Seward County Independent

    "I had been writing almost continuously since the age of six but I had never been so excited about an idea before. I simply sat and thought, for four hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me."
     Little did J.K. Rowling know, but those four hours spent brainstorming on that pivotal train ride from Manchester to London in 1990 would eventually make her, according to Forbes, the best-selling novelist in literary history.
     Rowling put her thoughts to paper, typing the manuscript of Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone (Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S.) on an old typewriter while unemployed and living on state benefits.
     That was 12 years ago, but as of July 21, seven Harry Potter books have been published, 63 different translations have been inked, 330 million copies have been sold and, according to many, children's literacy is up.
     While the last chapter in the series-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-has now been written by Rowling and read by her fans, the last film reel certainly isn't cut: Potter fans can still anticipate two more film adaptations on the way for Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. Harry Potter's adventures are no secret to the Seward area, as many parents, children and even adult fans lined up at Chapters Books and Gifts at the stroke of midnight Friday, July 20, to get their hands on the final book in the series.
     For years readers have poured themselves into the books, often out of curiousity about "what the fuss is about", leading to full-fledged fanaticism.
     "My children got me started on it," said Shannon Newburn of Seward. "They had seen the movies at my mother-in law's house, and I wanted to know more about the whole phenomenon."
     Newburn said she eventually picked up the first book last summer. Then she read all the way through the sixth by the end of the summer.
     Now, she says, she reads the books with her children, especially on the road during family trips. They go on vacation July 25, and she is taking Deathly Hallows along.
     "These books aren't for everybody, but it drives [children] away from the TV and the video games and back to reading, so I think it's good for them if they like this genre of books," she said.
     Jon Wiemer of Seward said he tried reading Sorcerer's Stone when he was eight years old, but was unimpressed. Three years later he gave it another try and said he loved it.
     "My mom wants to beat me [in finishing the last book]," Wiemer said. "She was skeptical at first, but then I told her it was a really good series, and now she's hooked on it."
     Carla Ketner, owner of Chapters Books and Gifts, said she thinks Harry Potter has had a positive influence on families.
     "Parents read it to their kids and it's become a tradition that the whole family reads it together," she said. "Anything you can do to bring families together is a good thing."
     Ketner said she is looking forward to how the series ends.
     "I have read them all more than once, and I've enjoyed them all," she said.
     Many fans responded the same about why they liked the series so much: for all its wizardry and fantasy elements, Harry Potter still grapples with moral issues about doing what's right when wrong seems easier.
     "I like how there's always been battles between good and evil," Newburn said. "Even though there's tough decisions, Harry makes the right choices. So far, doing the right thing is the best thing in the end. Good always wins. There's also life lessons as Harry grows up that all children go through."
     Ketner agrees.
     "The lessons in the books are really things kids encounter in school or some way or another, lessons about making good choices and doing what's right even if those choices are hard," she said.
     Young fan Josie Rojewski of Seward said she will probably miss the series.
     "I really like looking forward to what's going to happen next," she said. "When it's over it'll be like 'This is it.'"
     "It's sad in a way because I've looked forward to seeing the next book come out since I was a child, but I'm glad I'll know the final chapter," Wiemer said.
     When asked if she thinks a literary phenomenon will ever come along and equal or surpass Potter, Newburn said she wasn't sure.
     "There are always great authors coming about," she said. "Every generation has one. There was C.S. Lewis with The Chronicles of Narnia series. For this generation it was Harry Potter. Maybe there's another one for my grandchildren."