How It All Began for Me

[Jenny20]

There are some differences . . . mostly just minor wording, but some of the words (like Apparate became "appear", etc.) are different as well. I don't really remember a lot of it, since the past couple times I've read the books has been in Spanish only. Some of the names that are significant in English (like Wormtail) are translated, too.

FOr the most part, they did a really good job translating . . . they even changed the mirror of Erised to the mirror of "Oesed" to reflect the whole backwards message thing.

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dcsbelle wrote:
How fortunate you are to have grown up with Harry! Have you noticed many differences between the English and Spanish versions? Which do you prefer?

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Jenny20 wrote:
I first started getting into Harry Potter when the fall after the first book came out . . . I was in fifth grade, and our teacher read a little bit to us each day. After a week, I made my mom go out and buy me a copy so I could finish it myself without waiting for the teacher . . .

And ever since then, I've waited faithfully each summer when the new book was due out to go read it. I've kind of grown up with Harry Potter in a way, I guess.

It will be weird this summer to read it in English, since the last dozen or so times I've read the books have been in Spanish . . .

SO Harry also means that I have had the opportunity to nurture my love for reading in another language.

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Message Edited by dcsbelle on 06-26-2007 02:44 PM

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[Jenny20]

Oh, and a few of the titles are different too . . .

1) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4) Harry Potter and the Chalice of Fire
5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6) Harry Potter and the Mystery of the Prince

[fnraece]

I met a man who loves Harry Potter. He introduced me first to the movies and I loved them. He told me the books are better, so within about a month or so, I had read all 6. I love them. Before I had been kind of anti-harry potter because all of my siblings where very into it. I am glad that I finally got included in on the excitement.

[kraziekatie24]

i was in about 2nd grade and someone gave the 1st one as a gift for chrismas to me and my brother. my mom tried to read it to us before bed and didn't like it, we stopped at the 3rd chapter. then the movie came out and i wanted to see it so bad, but my mom made me read it first, so i did, and then being a 3rd grader loved it. i saw the movie, loved it, read the 2nd and 3rd. i was obsesed. i own all the books, movies, i listen to podcasts, chat on message boards, and am in clubs, i love harry and i don't want it to end!!!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing it, and I'm glad to hear you are back home safe.

~ConnieK, (14 days until the book comes out)

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Chris_s_Mom wrote:
I came to love Harry Potter in September 2005. Hurricane Katrina had forced everyone I knew and loved to leave our homes in New Orleans, LA. My husband's family and I evacuated to Arkansas. It was there that we would spend hours in the library using the internet trying to get some word from home. While there, my 17 year old brother-in-law buried himself in HBP every day. Back at the house we were renting later in the week, I walked in on him watching the end of CoS on the only TV in the house and watched it with him. I asked him "what's so great about Harry Potter? And What keeps him protected?" He said you have to follow from the beginning but that it was all about his mother's love. This stuck with me because also at the time the Hurricane hit, my husband and I were planning to start a family. After being kept away for 20 days, we were allowed home and on that day I found out I was pregnant. Initially I was very sick and needed a lot of rest so my husband bought every Harry Potter book he could get his hands on (supplies of everything were sparse when we first returned home)to keep me occupied and not over exerting myself since he remembered my curiosity back in Arkansas. The more I read, the more special the book became as it truly was about a mother's love for her son so much so that she died for him. As it turns out, I had a complicated pregnancy filled with tests, discomfort, special diet, etc. As silly as it sounds, on several occasions I would think to myself, well if Lily could die for Harry, a few more tests aren't that bad. And yes, I did have a boy!!

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[jak731]

It started for me when my mother announced that Harry Potter should be banned for promoting witchcraft and Satanism. She had heard all about it in her Bible Study class. As avid readers, I was outraged that she would ban a book capturing children's' attention and encouraging curiosity for reading. I challenged her and the rest of my family to read SS before placing judgment. My brother and myself became instant fans. Both in our 30's, we go to midnight sales and race each other to finish each book. We've already arranged the weekend of the 20th for reading. On the other hand, my mother did read the book. She no longer talks of banning the books, but she cannot admit she is a fan especially to her bible study group. She will not read the rest of the series, but I know she looks forward for each movie and owns all 4 DVD's.

[Proper-T]

That's a really crazy story... I'm glad that at least you brither came around. And at least your mom can enjoy the movies... and hopefully she'll read the books one day... I mean over the next two weeks Harry Potter mania will be everywhere, she might give and read some more... good luck

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jak731 wrote:
It started for me when my mother announced that Harry Potter should be banned for promoting witchcraft and Satanism. She had heard all about it in her Bible Study class. As avid readers, I was outraged that she would ban a book capturing children's' attention and encouraging curiosity for reading. I challenged her and the rest of my family to read SS before placing judgment. My brother and myself became instant fans. Both in our 30's, we go to midnight sales and race each other to finish each book. We've already arranged the weekend of the 20th for reading. On the other hand, my mother did read the book. She no longer talks of banning the books, but she cannot admit she is a fan especially to her bible study group. She will not read the rest of the series, but I know she looks forward for each movie and owns all 4 DVD's.

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[GryffindorGing…]

When I was in the 5th grade my teacher had just gotten back from a honeymoon in England. For her class she brought a book in to read to us during story time. After the first chapter I had to have it. My mother worked at both a library and a bookstore at the time so I called her. She immediately set aside the first three for me, even though they weren't due to come out in the US for weeks. At first I didn't read them they just sat there, but then when I heard a movie was coming out I had to. So I began reading the series. Now here I am 8 years, and several midnight madness parties later still singing the praises of the Harry Potter books to anyone that'll listen.

[supergeek443]

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dcsbelle wrote:
I was introduced to the Harry Potter books through the old "Rosie O"Donnell Show." She had just finished reading SS to her son and raved about the book to the extent that I picked up a copy--at B&N of course--the next day and read it straight through. I was hooked right away and recommended it to my best friend of 40+ years who promptly forget all about it. Then after PoA came out she called me gushing over this great new series she had just discovered and to this day she doesn't believe me when I tell her I found it first! Now we go to all the midnight releases of the books and movies and I consequently have first editions of all the books.

Most of all my friends at work are fans of the series and whenever a new book comes out you can see a whole unit of nurses trying to sneak in a few pages or even sentences intermittently throughout the night as we attend to our NICU patients. This can be problematic as no one is ever on the same page (literally) and discussion must be kept to a minimum.

A former neonatologist once popped into the lounge as we were reading OOP and upon discovering the source of our entertainment stated he doesn't let his kids read them because they are evil and promote witchcraft but left when all he got was a bunch of groans and eyerolling. When he was gone one of my friends snorted, "What a muggle!" I should mention that we are all in our 40's and 50's many with kids who enjoy their own copies of the books.

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My foreign exchange student was reading Harry Potter and The Order Of the phoenix in the car and we started discussing the series. I bought The 1'st one and started reading it. It took me about 2 days to read. Then I bought the other 4.

[hprocks2121]

I started reading by the age of 4. When I was five, I was reading short chapter books (that most kids start reading when they're 7-8). My dad started reading SS to my sister and I when I was 5. I understood it, and started reading the second one right away. None of my friends were really reading them yet, except one. When PoA came out, I loved it. Now, I am impatiently waiting for HP7!

Message Edited by rkubie on 07-14-2007 11:13 AM

[cutelilshorty8…]

i started late.. i had this friend who was psycho about harry and i just couldn't get it.. i never wanted to follow the trend .. i guess thats why i didnt want to read it..but anyways.. she wouldn't leave me alone.. she thought id love it.. so one day when i was at her house late at night and i wanted a book to read she went in her room and grabbed the first book.. she sat me down on her couch and wouldn't let me get up till i finished reading it.. i fell in love.. by then COS and POA were out so i read those too.. i was attracted to the eloquence and all the deep meaning behind the writing.. JKR has summed all of human behavior in 7 books.. so anyways the HBP came out the day i was going out of the country and i couldn't buy it.. it drove me insane!!! when i was in Egypt a friend of mine had his.. so i took it from him and i couldn't finish it.. so the day after i got back to the US i bought the book and read the entire book!!! i wen to the midnight party for DH and i dragged two of my sister my little brother and my two best friends along.. none of them have read any of the book and they all think im insane!!! im so glad that my friend sat me down that one night years ago and introduced me to one of the best series in creation!!! JKR has got to write more books.. i think it would be cruel if she didn't share her brilliance... but maybe she should use a different name so that other ppl wont be expecting something and then be disapointed...