User blog comment:JoePlay/Wizarding World Giveaway/@comment-4190171-20110723061331

"What does Harry Potter mean to you?"

I did not start reading the books until the summer before I started 7th grade, when I was 12 years old. I had heard of Harry Potter before, but since my parents didn't ever bring it up, I didn't give it a second thought. However, I became an instant, and fervent, fan. I even dressed up as Hermione that year for Halloween because people told me I looked like her. I caught up with the books and when the Half-Blood Prince and the Deathly Hallows came out, I had read the whole book within two days after the release date. I was a very shy girl when I was young in elementary school, and I was extremely nervous about going to junior high in the 7th grade. However, the Harry Potter series gave me something to love and helped me be unafraid to express myself to complete strangers, and I even ended up with even more friends during those two years of junior high than I ever had in the seven years of elementary school, and those friends have lasted all through high school. Harry Potter helped me break out of my shell when I was young and scared, and helped me become the person I am today: outgoing, expressive, and unafraid. The first book, the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, came out directly around the time I was born, and the last movie, the Deathly Hallows Part 2, came out just after I graduated high school. The series has spanned my whole life thus far, and will continue to stay in my heart, mind, and hands for the rest of my life.