In a recent interview, a character actor from Scotland who portrays the popular Inspector Rebus has launched an odd attack of sorts on those in the education field who favor children reading the Harry Potter novels. The Scotsman reports that actor Ken Stott (who also appeared in “The Girl in the Cafe” directed by David Yates) said the following during an interview with Radio Times:
“If we’re going to make a fuss about children reading books, do it with Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials books, not JK Rowling.
“I can’t believe idiot educationalists are praising children for turning up at school and reading Harry Potter.”
In a small bit of irony, the Rebus series are based on works by author Ian Rankin, a longtime friend and neighbor of J.K. Rowling in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. Stott continued on in his interview about his future, noting “I’ll remain a grumpy old man.” We wish him continued success with his grumpiness!
Mr. Stott can step into my 8th grade English class anyday and at the end tell me that he wouldn’t be happy to see a kid reading anything at all. Until that day, he should just shut his mouth because he has no idea what he’s talking about. A kid may get started on HP and then move on to something else. But, we’re all different and we all like to read different things. Some people don’t read novels; they read only nonfiction books or trade magazines. The point of getting kids reading something that will interest them like HP is to build up their comprehension and deduction skills, not test them on who won the Quidditch Cup in third year. God, I’m so angry! I wish I could rant and rave some more, but I have papers to grade, because unlike Mr. Stott, my job doesn’t end when I get home and I don’t get paid heaps of money for it either.
Posted by mollywobbles23 on September 25, 2007, 09:51 PM
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Well, I agree that His Dark Materials is a good series, but that doesn’t mean it’s better that kids are reading it than Harry Potter.
Let’s not forget we live in a world of instant entertainment, video games, IM, texting, downloading whatever TV and movies one wants, and that the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter series has been a major factor in making reading old-fashioned books still very popular.
I daresay many readers of Potter got more interested in reading because of the series, and as a consequence picked up another fantasy series, such as Pullman’s His Dark Materials.
I’d have to agree. “His Dark Materials” are wonderful. I kind of think Harry Potter is a great introductory into the reading world. JK Rowling did a wonderful job creating a new world for children to escape into. Once they’ve read that, as long as they enjoyed it, they’ll want to escape into different novels…
I am a sixth grade teacher and when I see my students reading anything, I am overjoyed. If Harry Potter sparks their intrest in reading other things, then great. If not, at least they read one book.
I liked His Dark Materials, but they are much more openly preachy (though he probably wouldn’t like that word), than Harry Potter. Actually, even Chronicles of Narnia doesn’t bash kids over the head with Lewis’ perspective as much as Pullman does at times. I enjoyed the story, the characters and the plot, but was bored when the obvious bashing of the Christianity was going on, like I was when I read the Last Battle, which is the most preachy of the Narnia books, in my opinion.
I don’t think that I would recommend His Dark Materials to one of my fifth grade students, because I don’t think they’re prepared for the critical kind of reading it requires, whether you agree with Pullman or not.
Then again, when kids come to my class, they have often tried to read the HP books when they were younger. Either they read them and they enjoy while really only having a shallow understanding, or they found them really boring, because they were too difficult. Really its fourth or fifth grade when kids should start to read them on their own, or they cannot really manage the text. Frustrating yourself with a too difficult book is almost as bad as not reading at all.
You know, I wonder if anyone’s career has been ruined by insulting both those bleow him who effectively pay him, and those who are far above him. Boycott everything to do with him!
only sort of joking
Posted by Helios Lightra on September 25, 2007, 10:39 PM
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Grumpy old man indeed. Harry Potter brought me from a kid who never finished a piece of work in her life to a straight A student – how can he not want teachers to read it?
And I am the same as Moss: “Harry Potter brought me from a kid who never finished a piece of work in her life to a straight A student – how can he not want teachers to read it?”
"Hermione," said Ron sharply, "if you want to know what grades we got, ask."[br]"I don't -- I didn't mean -- well, if you want to tell me --"[br]"I got a P," said Ron... "Happy?"[br]"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," said Fred... "Nothing wrong with
Fights the urge to curse
Mr. Stott can step into my 8th grade English class anyday and at the end tell me that he wouldn’t be happy to see a kid reading anything at all. Until that day, he should just shut his mouth because he has no idea what he’s talking about. A kid may get started on HP and then move on to something else. But, we’re all different and we all like to read different things. Some people don’t read novels; they read only nonfiction books or trade magazines. The point of getting kids reading something that will interest them like HP is to build up their comprehension and deduction skills, not test them on who won the Quidditch Cup in third year. God, I’m so angry! I wish I could rant and rave some more, but I have papers to grade, because unlike Mr. Stott, my job doesn’t end when I get home and I don’t get paid heaps of money for it either.