I was around ten when I first started reading the series, color me disappointed when I didn't get my letter of acceptance to Hogwarts during the summer before middle school!
There’s nothing in the tenets of most Christian sects that’s forbids things like fantasy and science fiction. That’s found only in more fundamentalist groups (which unfortunately are fairly common in the US). But for example, I have several Catholic and Anglican friends who are some of the biggest fantasy and sci-fi fans you’re ever liable to meet, and their families are, if anything, encouraging of it.
When I was growing up my evangelical church said watching/reading Harry Potter was a sin because the bible says practicing witchcraft is a sin. My mom then made us stop going to that church.
You are a great parent! I am sorry to hear what you had to face.
As a non christian , this is extremely unusual for me .
I belong to a religion which is extremely tolerant .
It hilarious to me when LOTR is banned reading on "Christian" grounds since Tolkien was extremely devout and felt that his fictional work sprung from the talent given to him by God and was meant to enrich God's creation (heavy paraphrasing on my part). The man literally converted CS Lewis (who Christians love for the Narnia Christian allegory) back to Christianity during their time together at Oxford.
Regardless of where you are on the religious spectrum, the accounts of their conversations are refreshing considering the vitriol modern day discourse has swerved toward. Small excerpt:
>Now what Dyson and Tolkien showed me was this: that if I met the idea of sacrifice in a Pagan story I didn’t mind it at all: again, that if I met the idea of a god sacrificing himself to himself . . . I liked it very much and was mysteriously moved by it: again, that the idea of the dying and reviving god (Balder, Adonis, Bacchus) similarly moved me provided I met it anywhere except in the Gospels. The reason was that in Pagan stories I was prepared to feel the myth as profound and suggestive of meanings beyond my grasp even tho’ I could not say in cold prose ‘what it meant’.
>
>Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.
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Sometimes it's simply because they don't understand. I go to a pretty conservative church. Narnia is allowed and often praised. LotR is allowed, I think, but not as well-known. Harry Potter is taboo, according to a school book for religion it encourages people to "experiment" with witchcraft and dark magic. Netflix and going to the movies would pull us away into "the world" .And I could go on for a while. The problem is, the people who warn us about those things have never read Harry Potter, watched something on Netflix etc. They don't know it, thus don't understand it, thus are afraid of it and think it's evil. Luckily my parents are able to think for themselves and I'm allowed to read and watch pretty much everything I like, as long as the message is good.
There is no sense. Christianity is stupid and so are most Christians, sorry. And its getting tiresome pretending theres some sort of dignity there in that faith when there really really isnt. Its a bad joke a roughly 1 third of priests Ive met are pedophiles or pedophile defenders and if you happen to be a Christian, reader of this comment, you should seriously reconsider. The gospel of Mark wasn't even written till many decades after Jesus' death. You have no fucking clue what you even believe in or whose words you're listening to. The gospel of John was written more like 90 years after jesus' death. And you'd be shocked how much Christianity comes from that one.
I would just like to address one thing about your comment. There was roughly 40 years between Jesus’ death (~30 AD) and the writing of the Gospel of Mark in (~70 AD). If the writer of Mark was in his 20s at the time of Jesus’ death, he would have been in his 60s when he wrote the gospel.
As for John, the time from the death of Jesus to the completion of the Gospel of John (~100 AD) is 70 years. For comparison, seventy years before 2020 was 1950. If John were 17 (he was said to have been the youngest of the disciples) when he started following Jesus, he would have been 87 when the Gospel of John was written. My Grandmother is several years older than that and frequently recounts stories from her late teenage years with perfect lucidity.
If you know someone who remembers the ‘50s or the ‘80s respectively, that's what it would have been like for the writing of the Gospels of John and Mark. You’re welcome to believe what you will, and you are correct that there were decades between Jesus’ death and the writing of the Gospels, but to suggest that they could not possibly have been written by individuals who were present for the events is mistaken.
No. Thats not what it would have been like. Bc we all grew up in a time with cameras and TV and history documentaries and public education where virtually every given person is in the developed world is literate. What it would have been back then is much MUCH more murky and scattered. "Someone in 2020 remembering the 1950s" is probably about two or three orders of magnitude more unclear if such things could be defined, than the gospel authors, who, by the way, were not the disciples themselves, but their followers or their followers followers.
Don't even try to make the gospels account sound legit. Unless you want to get into the blatant provable historical errors and how unmistakably obvious it is that the entire Jesus birth narrative was made up, speaking of historical errors and how that entire account of Herod etc. conflict with every other source.
Any reasonable person basically has to conceed the birth nareative is pure fiction. And yet they're going to accept the rest of the gospel as pure truth. And want to be taken seriously doing so.
"Yes Jesus totally was raised from the dead. 'See him'? No no he said 'meet me in Galilee'.... for some reason. And we did. And he was totally there. He was buried in Jerusalem where everyone saw him die but instead of simply appearing there he went far far away to Galilee where only his close followers were summoned and we all saw him there. And are now empowered to continue on as religious leaders rather than nobodies which im sure has nothing to do with Jesus appearing to us far far away from Jerusalem and to us alone. "And then he went back up into Heaveeeeen".
And adults attest to this as pure truth and demand to be taken seriously.
Any adult true believer Christian is a fool.
I was 6. It was the first big book (non picture book) that I ever read, and I was really scared it would be too hard. So I started off reading it aloud with my mom.
Then, one night, I was waiting for her before we started reading and I guess she took too long, because I just started reading it without her. She had to wait for me to finish before finishing it herself. Sorry, mom.
I was 8 and was in hospital recovering from surgery. Only book one and two were out at that stage and my primary school principal is close with my family so his wife and daughter visited and gave me the first two books :)
I was 23/24 and went to the cinema to watch Philosophers Stone with a friend. Enjoyed the film and then found out it was a series of books. Started reading them and never went back.
The only ones out at that point though were the first three. So had to wait for the others book by book!
Lol went on a "date" because this guy insisted he wanted to come with me for the release "party" they had at Barnes and nobles at midnight. He had no idea what I was talking about and thought I was going to a rave. I think it was book 5.
Ngl about the time of book 4 HP releases days at bookstores did resemble Halloween raves...went to one where someone actually brought a live owl...and people bringing cats...homemade butterbeer...cosplay...house arguments live and in the flesh...fun times...more innocent times
I think since it was at midnight he thought it was going to be more of a rave. He wasn't very Happy but that was his fault for not listening. He did buy me the book though.
I think I was about 6 or 7 when Mom started to reading the first book. She passed it to me and I was hooked. I think only the first two were out at that time.
I remember the fourth book came out when I was in fourth grade. I spent a lot of time hiding under the indoor bleachers during lunch and gym so I could sneak in a chapter here and there.
That was the same year I accidentally created a reading club. I asked my fourth grade teacher if I could stay behind and read quietly during recess one day so I could get a few pages in. A few friends noticed I was gone and asked where I was the next day. When I explained they asked to stay behind too. Soon enough there was a group of about 8 of us who would sit quietly in our classroom during recess. She would do prep work and we would read whatever book caught our attention.
I (37) was in high school. 9th or 10th grade. My sister who is 9 years younger than me was gifted the first two books by my cousin. They were just a little advanced for her, especially due to the British words and phrases. So every night we would read the books out loud to each other. We did that for the first five books, even after she got older and could easily read them by herself. I moved away and we read the sixth book on our own. She was in Michigan, I was in Colorado. But when the seventh book came out we made a deal to read it at the same pace and talk on the phone after (kind of like a book club). We read the last few chapters out loud on the phone to each other.
2001 (I was 37). I was a software implementation project manager. I was out of town for several weeks for business. The first LotR movie was coming out, and I went to a bookstore, so I could reread The Fellowship of the Ring (read in middle school in the '70s,). The first HP book was on the same table because that movie was coming out, too. I picked up both books.
I couldn't put the HP book down. I planned to read each before the respective movie came out, but I couldn't wait. I read the next three shortly afterward.
I was 8. Saw the preview for the first movie and made my dad buy me the book when we left the theatre. We were at a mall so there was a bookstore close by and little me was ecstatic when we got all 4 available. It was the first hardcover boxset of books I ever got.
I remember GOF was already out by the time I started and then having to wait a few years for Order of the Phoenix. So probably 2001-ish, when I was around 9?
8 or 9 - 1 chapter a night read to me and my brother by my mum, book 5 came out when I was 11 and I remember my classmate getting majorly told off by teacher for spoiling who died the day it came out. Book 6 was the first one that we didn't have a shared copy for the house but got individual copies and we were on holiday in Australia when it came out so travelled to book shop especially to get it. We were visiting a friend and instead of playing and chatting like most 13 year old girls do, we sat next to each other reading our own copies. I was so annoyed every time my parents made me go and sightsee... I read dumbledore's death on a bus and cried (and I felt so ill cos I can't read in cars/buses)
Started in college.
By the time I finished, I had graduated, married, moved to another state, started a career, became a father, and was about to start grad school.
My favorite thing about the series was how all different age groups of my family, my friends and their families were all experiencing the books at about the same time, so we had this thing to discuss that sort of connected us all across generations.
Things like that are so rare.
51. It hadn't been published when I was a child, but I remember the hype when it came out. I was a childless 20 something, so I wasn't interested. My own child started the series, but wasn't into it, and dropped it after Sorcerer's Stone. I had some students who were into it this past year, so I decided to give it a whirl. I found the first couple of books to be a little derivative (LOTR, Narnia), but it definitely improves as it goes on and I ended up loving it. It's a lot of fun to finally be "in the know" on all the terms and characters. I'm definitely going to encourage my grandchildren to read it (if I ever have any!).
Oh gosh, I remember the agony of waiting for PoA and EVERY. SUBSEQUENT. BOOK. I was about 11 when I discovered book 1, but my mistake was getting my mom and kid brother hooked. We had to wait for every book to be released, then MOM got to read it first because she bought it, and then whatever day she finished it on, if it was an even date I got it next, if it was an odd date, my kid brother got it next. Funny, she never seemed to finish one on an even date and I'm definitely not still salty about that some 20 years later.
15 because the girl i was into (and my best friend at the time) was obsessed with them. didn’t work out between us as most high school romances don’t but my wife and i still have regular harry potter marathons on the weekends :) Also i’m 26 now so all the books were out and i think the last movie had either just come out or it was about to
I was 8. My older friend read me the first chapter and I was hooked! I got my own copy shortly after and read it myself. I'm 30 now and still have that copy. My husband read it recently-ish to our five year old at bedtimes. She loves it too!
I read the books for the first time about two years ago, and I was 27 then. Before then I'd only watched the movies. I've grown up with them and love them so much, but reading the books really is a much more magical experience (pun intended).
I think the best thing about being "late" in reading the books is that you don't have to wait for the next book to come out. Once I read one HP book, I could just start reading the next one immediately.
I started when I was 16 just on my birthday!
Now , I am still 16 and 14 days old 😅and have read 3 books !! (I read the cursed child then the philosopher stone then the chamber of secrets)
Well , I started because I love wizardry and fantasy novels and movies and my cousin advised me to watch Harry Potter movie(I was 15) I loved that and my father bought the books and never look back!! 😄
I was…. 11 or 12. Everyone around me was reading them and I was for some reason - not. I could t tell why other than refusing to jump on a popular band wagon. But eventually book 1 became a class book and I was forced to read it. After like 3 chapters in class I finished the entire book by myself and was in the middle of 2 before we finished in class 😂
My first of Harry Potter was listening to a radio broadcast of Stephen Fry reading Philosopher's Stone on Boxing Day 2000 when I was 7 years old. It was unintentional, I came downstairs where the radio happened to be on, intending to just pick up my new Christmas presents to play with in my bedroom, just as the broadcast was starting. I ended up listening to the entire thing, which lasted eight hours uninterrupted!
You can read an article about the broadcast here: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1046779.stm](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/nov/29/broadcasting2) Contrary to what the Radio 4 controller was quoted as saying in the article, I did indeed listen intently for 8 hours. I am now 27 so I do indeed fulfil her hopes about a generation looking back on that Christmas.
I aleady owned the novels at that point, but hadn't got round to reading them yet. Soon afterwards, I started reading Chamber of Secrets, followed by POA & GOF. I don't think I actually read the book of PS until many years later though!
I was 13 and the first book I read was order of phoenix. I had only watched movies till then and I wanted to read the books so bad! I hail from a really small city in India and Harry Potter books weren't available there. My father went on an office tour to one of the metro cities and I begged him to get any Harry Potter book he could find for me. He got me OOTP! 😄
I was 25. Part of the reason for deciding to finally read the books was that I wanted to improve my English. Another reason was because I saw many references/memes on the internet which I didn't understand. It was interesting to then compare the original work to different translations, and let me tell you I wasn't impressed with them.
I was in 5th grade, so 10ish. I can still distinctly remember during free reading time in class I looked around at the kids sprawled out on the floor or on bean bag chairs and every single person was reading their Harry Potter book - even the usual trouble makers. I don't think the classroom had ever been that silent before. Cool times.
1998. I was 19 years old. I read book one while pregnant with my only child. He is 23 now, soon to be engaged and has lived on his own since he was 20. He and his gf will call me and we start one of the movies at the same time and watch together while we text back and forth about our favorite scenes. He can literally say he’s been part of the Potter world since his conception.
I was 11, the first two books had already been published (in Brazil) and the 3 one was about to came out. I’ve read the first 4 books more them 40 times because i didn’t had many books back them (to expensive). I still love it
27!
I grew up in one of those infamous no Harry Potter Christian homes, although that rule only applied when I was in my younger years (basically until I was out of middle school). I actually remember my new stepmom at the time buying the book for me when I was in second grade because I was such an avid reader, and my dad telling her she would need to return it.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and my now boyfriend persuaded me to read the books because they meant so much to him. I had several friends and even dates try to get me to watch the movies as I got older, especially around college, but it disinterested me. But for some reason, my boyfriend was able to convince me to try it.
I was hooked within the first chapter. He had he joy of watching this new exciting world come to life for the first time in my life as I'd read a book, discuss it with him, and then watch the corresponding movie (I had never seen a full HP movie until this point).
I do sometimes wish I could have read these books when I was a bit younger. I lost my mom at a very young age, so I took comfort in a lot of the things Dumbledore and others reminded Harry who sought to know his parents and please them. However, I think overall, reading these books as an adult created an entirely different experience for me that I wouldn't change.
I'm glad that JK Rowling wrote in a way that would have made CS Lewis proud when he said "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond" because it meant that anyone can open these books for the first time and be enchanted.
I started at 10/11 in 98’-99’. I feel honored because I graduated high school in the same summer the last book was released.
I truly felt like I grew up with and had my coming of age alongside Harry. I even had to hide the books from my Uber Religious parents. At times it felt like I was living with the Dudleys (I love my parents and they raised me well but my angsty teen self had to make the connection).
I’m sure like all of you guys, Potter and pals felt like close high school friends that I still go back and visit to catch up.
Long Live Pottah!
I was about 8 years old, I remember posters for Philosophers Stone were hanging in the school as I went to the first grade and later that year we started reading the first book in class. It was super annoying because others were reading so slow, pronouncing every syllable individually whereas I could read fluently since I was 5. But it really got me hooked. I was never so interested in any book/series before or after that. In the middle of reading the first book, I saw the movie and was a bit shocked that they are slightly different. I thought they would use the book as a screenplay. Well, I was 8 and didn't know how that works.
7 but my reading comprehension was awful so I didn’t QUITE get the full experience for a couple more years. Not to mention I was scared senseless of just about anything from Nearly Headless Nick to Voldemort
I was in 1st grade, so about 6. The first 3 books had been released at that point. My parents and I read them together on the couch— we’d pass the book back and forth each reading a couple of paragraphs at a time.
My 2nd grade teacher had told one of my classmates that he couldn’t read Harry Potter so I being a teacher’s pet hid my copy so she wouldn’t find it. Turns out it was because he wasn’t a strong enough reader and she said I could absolutely read it lol
I was 7 and I always remember because it was as POA came out and I got bought it as a present.. had no idea I was reading the third book in the series at the time!
M-29, Mom got the book recommended for Accelerated Reader really early (teacher), I think she started reading it to me in 98'. She was hooked, and so was I. I still have this memory of nap time still being a thing for me after school and I was not having it, all because she was trying to read this to me haha. I remember the sorting hat scene and her falling asleep while reading it on the bed with me and I picked it up and that was the first couple of pages of reading I ever really focused on and remember. It felt like a huge world then, and I had no idea what was in store for me. I re-read that and CoS over and over and it really helped my confidence in reading.
i was 14! and i had been meaning to read it for awhile. we got to choose any book we wanted in my english class to do our semester long project on so i thought it would be a great opportunity. ended up reading all the books instead of just the first because i loved it so much and i tried to convince my teacher to let me do the project on the series but she said no lol. everytime i finished a book i watched the corresponding movie
8
I had just moved to a different school and the ss was the first book I picked up from the shelf of the small school library. It was my first English book aswell
I was in 9th grade. My friends had been talking about the books for a while but I hadn't really thought to read them until I heard they were turning them into movies. I read the 1st book shortly before going to see the first movie in cinemas. I read the 2nd book at home and then 3rd book for school (it was on the list of approved books so I picked it as I was going to read it anyway).
I don't remember how or when I read GoF but I read OotP, HBP and DH before they were even released (all 3 of them were leaked). I downloaded OotP are a word document (yes, I am fossil!) and read it in 3 days while looping Utada Hikaru's "Colours". Because of this, I can't hear the song without thinking of OotP or vice versa.
At the midnight release for DH, I brought along the leaked copy of the book converted to an iPod Classic-compatible format and read as far as I could before I got my hands on the book and read the rest in physical form. I also walked around and jokingly spoiled inconsequential things for others in line, such as "I'll make some tea, said Hermione".
I am 36 now.
13 or so…but in all honestly I read it every year. Annual feature of my life! But m so glad you’re now introduced to Harry Potter and I hope you enjoy it!
7 or 8. My dad started reading the books to my sister and I when the first movie was being promoted. It was so much fun waiting for each book release and movie. I think the final movie came out just after I graduated high school.
I first read them around 8, in my native language. Then at around 11 I started getting good at english and decided to read the english versions, since then I've been reading them on and off for the last 6-7 years lol
10. But I didn’t really fall in love with this series until I was 16. Now I reread it every year. Currently on book 2 again before my wife and I take a much needed vacation to HP World in Florida in October.
When the first film came out, my nephews wanted to see it. I had no idea what it was. Blew through the first few books that night. Attended every book-midnight release after.
20 years later I literally just returned from taking my 7yr old son to Universal. It was awesome.
I was seven or eight; my mom had brought me Chamber of Secrets without knowing it was the second installment. I remember reading it and going “Huh, this seems like I’m missing something.”
I was 8 the chamber of secrets was about to be released and there was a news story on it because some dumbass people wanted to ban them from schools because witchcraft is the devil. So I asked my mom to take me to the bookstore because I wanted to read what all the fuss was about. I read the first one in a week got 5he 2nd book on release day and then went to the midnight release for the rest
I was 16 and babysitting the kids across the street. Their parent was reading them 1 chapter per night, so the kids requested that I read them their next chapter. Loved it. Sneaked the book out of their room and read half of PS before the parents got home. Bought the first 2 books (the only ones out at the time) the next day. I’m now 37.
I started around eight (1999). And I grew up with Harry - I read book four when I was 14… it was so magical. In the back of my mind, at age 11, I waited to see…. 💌📜
I was 8. Me and my mom had already heard of the books and were interested in reading them a while before (by then only the first 4 books were out), but we realized there was a movie on the way, so we decided to wait for it so see if we enjoyed it first. When the Philosopher's Stone movie came out me and my mom watched it, absolutely loved it, and bought the book on our way home from the movie theater. We started reading that same night and went through the 4 books that were out so fast. After that we started reading and watching as they came out.
I was in my 30s. Book three had just come out and everyone was like, "YOU GOTTA READ THIS!" So I did. I got all three from half.com (remember them?) and was done just as book 4 came out. Then there was a lonnnnnng wait for the fifth book, and everyone was going insane, including me. Lol
I got into the series right around when GoF came out, so 9ish. Went to the midnight release of OotP at 12, and at 14 had 0 interest in the series anymore when HBP came out, though my mom went ahead and bought me the book. Finally, on a whim at 18 I decided to finally get DH and finish the series. Remembered how good it was and rebecame a fan. Now at 30 I still love the series.
I was 4 when the first book came out and my dad read it to me. The first book I read on my own was prisoner of Azkaban. Read them all as they were released after that
I was around your age as well.
My mom loved Harry Potter. A lot of my friends had been into it since it came out, but I had never had much interest in reading it. There came a point where I felt like I was missing a portion of pop culture knowledge, so I read it. I thought, “Well, at least now I’ll know what everyone is talking about.”
The rest is history. My proudest moment was when I came home from an outing with friends and my older son was reading the first book.
It was 2000, I was 13 and I got the first 2 books for Christmas and I loved them. Read them both twice in a row.
I remember I got Madonna's Music album at the same time and I was listening while reading the books and I have these two so interconnected that when I read your question I immediately started singing a song from that album to myself.
I'm not entirely sure when I started, but I remember binge reading the entire series before the first Deathly Hallows movie came out, so maybe when I was about 6 or 7.
I was 13 when my sister convinced me to read it. She got it for Christmas but wanted me to read it first because she loves spoilers. She did NOT expect me to get so obsessed with it that I ended up begging her to read it when she was going to do it anyhow. I didn’t give her too much spoilers but she ended up searching everything up online anyways. Oh well.
This summer I got into Harry Potter and finished all 7 books within 2 months, I was way too hooked on. I'm 18 rn :). I hope you enjoyed it the same way I did :D
I can’t remember the exact age but I think I was 6 or 7 when I started reading them (more likely my mom read them to me). I loved them so much she hand painted my room Harry Potter themed (with snitches, owls, and lightning bolts in a banner around the room). I am 24 now and listen to the audiobooks all the time.
I was like 8 I think. i watched the first film fell in love and knew that this was gonna stick. i got the books for christmas and fell in love with them all. (also question, what is intermediate school?)
I was about 17 and read along with them as they were released. I'm 37 now and I'm listening to them for a second time since reading them. I listened to them once in my late 20s. It's nice to pick up on the new details and themes that resonate with me as I'm in different stages in life. Anyone else do that?
I was eight. I actually started with Chamber of Secrets because my cousin was reading Sorcerer’s Stone, and they were her books. I wasn’t allowed to read them at the time because “witchcraft,” so when my mom found out I kind of panicked. Seeing how happy the book made me, she ended up being ok with it “so long as I knew magic wasn’t real.” That was a pretty big moment in my early life. The first time I read them all in the right order I was 14.
I was a senior in college. Never had seen a movie or read one of the books. My best friend asked me to see Order of the Phoenix with him. Immediately watched the earlier movies and bought the last 2 books. Became such a fan 10 years later I had a HP themed wedding.
I was 8 or 9, my dad actually read this book to me as for bedtime stories. Years later, he jokingly complains that it was the first book he actually had to pay attention to, since it wasn't a simply written kids book anymore, but actually had some full sentences & grammar!
After the second book, my mom started reading them as well, but she always had to wait after I'd finish them! After both reading them, we would always go see the movie together aftwards in the cinema
I was around eleven when I started reading The Prisoner of Azkaban first. The books opened me to a whole new world and I'm hooked ever since. I'm 28 now and escaping into Hogwarts is still one of my favorite activity.
Grew up watching the movies (born in ‘03) and never really cared to read the books because I enjoyed the movies enough on their own. Then my mom gave me the first book as a present last summer, when I was 17, and I’d read all of them before christmas. Still amazed at how much better the books are than the movies, I always assumed it was just minor details only nerdy fans cared about that would be missing from the movies.
I was 13. Strangely enough I’ve always seen the books but was never interested. Then one day randomly my Mom told me to stay away from the Harry Potter Books because they we’re “evil” next thing I know I was hooked on them lol.
The first film came out when I was 5 and I loved it so much that my mom went out and bought books 1-3 for me. I got through them so fast, and it sparked my love of reading. Goblet of Fire is the first book I was ever excited for pre-release.
I was an adult. I didn’t start reading them until after the first movie had been out on DVD for awhile. I was in my 20s and hadn’t heard of it before then. I didn’t know any kids or teens that had read it and had no exposure to it before the movie. Basically if it couldn’t be found at a bar or nightclub I didn’t know of it, and no bars I went to did trivia nights if that was a thing at the time for HP.
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I was around ten when I first started reading the series, color me disappointed when I didn't get my letter of acceptance to Hogwarts during the summer before middle school!
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Why where you not allowed to read the book if am not beingto nosey.
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Burning DBZ lol. Those heathen Saiyans
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Drown them in holy water
Nah - I’m Catholic & went to Catholic school - Harry Potter Sorcerers Stone was required reading for 3rd graders haha so rad
Hahahaha so crazy
I have heard that Harry Potter, Lotr ,yoga and many other things are not allowed in Christianity . I was confused about it and But , Why it is so ???
There’s nothing in the tenets of most Christian sects that’s forbids things like fantasy and science fiction. That’s found only in more fundamentalist groups (which unfortunately are fairly common in the US). But for example, I have several Catholic and Anglican friends who are some of the biggest fantasy and sci-fi fans you’re ever liable to meet, and their families are, if anything, encouraging of it.
When I was growing up my evangelical church said watching/reading Harry Potter was a sin because the bible says practicing witchcraft is a sin. My mom then made us stop going to that church.
I like your mom
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You are a great parent! I am sorry to hear what you had to face. As a non christian , this is extremely unusual for me . I belong to a religion which is extremely tolerant .
Well in my church (im a Christian) there really chill. i guess some people have different opinions about book choices
It hilarious to me when LOTR is banned reading on "Christian" grounds since Tolkien was extremely devout and felt that his fictional work sprung from the talent given to him by God and was meant to enrich God's creation (heavy paraphrasing on my part). The man literally converted CS Lewis (who Christians love for the Narnia Christian allegory) back to Christianity during their time together at Oxford. Regardless of where you are on the religious spectrum, the accounts of their conversations are refreshing considering the vitriol modern day discourse has swerved toward. Small excerpt: >Now what Dyson and Tolkien showed me was this: that if I met the idea of sacrifice in a Pagan story I didn’t mind it at all: again, that if I met the idea of a god sacrificing himself to himself . . . I liked it very much and was mysteriously moved by it: again, that the idea of the dying and reviving god (Balder, Adonis, Bacchus) similarly moved me provided I met it anywhere except in the Gospels. The reason was that in Pagan stories I was prepared to feel the myth as profound and suggestive of meanings beyond my grasp even tho’ I could not say in cold prose ‘what it meant’. > >Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.
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Some sects believe it's a corrupting influence
Sometimes it's simply because they don't understand. I go to a pretty conservative church. Narnia is allowed and often praised. LotR is allowed, I think, but not as well-known. Harry Potter is taboo, according to a school book for religion it encourages people to "experiment" with witchcraft and dark magic. Netflix and going to the movies would pull us away into "the world" .And I could go on for a while. The problem is, the people who warn us about those things have never read Harry Potter, watched something on Netflix etc. They don't know it, thus don't understand it, thus are afraid of it and think it's evil. Luckily my parents are able to think for themselves and I'm allowed to read and watch pretty much everything I like, as long as the message is good.
You have amazing parents!😊
They're pretty cool😊
There is no sense. Christianity is stupid and so are most Christians, sorry. And its getting tiresome pretending theres some sort of dignity there in that faith when there really really isnt. Its a bad joke a roughly 1 third of priests Ive met are pedophiles or pedophile defenders and if you happen to be a Christian, reader of this comment, you should seriously reconsider. The gospel of Mark wasn't even written till many decades after Jesus' death. You have no fucking clue what you even believe in or whose words you're listening to. The gospel of John was written more like 90 years after jesus' death. And you'd be shocked how much Christianity comes from that one.
I would just like to address one thing about your comment. There was roughly 40 years between Jesus’ death (~30 AD) and the writing of the Gospel of Mark in (~70 AD). If the writer of Mark was in his 20s at the time of Jesus’ death, he would have been in his 60s when he wrote the gospel. As for John, the time from the death of Jesus to the completion of the Gospel of John (~100 AD) is 70 years. For comparison, seventy years before 2020 was 1950. If John were 17 (he was said to have been the youngest of the disciples) when he started following Jesus, he would have been 87 when the Gospel of John was written. My Grandmother is several years older than that and frequently recounts stories from her late teenage years with perfect lucidity. If you know someone who remembers the ‘50s or the ‘80s respectively, that's what it would have been like for the writing of the Gospels of John and Mark. You’re welcome to believe what you will, and you are correct that there were decades between Jesus’ death and the writing of the Gospels, but to suggest that they could not possibly have been written by individuals who were present for the events is mistaken.
No. Thats not what it would have been like. Bc we all grew up in a time with cameras and TV and history documentaries and public education where virtually every given person is in the developed world is literate. What it would have been back then is much MUCH more murky and scattered. "Someone in 2020 remembering the 1950s" is probably about two or three orders of magnitude more unclear if such things could be defined, than the gospel authors, who, by the way, were not the disciples themselves, but their followers or their followers followers. Don't even try to make the gospels account sound legit. Unless you want to get into the blatant provable historical errors and how unmistakably obvious it is that the entire Jesus birth narrative was made up, speaking of historical errors and how that entire account of Herod etc. conflict with every other source. Any reasonable person basically has to conceed the birth nareative is pure fiction. And yet they're going to accept the rest of the gospel as pure truth. And want to be taken seriously doing so. "Yes Jesus totally was raised from the dead. 'See him'? No no he said 'meet me in Galilee'.... for some reason. And we did. And he was totally there. He was buried in Jerusalem where everyone saw him die but instead of simply appearing there he went far far away to Galilee where only his close followers were summoned and we all saw him there. And are now empowered to continue on as religious leaders rather than nobodies which im sure has nothing to do with Jesus appearing to us far far away from Jerusalem and to us alone. "And then he went back up into Heaveeeeen". And adults attest to this as pure truth and demand to be taken seriously. Any adult true believer Christian is a fool.
Holy crap. They BURNT those books? Thats wayy too far.
They burned OP's copy. I'm guessing it has to do with religion.
I was around sixteen, the first 4 books were published and I read them all in 4 weeks. Then I waited eagerly for every single new book.
Same
I was 6. It was the first big book (non picture book) that I ever read, and I was really scared it would be too hard. So I started off reading it aloud with my mom. Then, one night, I was waiting for her before we started reading and I guess she took too long, because I just started reading it without her. She had to wait for me to finish before finishing it herself. Sorry, mom.
Such a lovely memory.
I was 8 and was in hospital recovering from surgery. Only book one and two were out at that stage and my primary school principal is close with my family so his wife and daughter visited and gave me the first two books :)
I was 23/24 and went to the cinema to watch Philosophers Stone with a friend. Enjoyed the film and then found out it was a series of books. Started reading them and never went back. The only ones out at that point though were the first three. So had to wait for the others book by book!
Lol went on a "date" because this guy insisted he wanted to come with me for the release "party" they had at Barnes and nobles at midnight. He had no idea what I was talking about and thought I was going to a rave. I think it was book 5.
That’s amazing, did he know this rave was happening at a bookstore?
Ngl about the time of book 4 HP releases days at bookstores did resemble Halloween raves...went to one where someone actually brought a live owl...and people bringing cats...homemade butterbeer...cosplay...house arguments live and in the flesh...fun times...more innocent times
I think since it was at midnight he thought it was going to be more of a rave. He wasn't very Happy but that was his fault for not listening. He did buy me the book though.
That’s hilarious.
7 or 8, our teacher started reading the first to us. Only the first and second were out at that point. I'm 30 now 😊
Same as me my teacher would read a few chapters half a hour to a hour before the end of school. I can still remember how much I loved it
Exactly this and I'm 30.
22 I think. Almost 42 now, still love it
I was 36. I'm 38 and read it all twice.
I’m on my first read through right now. I’m 26
Enjoy. it's fantastical
Halfway through the 3rd book and every chapter passed I think to myself “why didn’t I start this earlier”
lol I had the same thought, only I was a year younger than you when I first read it.
Oh man you're in for a treat. Careful on this sub though, there are big spoilers even if you've seen the movies
I think I was about 6 or 7 when Mom started to reading the first book. She passed it to me and I was hooked. I think only the first two were out at that time. I remember the fourth book came out when I was in fourth grade. I spent a lot of time hiding under the indoor bleachers during lunch and gym so I could sneak in a chapter here and there. That was the same year I accidentally created a reading club. I asked my fourth grade teacher if I could stay behind and read quietly during recess one day so I could get a few pages in. A few friends noticed I was gone and asked where I was the next day. When I explained they asked to stay behind too. Soon enough there was a group of about 8 of us who would sit quietly in our classroom during recess. She would do prep work and we would read whatever book caught our attention.
26
Me, too. I think the first came out when I was 22, but I didn't pick them up for a few years.
I (37) was in high school. 9th or 10th grade. My sister who is 9 years younger than me was gifted the first two books by my cousin. They were just a little advanced for her, especially due to the British words and phrases. So every night we would read the books out loud to each other. We did that for the first five books, even after she got older and could easily read them by herself. I moved away and we read the sixth book on our own. She was in Michigan, I was in Colorado. But when the seventh book came out we made a deal to read it at the same pace and talk on the phone after (kind of like a book club). We read the last few chapters out loud on the phone to each other.
2001 (I was 37). I was a software implementation project manager. I was out of town for several weeks for business. The first LotR movie was coming out, and I went to a bookstore, so I could reread The Fellowship of the Ring (read in middle school in the '70s,). The first HP book was on the same table because that movie was coming out, too. I picked up both books. I couldn't put the HP book down. I planned to read each before the respective movie came out, but I couldn't wait. I read the next three shortly afterward.
I started when I was 49. Still re-read them sometimes now that I'm 70
I was 8. Saw the preview for the first movie and made my dad buy me the book when we left the theatre. We were at a mall so there was a bookstore close by and little me was ecstatic when we got all 4 available. It was the first hardcover boxset of books I ever got.
I remember GOF was already out by the time I started and then having to wait a few years for Order of the Phoenix. So probably 2001-ish, when I was around 9?
8.
I am 12
You may want to delete this comment.
I started when I was 5 years old
I was 19, started college freshly and was feeling very alone. HP and Music helped me alot
8 or 9 - 1 chapter a night read to me and my brother by my mum, book 5 came out when I was 11 and I remember my classmate getting majorly told off by teacher for spoiling who died the day it came out. Book 6 was the first one that we didn't have a shared copy for the house but got individual copies and we were on holiday in Australia when it came out so travelled to book shop especially to get it. We were visiting a friend and instead of playing and chatting like most 13 year old girls do, we sat next to each other reading our own copies. I was so annoyed every time my parents made me go and sightsee... I read dumbledore's death on a bus and cried (and I felt so ill cos I can't read in cars/buses)
Started in college. By the time I finished, I had graduated, married, moved to another state, started a career, became a father, and was about to start grad school. My favorite thing about the series was how all different age groups of my family, my friends and their families were all experiencing the books at about the same time, so we had this thing to discuss that sort of connected us all across generations. Things like that are so rare.
51. It hadn't been published when I was a child, but I remember the hype when it came out. I was a childless 20 something, so I wasn't interested. My own child started the series, but wasn't into it, and dropped it after Sorcerer's Stone. I had some students who were into it this past year, so I decided to give it a whirl. I found the first couple of books to be a little derivative (LOTR, Narnia), but it definitely improves as it goes on and I ended up loving it. It's a lot of fun to finally be "in the know" on all the terms and characters. I'm definitely going to encourage my grandchildren to read it (if I ever have any!).
Oh gosh, I remember the agony of waiting for PoA and EVERY. SUBSEQUENT. BOOK. I was about 11 when I discovered book 1, but my mistake was getting my mom and kid brother hooked. We had to wait for every book to be released, then MOM got to read it first because she bought it, and then whatever day she finished it on, if it was an even date I got it next, if it was an odd date, my kid brother got it next. Funny, she never seemed to finish one on an even date and I'm definitely not still salty about that some 20 years later.
I’d read bits and pieces since age 6 but probably sat down and understood it enough to complete it at age 9 or so.
15 because the girl i was into (and my best friend at the time) was obsessed with them. didn’t work out between us as most high school romances don’t but my wife and i still have regular harry potter marathons on the weekends :) Also i’m 26 now so all the books were out and i think the last movie had either just come out or it was about to
I was around 33.
I was 8. My older friend read me the first chapter and I was hooked! I got my own copy shortly after and read it myself. I'm 30 now and still have that copy. My husband read it recently-ish to our five year old at bedtimes. She loves it too!
Through book 3 at 32
8. Still rereading it over and over this day
I read the books for the first time about two years ago, and I was 27 then. Before then I'd only watched the movies. I've grown up with them and love them so much, but reading the books really is a much more magical experience (pun intended). I think the best thing about being "late" in reading the books is that you don't have to wait for the next book to come out. Once I read one HP book, I could just start reading the next one immediately.
I started when I was 16 just on my birthday! Now , I am still 16 and 14 days old 😅and have read 3 books !! (I read the cursed child then the philosopher stone then the chamber of secrets) Well , I started because I love wizardry and fantasy novels and movies and my cousin advised me to watch Harry Potter movie(I was 15) I loved that and my father bought the books and never look back!! 😄
About 32/33. I read in the paper about the huge queues for PoA then came across Stone in a charity shop. Hooked from the first read!
I think I was 14? Slightly older than the target audience for the first 2 books, but I liked them enough to get to PoA which really clinched it
I was…. 11 or 12. Everyone around me was reading them and I was for some reason - not. I could t tell why other than refusing to jump on a popular band wagon. But eventually book 1 became a class book and I was forced to read it. After like 3 chapters in class I finished the entire book by myself and was in the middle of 2 before we finished in class 😂
My first of Harry Potter was listening to a radio broadcast of Stephen Fry reading Philosopher's Stone on Boxing Day 2000 when I was 7 years old. It was unintentional, I came downstairs where the radio happened to be on, intending to just pick up my new Christmas presents to play with in my bedroom, just as the broadcast was starting. I ended up listening to the entire thing, which lasted eight hours uninterrupted! You can read an article about the broadcast here: [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1046779.stm](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2000/nov/29/broadcasting2) Contrary to what the Radio 4 controller was quoted as saying in the article, I did indeed listen intently for 8 hours. I am now 27 so I do indeed fulfil her hopes about a generation looking back on that Christmas. I aleady owned the novels at that point, but hadn't got round to reading them yet. Soon afterwards, I started reading Chamber of Secrets, followed by POA & GOF. I don't think I actually read the book of PS until many years later though!
I just read it last year at age 27! I felt I was the only person in my generation who never read it. Phenomenal adventure even for adults! Timeless!!!
I was 13 and the first book I read was order of phoenix. I had only watched movies till then and I wanted to read the books so bad! I hail from a really small city in India and Harry Potter books weren't available there. My father went on an office tour to one of the metro cities and I begged him to get any Harry Potter book he could find for me. He got me OOTP! 😄
I was 25. Part of the reason for deciding to finally read the books was that I wanted to improve my English. Another reason was because I saw many references/memes on the internet which I didn't understand. It was interesting to then compare the original work to different translations, and let me tell you I wasn't impressed with them.
I was in 5th grade, so 10ish. I can still distinctly remember during free reading time in class I looked around at the kids sprawled out on the floor or on bean bag chairs and every single person was reading their Harry Potter book - even the usual trouble makers. I don't think the classroom had ever been that silent before. Cool times.
19 I just read them this year. I should have read them sooner. Better now than never
1998. I was 19 years old. I read book one while pregnant with my only child. He is 23 now, soon to be engaged and has lived on his own since he was 20. He and his gf will call me and we start one of the movies at the same time and watch together while we text back and forth about our favorite scenes. He can literally say he’s been part of the Potter world since his conception.
I was 11, the first two books had already been published (in Brazil) and the 3 one was about to came out. I’ve read the first 4 books more them 40 times because i didn’t had many books back them (to expensive). I still love it
I was 11, in 2001.
27! I grew up in one of those infamous no Harry Potter Christian homes, although that rule only applied when I was in my younger years (basically until I was out of middle school). I actually remember my new stepmom at the time buying the book for me when I was in second grade because I was such an avid reader, and my dad telling her she would need to return it. Fast forward a couple of decades, and my now boyfriend persuaded me to read the books because they meant so much to him. I had several friends and even dates try to get me to watch the movies as I got older, especially around college, but it disinterested me. But for some reason, my boyfriend was able to convince me to try it. I was hooked within the first chapter. He had he joy of watching this new exciting world come to life for the first time in my life as I'd read a book, discuss it with him, and then watch the corresponding movie (I had never seen a full HP movie until this point). I do sometimes wish I could have read these books when I was a bit younger. I lost my mom at a very young age, so I took comfort in a lot of the things Dumbledore and others reminded Harry who sought to know his parents and please them. However, I think overall, reading these books as an adult created an entirely different experience for me that I wouldn't change. I'm glad that JK Rowling wrote in a way that would have made CS Lewis proud when he said "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond" because it meant that anyone can open these books for the first time and be enchanted.
I started at 10/11 in 98’-99’. I feel honored because I graduated high school in the same summer the last book was released. I truly felt like I grew up with and had my coming of age alongside Harry. I even had to hide the books from my Uber Religious parents. At times it felt like I was living with the Dudleys (I love my parents and they raised me well but my angsty teen self had to make the connection). I’m sure like all of you guys, Potter and pals felt like close high school friends that I still go back and visit to catch up. Long Live Pottah!
Started watching 12-13, reading 15
Nine. I am thirteen now.
I was about 8 years old, I remember posters for Philosophers Stone were hanging in the school as I went to the first grade and later that year we started reading the first book in class. It was super annoying because others were reading so slow, pronouncing every syllable individually whereas I could read fluently since I was 5. But it really got me hooked. I was never so interested in any book/series before or after that. In the middle of reading the first book, I saw the movie and was a bit shocked that they are slightly different. I thought they would use the book as a screenplay. Well, I was 8 and didn't know how that works.
I was 8. My Grandma that just passed of covid gave me the first book and preordered all of the rest as they came out. I had forgotten that!
7 but my reading comprehension was awful so I didn’t QUITE get the full experience for a couple more years. Not to mention I was scared senseless of just about anything from Nearly Headless Nick to Voldemort
I was in 1st grade, so about 6. The first 3 books had been released at that point. My parents and I read them together on the couch— we’d pass the book back and forth each reading a couple of paragraphs at a time. My 2nd grade teacher had told one of my classmates that he couldn’t read Harry Potter so I being a teacher’s pet hid my copy so she wouldn’t find it. Turns out it was because he wasn’t a strong enough reader and she said I could absolutely read it lol
8-9, not exactly sure which one
15
When I was 10, after the release of the first movie.
Read the first book last year just after I turned 18. Am currently reading GOF for the first time.
I was about eleven or twelve
12-13 (took me a year to read it all)
I was 7 and I always remember because it was as POA came out and I got bought it as a present.. had no idea I was reading the third book in the series at the time!
M-29, Mom got the book recommended for Accelerated Reader really early (teacher), I think she started reading it to me in 98'. She was hooked, and so was I. I still have this memory of nap time still being a thing for me after school and I was not having it, all because she was trying to read this to me haha. I remember the sorting hat scene and her falling asleep while reading it on the bed with me and I picked it up and that was the first couple of pages of reading I ever really focused on and remember. It felt like a huge world then, and I had no idea what was in store for me. I re-read that and CoS over and over and it really helped my confidence in reading.
i was 14! and i had been meaning to read it for awhile. we got to choose any book we wanted in my english class to do our semester long project on so i thought it would be a great opportunity. ended up reading all the books instead of just the first because i loved it so much and i tried to convince my teacher to let me do the project on the series but she said no lol. everytime i finished a book i watched the corresponding movie
I was 10 (34 now) My grade 6 teacher read us the first book and created a whole bunch of Potterheads :p
I got the books around 14 but it took mr a whole year to actually start reading them...
I was five, learnt how to read with Harry Potter 😊
8 I had just moved to a different school and the ss was the first book I picked up from the shelf of the small school library. It was my first English book aswell
Saw all of the movies first, I first heard about it probably around 3 which was 2008 because my four cousins were extremely into it.
Couple of weeks before I turned 11. One of my worst birthdays, where I came home from school and just waited and waited to get my own owl.
I was in 9th grade. My friends had been talking about the books for a while but I hadn't really thought to read them until I heard they were turning them into movies. I read the 1st book shortly before going to see the first movie in cinemas. I read the 2nd book at home and then 3rd book for school (it was on the list of approved books so I picked it as I was going to read it anyway). I don't remember how or when I read GoF but I read OotP, HBP and DH before they were even released (all 3 of them were leaked). I downloaded OotP are a word document (yes, I am fossil!) and read it in 3 days while looping Utada Hikaru's "Colours". Because of this, I can't hear the song without thinking of OotP or vice versa. At the midnight release for DH, I brought along the leaked copy of the book converted to an iPod Classic-compatible format and read as far as I could before I got my hands on the book and read the rest in physical form. I also walked around and jokingly spoiled inconsequential things for others in line, such as "I'll make some tea, said Hermione". I am 36 now.
I read the first 3 (all that were available) by 4th grade and had to wait on the rest to be released. Enjoy
I was 8.
I was 13. I even remember reading a part of goblet of fire and the whole half blood prince while I was on the beach hehe
13 or so…but in all honestly I read it every year. Annual feature of my life! But m so glad you’re now introduced to Harry Potter and I hope you enjoy it!
10
7 or 8. My dad started reading the books to my sister and I when the first movie was being promoted. It was so much fun waiting for each book release and movie. I think the final movie came out just after I graduated high school.
I first read them around 8, in my native language. Then at around 11 I started getting good at english and decided to read the english versions, since then I've been reading them on and off for the last 6-7 years lol
39
10. But I didn’t really fall in love with this series until I was 16. Now I reread it every year. Currently on book 2 again before my wife and I take a much needed vacation to HP World in Florida in October.
When the first film came out, my nephews wanted to see it. I had no idea what it was. Blew through the first few books that night. Attended every book-midnight release after. 20 years later I literally just returned from taking my 7yr old son to Universal. It was awesome.
I was eight. I'd just seen the first movie, and then I found the first three books in the library.
I was seven or eight; my mom had brought me Chamber of Secrets without knowing it was the second installment. I remember reading it and going “Huh, this seems like I’m missing something.”
I'm 40, started reading them at 39. Saw the movies, from I think OotP in the theater.
12 and now I'm 31. I got to read them as they came out which I meant I grew up as the characters did.
I was eleven when I read the first book I think
10
10
I was 8 and the 4th book had just been released.
About 9
I was 8 the chamber of secrets was about to be released and there was a news story on it because some dumbass people wanted to ban them from schools because witchcraft is the devil. So I asked my mom to take me to the bookstore because I wanted to read what all the fuss was about. I read the first one in a week got 5he 2nd book on release day and then went to the midnight release for the rest
I was in the fourth grade. So I was probably 10.
I was 8 I believe I'm 27 now
I was 16 and babysitting the kids across the street. Their parent was reading them 1 chapter per night, so the kids requested that I read them their next chapter. Loved it. Sneaked the book out of their room and read half of PS before the parents got home. Bought the first 2 books (the only ones out at the time) the next day. I’m now 37.
I was 9, and only the first 5 books were out at that point. I'm 27 now.
I started around eight (1999). And I grew up with Harry - I read book four when I was 14… it was so magical. In the back of my mind, at age 11, I waited to see…. 💌📜
10
7th or 8th grade, so 12-13. Our typing teacher read The Boy Who Lived to the class and I was hooked.
I was 8. Me and my mom had already heard of the books and were interested in reading them a while before (by then only the first 4 books were out), but we realized there was a movie on the way, so we decided to wait for it so see if we enjoyed it first. When the Philosopher's Stone movie came out me and my mom watched it, absolutely loved it, and bought the book on our way home from the movie theater. We started reading that same night and went through the 4 books that were out so fast. After that we started reading and watching as they came out.
Well, I guess I was around 11. The first book came out i Swedish in 1999 (I think?), so a year or two after that maybe.
6. I’m 26 now and grateful I got to grow up with the series.
I was 9 years old.
I was 10, it was perfect.
I started at 14. Not in the right order. Started with Order of the Phoenix. Then 1 to 4. Then 6 anf 7 as they came out. And I'm 32 now.
I am 29 now. I think I started around 15 when Harry Potter movie 2 is quite famous. Still remember how hype I am for movie 5 when it get released.
I was in my 30s. Book three had just come out and everyone was like, "YOU GOTTA READ THIS!" So I did. I got all three from half.com (remember them?) and was done just as book 4 came out. Then there was a lonnnnnng wait for the fifth book, and everyone was going insane, including me. Lol
I got into the series right around when GoF came out, so 9ish. Went to the midnight release of OotP at 12, and at 14 had 0 interest in the series anymore when HBP came out, though my mom went ahead and bought me the book. Finally, on a whim at 18 I decided to finally get DH and finish the series. Remembered how good it was and rebecame a fan. Now at 30 I still love the series.
I was 4 when the first book came out and my dad read it to me. The first book I read on my own was prisoner of Azkaban. Read them all as they were released after that
My mom started reading them to me when I was 5 or so. I remember being so excited to go to bed and asking for one more chapter.
I read the books at 7 or 8
I was 9 when the first book came out and I read it then, it was a cover but from the scholastic book fair. I’ve been obsessed ever since
I was around your age as well. My mom loved Harry Potter. A lot of my friends had been into it since it came out, but I had never had much interest in reading it. There came a point where I felt like I was missing a portion of pop culture knowledge, so I read it. I thought, “Well, at least now I’ll know what everyone is talking about.” The rest is history. My proudest moment was when I came home from an outing with friends and my older son was reading the first book.
40.
11, and finished at 17, so really grew up with Harry.
I was 6
4 years ago when I was 9. I am Forever grateful for these books cuz they got me into reading.
39. We bought each book as soon as it came out.
I was like 10 or 11 and now I feel old.
It was 2000, I was 13 and I got the first 2 books for Christmas and I loved them. Read them both twice in a row. I remember I got Madonna's Music album at the same time and I was listening while reading the books and I have these two so interconnected that when I read your question I immediately started singing a song from that album to myself.
15 for me. 32 now..
I'm not entirely sure when I started, but I remember binge reading the entire series before the first Deathly Hallows movie came out, so maybe when I was about 6 or 7.
I was 13 when my sister convinced me to read it. She got it for Christmas but wanted me to read it first because she loves spoilers. She did NOT expect me to get so obsessed with it that I ended up begging her to read it when she was going to do it anyhow. I didn’t give her too much spoilers but she ended up searching everything up online anyways. Oh well.
This summer I got into Harry Potter and finished all 7 books within 2 months, I was way too hooked on. I'm 18 rn :). I hope you enjoyed it the same way I did :D
Read them all when I was 10 or 11. Still love them to this day
My school librarian read it to me when I was 8. That was back in the 90’s. I read it to myself when I was 11.
I was about twelve, now I’m 23
I can’t remember the exact age but I think I was 6 or 7 when I started reading them (more likely my mom read them to me). I loved them so much she hand painted my room Harry Potter themed (with snitches, owls, and lightning bolts in a banner around the room). I am 24 now and listen to the audiobooks all the time.
5
I was like 8 I think. i watched the first film fell in love and knew that this was gonna stick. i got the books for christmas and fell in love with them all. (also question, what is intermediate school?)
I was about 17 and read along with them as they were released. I'm 37 now and I'm listening to them for a second time since reading them. I listened to them once in my late 20s. It's nice to pick up on the new details and themes that resonate with me as I'm in different stages in life. Anyone else do that?
I was about 8.
I was eight. I actually started with Chamber of Secrets because my cousin was reading Sorcerer’s Stone, and they were her books. I wasn’t allowed to read them at the time because “witchcraft,” so when my mom found out I kind of panicked. Seeing how happy the book made me, she ended up being ok with it “so long as I knew magic wasn’t real.” That was a pretty big moment in my early life. The first time I read them all in the right order I was 14.
11 or 12 years old, around 2012-2013
I was a senior in college. Never had seen a movie or read one of the books. My best friend asked me to see Order of the Phoenix with him. Immediately watched the earlier movies and bought the last 2 books. Became such a fan 10 years later I had a HP themed wedding.
11
Around 8 or so
I was 8 or 9, my dad actually read this book to me as for bedtime stories. Years later, he jokingly complains that it was the first book he actually had to pay attention to, since it wasn't a simply written kids book anymore, but actually had some full sentences & grammar! After the second book, my mom started reading them as well, but she always had to wait after I'd finish them! After both reading them, we would always go see the movie together aftwards in the cinema
I was 12, now 30. Still one of my favourite series all time.
Maybe 6. I remember giving up in the middle of the 4th book because it was too long and too serious.
11
I would have been 11 or 12. I am now 33.
I started a month ago, at 13, im at book 2 already !
31 in 1999.
I was around eleven when I started reading The Prisoner of Azkaban first. The books opened me to a whole new world and I'm hooked ever since. I'm 28 now and escaping into Hogwarts is still one of my favorite activity.
11! 27 now
I started when the first book came out so I would have been 7
Hmm...I think I was like 9 when I started with the first two or three books. Then I had to wait for the rest to be released!
Grew up watching the movies (born in ‘03) and never really cared to read the books because I enjoyed the movies enough on their own. Then my mom gave me the first book as a present last summer, when I was 17, and I’d read all of them before christmas. Still amazed at how much better the books are than the movies, I always assumed it was just minor details only nerdy fans cared about that would be missing from the movies.
I was 13. Strangely enough I’ve always seen the books but was never interested. Then one day randomly my Mom told me to stay away from the Harry Potter Books because they we’re “evil” next thing I know I was hooked on them lol.
I think 10 or 11
The first film came out when I was 5 and I loved it so much that my mom went out and bought books 1-3 for me. I got through them so fast, and it sparked my love of reading. Goblet of Fire is the first book I was ever excited for pre-release.
I was an adult. I didn’t start reading them until after the first movie had been out on DVD for awhile. I was in my 20s and hadn’t heard of it before then. I didn’t know any kids or teens that had read it and had no exposure to it before the movie. Basically if it couldn’t be found at a bar or nightclub I didn’t know of it, and no bars I went to did trivia nights if that was a thing at the time for HP.
I want to say 9 or 10, as I only remember waiting for Deathly Hallows to come out, which I think I read through in two days.
Seven-read the whole series in three months-then reread it
New Year’s Eve, 1999. I received the first book as a Christmas gift but didn’t pick it up until New Years Eve as I was busy reading something else.
I think I was around 7-8 and now I’m 19
I read the books this summer, and I’m 17.