User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4189556-20110723025515

Since Harry Potter came out when I was six or seven, it was one of the first full length chapter books I read. I didn't actually read the first book until I was eight though because before that I had never really been interested in reading. After reading it though all books seemed like they were sets of magical instructions, which allowed me to make the world I lived in more exciting. I formed a club with my elementary school friends where we practiced spells and potions and divination and went on our own wild adventures in order to stay away from the overbearing and watchful adults that ran our after school program. And even now that my friends and I seem too busy and grown up to play pretend, I use my love of storytelling and adventure which Harry Potter helped give to me to create my own stories. I have learned so many important lessons from reading Harry Potter (on bravery, friendship, making choices, staying true to your values), but I think one of the most invaluable ones has been the power of storytelling and its ability to empower those who believe in it no matter how old they are.