’s popularity — and the changes he makes in readers’ lives and in the quality of culture in far away places — still surprise me after all of these years. These magical adventures are not just an English-speaking world phenomenon, as we’ve known for years, but I confess that the universal response to the artistry and meaning is so profound. [Read more…]

Infinitus 2010: Last Call for Early-Bird Discount

That’s right; the lowest registration cost for the next HPEF fan con (July 13-15, 2010) in sultry Orlando, Florida, is only available if you register before 11:59 p.m. EST on September 17th. I know the Potter Pundits are all hoping to be there — and to see you! Go to the Infinitus 2010 site today and sign up.

Update: News from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando! Hype-us Maximus! “Amazing! Mind blowing! I’m so Excited!”

John Granger Speaking in New York on 3 October

The program is called ‘The Heart of Harry Potter: A Christian Perspective,’ it runs from 9:30 in the morning to 3:30 in the afternoon, and is sponsored by the Parish Life Resource Center. I’ll be discussing ‘The Christian Content of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows‘ and leading a few break-out groups on talking with children about the books and why Christians read novels anyway. You need to pre-register via the link above — and I’ll see you at Patchogue United Methodist Church, 10 Church Street, Patchogue, NY, the first weekend next month!

‘The Future of Reading: Pick Books You Like’

The New York Times wants us to know that “the future of reading” or, at least the “latest thing in classroom gimmicks this fall,” is teachers letting students read what they like.

Fans of the reading workshop say that assigning books leaves many children bored or unable to understand the texts. Letting students choose their own books, they say, can help to build a lifelong love of reading.

“I feel like almost every kid in my classroom is engaged in a novel that they’re actually interacting with,” Ms. McNeill said, several months into her experiment. “Whereas when I do ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,” I know that I have some kids that just don’t get into it.” [Read more…]