The Yak Shack Forum

I'm not done yet but MAN is my head spinning. I'm in the middle of chapter 23: Horcruxes and I cant believe already how many of my questions have been anwsered, just in this chapter alone. I mean, I know I found out who the HBP is and who dies (I'd like to give a huge apology to Choice of Lúthien for being so rude to you the other day I was just so mad that I read that and I should read EVERYTHING before proceding to any other posts but I dont even care now ;D Forgive and forget? I'd also like to apologize to Roz for making such a big deal over the Choice of Lúthien posting mess and to Mark who I think I ruin it for :-\) I cant BELIEVE how much stuff happened in other books that tie into this one. Like the diary in COS, thats one of Vold- sorry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Nameds Horcruxes :o I dont think I'll just let this book collect dust I'll have to read it again ;D ;D ;D ;D

I agree with the head-spinning - I was also finding it difficult to see after a 12 hour reading stint without food.  Still, I'm fully recovered now but still overawed by Jo's writing skills.

I know I am not in the majority but my favourite book prior to this was OOTP.  It was just so complex that everytime I read it I found more clues so I ended up reading it six times and the last few chapters maybe half a dozen times more.
HBP, however, knocks spots off OOTP.  It is far more cohesive. OOTP was a bit patchy in that parts of it were very slow then the action moved so fast it passed you in a blur.  In HBP the action never stops - it was unbelievably good.  I don't know how she does it - just when you think it can't get any better she seems to go into overdrive.

The end is particularly good. It was such a cliff-hanger. The end is totally wide open - will Hogwarts survive, is Snape a bad guy and was Dumbledore wrong after all, how will Harry take his leave of the Dursleys, how will he become an Auror without his NEWTS, will he and Ginny finally get together and ride off into the sunset???? - Just a few of the many question to be answered apart from the vital one of will Harry get LV before LV gets him.

How I am going to wait a further two years, I don't know.  I heard Jo say on a TV internview for the HBP that she wasn't going to start writing before the end of the year.  Is she a sadist?  She also said, though, that she had already written the end so perhaps it won't take quite as long - hopefully.
 
The first two books now look like 'Sesame Street' by comparison.  I don't know if her intentions have changed since the series began but I don't think the majority audience for the last two books can be the 9-11 age group as Amazon seems to think.  Although the books can be read on more than one level, I would have thought it very difficult for such a young person to be able to follow the thought processes (and angst) of a 17 year old with any understanding.  I am happy to be told different, however.

Having dashed through the book with the TV and radio definitely turned OFF (so that nobody could tell me the plot before I'd found out for myself!), I will now sit down and read it with more attention to detail.  I am doubtful, however, of adding much to my understanding - most of my questions seem to be being addressed by other people on this site.  Anyway, you never know....

I'm sure that if a 9-11 year olds started reading at the time book 1 (PS) came out they are now 15-17 year olds and are able to follow the progress. But new 9-11 year olds would be well advised to start with book 1 and read them in order. I was lucky that I started reading with COS and had SP to go back and read. By the time I'd read that one POA was published so I had three books to read without a long dry spell. The new crop of 9-11 year olds that start from PS are lucky. They have 6 books to read. By then Year 7 Part 1 will be ready. (I'm hoping for a two part year 7 story.)

Tell me something: Was Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse when she helped Harry get Dumbledore to the castle?

Yup I think so I was a bit sus when she had two brooms all ready.

Yeah, that does make since. I knew there was something I didnt like about her

I don't think any of the characters would willingly want a Death Eater to put him or her under the Imperius Curse. :)

but my question is which death eater did it maybe malfoy  and does this prove that Draco malfoy is a death eater now

Could be any of them. I must say sorry McG but I am even sus of her she seemed to really want the info out of Harry  :-\

Not at all - you (like me) have developed a need to get rid of all those blue little "new" (topic) tags :)

It would be hard for the people who had finished not to mention anything about the book til everyone else had finished, I'm sorry you read it and that after reporting the post poor Mark read it too, but all's well that ends well and it's a great book to read even if you already know part of the ending ;)

Just wait til you have finished and start reading all our discussions and interpretations as to what happened, your eyes will be on stalks :o


Exactly! I don't think I'd want my 11 year old - should I ever have one - reading the Goblet of Fire.

actually scott was eleven when he read it but as he has a great grasp on what is real and what is fiction he was fine with the book ( he has trouble reading ) but what i want to do is get all the book on cd for all the kids that way they can hear some of the words they don't understand.

But he thought the good was great and was very happy that harry had survived it was a bit graphic but no more than some of the english books he reads

This is a problem I'm running into now, and my kids are only 5.  I've read them parts of the first three books and allowed them to watch the movies, but only when I'm with them and can skip over certain scenes with my remote.  They've seen all of the fun parts and not much of the more violent stuff. 

I don't know what I'm going to do with GOF on up.  I've avoided reading them those books, so far.  But, my daughter is a HUGE fan.  She desperately wants to see GOF in the theater with us (we will not bring her and I'm not even sure she'll be allowed to watch any of the DVD) and she has repeatedly asked questions about the OOTP and HBP books.  In a way, it's all my fault.  She's been watching me read the books and collect a variety of HP paraphernalia, so of course she wants to be like mommy. :)  Now I have to find a way to keep her away from the rest of the books and movies until she's old enough to handle the themes.

the thing that you can do is what i do with tj she like you little one loves harry potter and what i do is when we watch one of the movies i sit with her and explain there are parts that i would prefer her not to watch and when they come on the screen i will cover her eye and i plan to watch the movies on a friday / saturday night that way she falls asleep half way through and what parts i don't want her to see i cover her eyes. that way she gets to see a majority of the movie and i get to control what she sees

Yes Roz, my heart was still bounding out of my chest even thought I knew who died and who the Half-Blood Pricne was :rofl:

I agree with McGonagall.  I cover my 6 year olds eyes for scary parts.  We've watched the movies so much that even if I'm up doing something else, she actually goes into the other room all on her own when she knows a scary part is coming.  She did get a glimpse of a dementor once which didn't scare her a bit.  But she completely runs out of the room when Trelawney sneaks up on Harry on POA!  So far I haven't had to worry about the books.  We don't read those together.

But you've got to think. I mean when I'm reading it it scares me like the pensive scene in the cave. Can you already picture the dead jumping out of the water or picture them in the water on screen. I think Movie six will be PG-13

My son hates the part when Aunt Marge blows up!  I don't know what it is that bothers him so much, but he won't even look at the TV.  He curls up in a chair by himself and hides his face.  I tell him when it's over, then the little turtle head pops out and he continues watching the movie.

I don't even want to think about the cave scene yet!

The only thing that really scared me was Voldemort in SS :o

What timing -- this article appeared in today's Boston Globe.

Young Potter readers need to talk, grieve

By Barbara F. Meltz, Globe Staff  |  July 21, 2005

As she was leaving for summer school Monday morning, the day after she had finished ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," 14-year-old Chelsey Bowman of Newton asked her mother, ''Will you be here when I get home at 1 o'clock? I don't want to be alone."

The neediness took June Bowman by surprise. Not only is it unlike her daughter to be frightened, it's also unlike ''Harry Potter" to cause that degree of intensity.

Less than 24 hours after the book was released last weekend, readers who had already finished it were seeking solace in a chat thread on livejournal.com:

''Is anyone else in complete and utter shock about who just died and how, or am I the only one?"

''I am in shock. OMG, I can't believe what I just read. I spent like the last three chapters bawling my eyes out. I'm just in shock, pure utter shock."

We won't be the spoiler here, but it's no secret that a much-beloved character dies in this sixth book in the series by J.K. Rowling. What do you say when your child has been up all night reading, and her eyes are red and swollen from crying?

For sure you don't say, ''Oh honey, it's only a book."

Children's literature specialist Masha Rudman of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst says, ''That's like saying, 'Oh, it's only one stick of dynamite.' " In other words, she says, ''Stories have power."

''Harry Potter is not just a book, it's an entire world that becomes very real to you," says 15-year-old Sara Sokolove, also of Newton. ''People use Harry Potter books as a distraction to their own lives. To escape. You can't do that with this one because it's so depressing." Sara's mother, Ann, was distressed by how disturbed her daughter was. ''Her reaction was so strong. I could see it in her face before she even said a word."

Is that a reason for some children not to read this much-anticipated book?

Probably not.

Rowling's series has dealt with weighty issues all along: love, loss, good, evil, death, trust. Although ''Half-Blood" is darker and scarier and has the potential to tap into deep, sometimes upsetting feelings, that's not necessarily bad, says child and adolescent bereavement specialist Heather Servaty-Seib, a professor at Purdue University and an avid Potter fan.

''Talking about fiction is a safe way for children to talk about real life. The book can be a catalyst for important conversation," she says.

''For me, this book is all about trust," says Hilla Rogel, 15, of Brookline. ''Who can you trust? Are my parents sometimes wrong? Can you depend on anyone besides yourself?"

''After I finished, I lay awake and went over and over it in my head until morning," says Eli Dreyfus, 14, of Newton. ''My life is parallel to Harry Potter's. It made me feel really vulnerable. What would I do [in similar situations]? Am I ultimately alone, too?"

Rogel, a counselor in training at Creative Arts at Park, a summer program at the Park School in Brookline, and Dreyfus, a camper there, were among 16 readers who finished the book and gathered to talk about it Tuesday morning. It was not an upbeat discussion. They used words like ominous, intense, hopeless, and dark to describe it, along with touching, sincere, and exhilarating. That's a sharp contrast to previous Harry Potter books, which they describe as mostly leaving them feeling high and excited.

''It's the first book to make me think more about what I just read than to just be looking forward to the next one," says Raanan Sarid-Segal, 14, of Newton, another Park camper.

Only one reader described it as hopeful.

''You have to kind of turn things around to get [to the hopefulness] 'cause it really is frightening to think that we all really are on our own," says Emma Frank, a 17-year-old counselor-in-training from Brookline. ''But that can be a lovely and hopeful message, too: that you have to take responsibility for yourself sooner or later." She stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish the book and sobbed through the ending.

Cambridge Hospital psychiatrist David Jones, a Harry Potter aficionado who begged his wife to give him a break from parenting responsibilities on Sunday so he could finish the book, says younger readers will tend to take the book literally and be frightened.

Indeed, Sarid-Segal felt paranoid when he finished: ''I went around the house three times, checking to make sure it was safe."

Nina Blass of Arlington, also 14, says, ''It's not a kid's book anymore. It's much too scary." She's worried about her 8-year-old sister reading it by herself.

Jones urges parents whose children are 9 or younger to read the book to them. ''Kids are egocentric. They blame themselves when bad things happen, like death or divorce. Seeing Harry feel so guilty may make them think, 'Gee, I must be right to feel guilty for what happened in my life,' " Jones says.

Servaty-Seib is concerned that young children will connect death to evil. She tells parents, ''The message to convey is that death is a normative part of the human experience."

With older children, read it yourself at the same time. Making it a shared experience is comforting. Blass read through the night with two friends, stopping to talk about it at the end of some chapters. ''We finished at 8 a.m," she says. ''We collapsed on each other. We cried. Then we fell asleep."

The 14- to 19-year-old reader is emotionally vulnerable because her thinking is more abstract and metaphysical. Celeste Hughey also had a group read. A 19-year-old counselor at Park, she was the first of her three friends to finish. ''I watched them close their books. They kind of curled up into a ball. You feel numb, let down, wrung out," she says. She's anxious for her mom to finish the book so they can talk about it. ''I want to say to her, 'I'm so glad I still have you,' " Hughey says.

Servaty-Seib says it will be hard for a reader of any age not to feel grief. For those who have experienced loss in their own lives, including a pet's death or having a best friend move away, it may stir up feelings they didn't know they had.

Park camper Rosa Zedek, 12, of Brookline attended her grandmother's memorial service over the weekend, then came home to read ''Half-Blood." The timing was unfortunate. ''It's left me kind of numb," she says.

Even if a child is temperamentally vulnerable or prone to depression, child psychiatrist Michael Jellinek says, ''I'm not sure that [reading it] is necessarily bad," but a parent should absolutely read it as well and initiate conversation. ''All of us get some emotional relief or satisfaction from sadness on the screen or in books or fairy tales," he says. ''It's catharsis. It helps us relate and think through our own lives." Jellinek is president of Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Most children will bounce back from any sadness within 24 hours. If not, or if their reaction to the book is extreme, consider it a tip-off that the book is stirring some deeper feelings. Jellinek says, ''I'd ask, 'You seem really sad. Is something bothering you? Is there something about this story that's making you sad?' "

Sophie Lazar of Jamaica Plain, a 12-year-old at Park who has reread each of the previous Potter books as many as three times, isn't so sure she'll reread ''Half-Blood." ''Way too scary and sad, and disappointing," she says. ''I liked it better when Harry, and Ron and Hermione just had adventures."

Its even affected me a bit. Not really from the death I knew it had to happen. But worried abot what the future holds and who will make it and who won't :(

What an excellent article and I'll have to remember to show it to my partner once he's finished reading.
My son is 11 and about to start at his senior school in September - in many ways he's old beyond his years but in others, lets just say I'll have to keep an eye on him once he nears the latter part of the book.
I'm already asking the pair of them 'where've you got to?' so I don't go and blab!! ::)

I can't honestly say 'the death' affected me that greatly .. no tears etc though I was somewhat stunned by how it came about.
I'm just readying myself to re-read it and hopefully pick up on things I might have missed the first time around. ;)

I know Dawn, I wasnt scared for myself and what would happen to me I was more worried about Harry, Ron, and Hermione :(

Anyway I have started to throw myself back into my own stories where I know I can control what happens to them ;)

I know, one one person is going to die in my new fanfic. I havent started yet but I've decided to kill off Ron. Sorry all you Ron fans  but its the only way Voldemort can get to Harry and yes Voldemort will die in my story. Harry will come out with a few wounds and end up with Hermione NOT GINNY ;D

Your just peeved because you don't want Ron with Hermione you want her for yourself ;)

Well, RON MUST DIE >:D

You evil person poor old Ron just think how upset Harry and Hermione will be  :'(

Well, their pain will turn into love ;D

(should you really be giving your plot anyway like that? I like to do a JK and keep it close to my chest myself ;) )

No, I really dont care because no one but me and Monica will be reading it :rofl:

Oh well have you told her whats going to happen or are you sharing the writing?

No, shes writting her own and when were both done we just swap and take a week to read it. My new story is 38 pages long :o when I had it on 20 point size it was 68 page :o :o :o

Oh thats nothing my stories tend to be over 100 pages long ::) still nothing compared to OOTP and HBP ;)

I dont think this one will be that long. My storys I'm working on know are my adventures at Hogwarts with my firend Justin (yeah, I'm in Hufflepuff). Harrys there two. The point of this story is that I look like Harry and I dont know why Monicas there but she's in Gryffindor and wont show up to help me till book three

Well mine see quite long especially to those who read it, but I am still going strong ;)

I love mine, I usually can read mine in about a day but I make sure I make chapters in case I stop ;D

Here the explanation for why he looks like Harry. Just finished typing it up. Its from Chapter Nine The Headmasters Secret when he snuck back into the room where the Mirror of Erised is and he found a note telling when it was going to be moved

"Oh, its going to be moved" Michael said with a little gloom in his voice. "How terrible" he looked into the mirror and saw that the image had change. He no longer saw his whole family just him talking to his grandfather with Harry in the background. "I wish I could talk to you" he said turning around to head back to the hall. "Oh, but I can" Michael jump around to see his grandfather leaning against the glass. He couldnt speak, he couldnt move, he could do nothing. "Hello Grandson. Wheres Harry I thought you'd have meet already" "W...w...we have, but we dont hang together. I'm in Hufflepuff and he's in Gryffindor." This time his grandfather was speechless."Your in Huflepuff. I could have swore you would be in Gryffindor with Harry. Must have skipped a gene or something. Your father showed Huffelpuff talent" he laughed, probably thinking about how a Muggle could show signs of magic but not have a drop in their blood. "Anyway, Michael. I dont have time. I am but a memory, sent here to just to talk to you about why you and Harry look so much alike. I havent got much time. I'll be moved Saturday as you see by the note. I was put here by Dumbledore last year because he knew you would be here this year. That is why he didnt want you to go snopping in Professor Sprout Office, the anwser isnt there its here. James, Michael, was my son. His mother, your grandmother, didnt think he deserved to live with me because I wasnt a powerful enough wizard to raise him so she left me with your father which I struggled with for years until I found out he wasnt a wizard" he laughed again "She made me disown James which lead to a curse being placed on his family, nothing to do with Harrys problems, but it also cursed your father in the procces. So, know you are curse to experance any phisical pain Harry feels notice the scar...." His grandfather couldnt finish, the bell rang making both of them jump. "I'm sorry grandpa but I've got class. I'll find you Saturday" with once more look-back he ran out the door and to his Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.

Really, I thought it was kind of stupid :)

No it is an interesting idea. However I think we better stop high jaking the thread before we get into trouble  :-\

LOL, good idea. Is there another thread about fanfics?

I started one ages ago but last time I looked I couldn't find it, not sure if it got deleted or I am just blind ???

If it was started a long time ago then it's probably been deleted

The thread was most likely lost when the Shack crashed last month.

I couldn't find it before that, anyway there is a shiney new one just started ;)

Mike, you better re-think that. If Harry ends up with Hermione that means you end up with ????