Jenni and I were talking about Harry Potter the other day. Those books are growing up incarnate. (does that make sense?) It annoys me to read reviews of the books that complain about Rowling's lack of literariness. Do the kids care? They're the ones that matter.

I find it funny that my first thought about Harry Potter is the turmoil of becoming an adult, not the witchcraft involved, or Rowling's "satanic" bent. The magic is secondary. One critic pointed out that you could take away the wizardry, and the basic story would be mostly intact.

These books will be on the bookshelf in my children's rooms. I used to worry that my kids would be non-readers, but now I'm quite fine with the thought of letting it be. There will be no lack of books, obviously. What more can I do? (or should do?)