Who says children aren’t reading?

Eighteen youngsters between the ages of 10 and 12 gathered on a school night last week at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library to discuss books — three 300-page books, to be exact. Liz Arneth, a retired high school teacher who lives in Sandy Hook, led the group discussion on the Harry Potter novels.

“It was so extraordinary to be with children who had not only read the books, but cared passionately about the characters, loved following the complicated plot structures, and could not wait for the next book to be written,” Mrs Arneth said.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling has received widespread media attention, but to understand the magic of the series you would have to look into the faces of the children who love Harry and all of his adventures, Mrs Arneth said.

At the library that evening, all of the children’s hands were in the air to answer the questions, and they all had fun drawing their versions of a Quidditch match, a magic portal, or creating a birthday card for Harry. They happily helped each other out with the myriad details encompassed in the stories, and their joy in reading was evident.

Mrs Arneth said she hopes the evening is the beginning of a series based on the novels. Future meetings may involve poetry writing and perhaps some dramatic presentations based on incidents in the stories. Several of the students in the group are reporters for their schools, and are eager to write about Harry. All of them told about how many of their friends have been hooked on Harry Potter books, and they spend a great deal of time talking about the happenings at Hogwarts compared to the world inhabited by Muggles.

Mrs Arneth said the mystery of the Harry Potter success might best be explained in a quote by Peter Landry in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “If people believe in the magical possibilities of life, they will discover ways to find magic. This can be happiness in small things, or joy in large. It can be living like a wizard, or simply choosing not to be a muggle.” The children at the library believed in the magic.

Mrs Arneth said she appreciated the help provided by Alana Meloni, the director of the children’s department at the library; Marty LaMarche, who did the graphics and designed the bookmarks; and Ginger Humeston, who greeted the children, painted lightning bolts on their foreheads, and cut the cake.

The next program will be offered on Wednesday, November 10, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm in the children’s department. Participants are asked to investigate the use of magic wands in the story. They also should bring questions to help Mrs Arneth develop a future Harry Potter Jeopardy game. Call the children’s department at the library to reserve a space because only 20 children can be accommodated in the program.