Ben Wyatt was about 8 when he picked up his first Harry Potter book. He’s been hooked ever since.
Ben Wyatt was about 8 when he picked up his first Harry Potter book. He’s been hooked ever since.
Ben hopes to someday visit a Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios in California. He considers Professor Remus Lupin — a protagonist character in the fantasy book series — his favorite.
And, like many young Potter fans stuck in the Muggle world (the term for the non-wizarding society), Ben said he’s often dreamed of getting an owl-delivered acceptance letter of his own to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“I’ve wished that many times,” the now 10-year-old Ben said. “(The wizarding world) seems a little more interesting and a lot more exciting.”
On Wednesday, Ben was in good company as he decorated magic wands and drank (nonalcoholic) butterbeer with more than two dozen fellow Potter super fans, all members of the Hilo Public Library’s new Harry Potter fan club.
The monthly club got started in October. The library wanted to provide a gathering specifically for pre-teen and teenage youth, librarian Gretchen Andrews said.
Andrews said the library sees “a lot of young readers” but “at a certain point they sort of (stop) reading or the reading slows down” as teens are drawn more toward social media, computers and the Internet. Harry Potter books remain among the best-selling young adult novels of all time.
To-date, nearly 500 million copies have been sold around the world. The Hilo library “almost never has the first, second or third book checked in,” Andrews said.
“These books are just like timeless and very relateable,” Andrews said. “Kids like the magic. There’s no bad language, no violence … it’s a little more creative for them in the sense that, they can be who they want to be. It’s kind of like a mini-type of cosplay for that age.”
The books have seen a recent revival in popularity, Andrews said, which she attributes to this month’s release of the movie “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” The movie is a prequel to the Harry Potter series, based on a 2001 book by the series’ author, J.K. Rowling.
Several at Wednesday’s meeting dressed up for the occasion. Ben’s friend Cyrus Bower, 11, wore crimson-colored Quidditch robes (Quidditch is a popular sport in the wizarding world played on broomsticks). And parent Mona Michelson, who came with her son, Zadok, 8, even joined in on the fun and wore a homemade “invisibility cloak” comprised of shimmery fabric and duct tape.
“We’re big fans of J.K. Rowling and we like her books,” Michelson said. “ … They’re timeless. Every kid has their growing pains and developments and successes and emotions, and all that is in check (in the books) even though everything else is complete fantasy.”
Club member Jade Ivey, 9, said she began reading Harry Potter at age 5 and has since read all seven in the series and has watched all the Harry Potter films. She became friends with fellow Potter fan Sri Butz, 9, after the two girls learned they both enjoyed the series.
“I think if more kids actually gave Harry Potter a chance, they would really like it,” Jade said.
“I like that (Harry Potter books) are never repetitive, and they have different adventures that are always happening,” Sri added.
The library wasn’t sure how many kids would be interested in the club, but about 10 showed to the October meeting, Andrews said. Nearly 30 attended on Wednesday. The next meeting — slated for January — could draw an even larger crowd, Andrews said. Those who come will learn to “cast spells” such as “Accio,” (summon an object) using wands they made on Wednesday.
For more information about the club, call the library at 933-8890.
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.