Why do kids like Harry Potter?

I was watching the first Harry Potter movie today (yes, I'm a nerd) and remembering when my mom first brought home the books for my brother and I to read. I was fourteen and Jason was eleven. He read them first. I remember asking him how he liked them and he replied, "I want to BE Harry Potter." I was horrified because this was the same time that the whole witchcraft/magic/this-is-sinful debate began. Then I read the books myself, and understood a little better. Of course, what child doesn't imagine what it would be like to be invisible or to fly? But it's not just that. There's something appealing about Harry's world that's about more than just spells and magic. I realized today that Harry's world just isn't...safe. Having the most evil wizard in the world as one's mortal enemy certainly doesn't help, but even just daily life for the students at Hogwarts is a series of potential accidents. Staircases move without warning, spells blow up in their faces, dangerous magical creatures run around loose, and sports are played hundreds of feet in the air. Harry's teachers certainly don't want any serious harm to befall him or the other students. But they also don't go out of their way to minimize all of it. A world of unpredictable magic, dangers, and enemies is also a world full of untapped potential and adventure. There are always corridors to explore, new skills to learn, and new challenges to face. Harry's life is not boring.

Maybe by the time most of us are adults, we've lost our thirst for adventure. Most kids still have it. They want to be told "yes" more often then "no" or "that's not safe." To explore. To take things apart. To climb things. To blow things up. To be a hero. To test their limits and explore their potential. To become really good at something. To take risks and fail. To take risks and succeed. They recognize what they're missing when they see Harry's life, even if they can't fully articulate it. We live in a world that's medicated, vaccinated, full of kneepads, helmets, seatbelt laws, and health food. Our playgrounds don't have tire swings or tall slides. Our hiking trials are paved and have handrails. If anything hurts us, we sue its owners. If anything could even potentially hurt our kids, we don't let them near it.

In Harry's world, parents let their kids be exposed to potetial harm because that is the only way that they can really learn. School is about learning practical skills that will be used in life. Some of it is tedious book learning, but much of it is hands on life-learning. Life learning is hard and sometimes hurts. If children are allowed (within reason)to get hurt, and to get back up and keep trying, they learn that lesson much sooner. They're more aware of their own limitations, and their capabilities.

The other criticism I hear often about Harry is that the books encourage kids to break rules. Yes, Harry and his friends break rules. So what? I'm not trying to encourage disobedience, but there are a lot of "rules" in life that we are sometimes better off not following. Norms, expectations, "playing it safe," "going by the book"--everyone who was ever wildly successful was willing to step outside the boundaries of what was known or acceptable and take a risk. Harry and his friends do break rules and sometimes get in trouble for it. But they also learn what is really valuable and what is worth taking a risk for--valor, friendship, honor, goodness, and self-sacrifice.

Why do kids like Harry Potter? Because they want to BE him. And that is not a bad thing.