January 3, 2001
Library throws Harry Potter party
Book fans celebrate the fantasy world of young wizard
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Snitches, wands and capes - oh, my.
For Harry Potter fans young and old, Saturday afternoon was a time to revel in their shared love of these children's fantasy books that have taken the world by storm. More than 100 fans congregated at the Traverse Area District Library for a Harry Potter Party, an idea cooked up by the children's librarians to celebrate reading.
For two hours, attendees munched on treacle fudge, pumpkin juice with eyeballs and Parsley popcorn while making buttons, bookmarks, magic wands and Snitches. Two area magicians held forth in one corner while serious Harry Potter devotees grappled with questions from a trivia challenge, hoping for the designation of Master Magician.
All in all, it was a successful time, with no visits from "You-Know-Who" and no Howlers received by over-excited children running amok.
Putting into words the reason they liked author J. K. Rowling's writings was easy for many of the fans.
"I like the descriptive words used," said Brittany Otterstetter, a seventh grader at Traverse City West Junior High School. "I love to read."
Master Magician Annie Smith easily pointed to the secret of her success in the trivia contest.
"I have read all of them too many times," said Smith, a seventh grader at West Junior High School.
Many people came to the party dressed as their favorite Harry Potter character. A trio from Petoskey arrived dressed to the nines in their otherworld costumes: mom as Professor Trelawny, daughter as Hermione Granger and a family friend as Professor McGonagall. For a family whose Harry Potter books are disintegrating from overuse, the Stoppels were in the right place at the right time.
"I read the first three books many times and the fourth one two times," said Hannah Stoppel, 9, Hermione Granger for the day.
Even some parents who have never cracked a Harry Potter book were caught up in the spirit. Francis Otto of Glen Lake brought his two children, Eric, 11, and Karen, 6, to the Harry Potter party. After watching all the fun, he decided he might read some Harry Potter himself.
"Eric got the last book and read it in four days," said Otto, calling his family a reading family. "I guess I'll have to read it."
For the library staff and volunteers who conceived of and ran the event, it was a welcome chance to put reading at center stage for kids, instead of sports, television or video games.
"I think the benefit of books like Harry Potter is that kids who like to read get to see something popular out in the regular culture, versus something like sports," said Christopher Spear, a children's librarian at the Traverse Area District Library. "The series has also turned on some readers who don't normally read. They will lead kids from liking fantasy to liking science fiction; then from there to liking science."
Veteran librarian Theresa Schaub spent 30 years working as a children's librarian at the Traverse Area District Library before retiring in 1993. Volunteering to help out at the Saturday's event, Schaub recalled her initial skepticism about Harry Potter books, based on her many years of reading children's books set in English boarding schools.
"I thought this would be just another boarding school book," Schaub said. "Then I read the first one and it was a good story; shortly I knew something was off. There was magic and the story quickly evolves into something different."
Schaub now appreciates the series and believes it can lead kids to other science fiction and fantasy classics, including the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis and "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkein.
"The Harry Potter books are page turners," she said. "They are very well written and have good character development, good plot development and good English."