Life Lessons from Harry Potter and Other Fantasy Novels
(My blog post originally published on the Reading Rainbow Blog)
It has recently been suggested by Graeme Whiting of The Acorn School that certain beloved fantasy novels are “dark,” “can damage the sensitive subconscious brains of young children,” and even lead to brain damage or mental illness! He suggests that these books should be banned, or perhaps require a special license to purchase and read. While Reading Rainbow firmly believes that parents are the best curators of (and partners in) their children’s early personal libraries and reading experiences, we have never supported sweeping censorship. On the contrary, we know for certain that there are many valuable life-lessons to be gleaned from the challenges and wisdom portrayed in fantasy and adventure novels. Indeed, for many kids, these novels are the gateway to a lifelong love of reading.
But you don’t have to take our word for it…
Harry Potter
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“It is our choices that show us what we truly are far more than our abilities.” -Albus Dumbledore
One of the best things about the Harry Potter books is that they emphasize time and again the importance of making right choices, not just once, but over and over, in ways both small and significant. “We’re in a time when we must choose between what is right and what is easy.” This theme of choosing between the easy path and the right path is one that Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore emphasizes often over the course of the series. Not just Harry, but many key characters are faced with making decisions, large or small, that test their values and show the strength of their convictions. In the end, it is not only the talented and famous Harry, but also the shy, forgetful, and unlucky Neville who save the world together, not only through their magical abilities, but through their values and the difficult choices they make.
Lord of the Rings
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“It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” -Gandalf
In a world that is filled with movies about superheroes, where we revere actors, politicians, and athletes who seem larger-than-life, it is important for kids to remember that the most significant acts are the daily small acts of kindness and love. Our schoolbooks may reference grand speeches and acts of war, but it is the everyday way we live our lives that truly determines the course of history. It’s easy for kids (and adults) to fall into the trap of believing that what we do doesn’t matter, that our small contribution is too small a drop in the sea of humanity to make a difference. The unassuming characters from The Lord of the Rings remind us that nothing could be further from the truth. Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin, Aragorn and Éowyn, all teach children that determination and perseverance, the everyday way we live our lives, are all small drops of sweat and tears that, when gathered together, form an ocean powerful enough to move mountains.
The Hunger Games
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“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” -Peeta Melark
Navigating the rough currents of school, friendships, and adolescence are difficult for any kid, no matter how smart or popular or put-together they may seem on the outside. Keeping a grip on one’s core self, let alone staying true to that core self, is a lot harder than we give kids credit for. The theme of thinking critically about what you’re told, making your own decisions, not blindly following the crowd, these are the strongest messages you’ll find in The Hunger Games. Today’s kids are beset on all sides by advertisements, messages about body image, pressures of school, and while The Hunger Games may certainly be more overtly violent than many of the classic novels of childhood, the lessons contained in the story are on par with the challenges kids are presented with in our polarized and alarmist society.
The Discworld Novels
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“It is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you’re attempting can’t be done.” -Equal Rites
Terry Pratchett was a perfect example of an imagination without limits, and nothing exemplifies this better than his Discworld novels. A reader never knew what to expect when cracking the spine on a new Discworld novel, and that feeling that anything was possible was part of the joy of this series! Pratchett’s Discworld themes drew on authors from Shakespeare to Beatrix Potter to everyone in between. And talk about worlds colliding: Fairy tales, current events, science, magic, all of these things and more were fair game for Pratchett in any and every combination! As a budding writer Discworld taught me the the only limits on my writing were the limits of my imagination, a way of thinking that couldn’t help but bleed over into all other areas of my life. Experience may eventually teach us the limits of our potential, but every child deserves to begin with the hope and belief that they can go anywhere, be anything if they only dream big enough and try hard enough. “Anything can happen, child, anything can be.” Terry Pratchett and Shel Silverstein would have gotten along famously.
As the Reading Rainbow Mom, Jenni Buchanan enjoys encouraging readers of ALL ages to believe that they can “go anywhere, be anything.” See more of Jenni’s blogs and tips for parents about children’s reading by subscribing to the Reading Rainbow Blog, or follow her on Twitter at @JenniBuchanan.
Originally published at www.readingrainbow.com on May 11, 2016.
