UK Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen has made some comments regarding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling while on tour in Scotland to help promote literacy among students. The Times reports that author Michael Rosen said Harry Potter “deserved credit for encouraging a generation of children to read,[but] he feared their success might prevent youngsters from discovering other authors.” The paper quotes Mr. Rosen as saying: “They don’t grab me personally,” he said. “I am distant from them whereas I read some kids’ books and I get quite drawn in emotionally to them. Whereas authors like Enid Blyton are hand-holding narrators who lead children into safe environments, JK Rowling is more of an adult writer in that she leaves you hanging in the air at the end of chapters with no idea what’s going to happen next.
“Figures appear and you don’t know whether they are a goodie or a baddie. You would think, traditionally, ‘That’s for an older reader,’ because young children more often than not can’t cope with that. My seven-year-old daughter watches the films but they tend to spell it out a bit more. I haven’t read the books to her, you don’t want to bore your kids.”
Others disagreed, including the chairman of the panel of judges that chose Rosen as children’s laureate. Shami Chakrabarti said ““I agree that children shouldn’t end their reading with JK Rowling, but the proof of the pudding is that so many have begun with her work,” she said.
“The stories are laced with contemporary themes that have resonated with readers of all ages in the last decade. Racism, the challenges of diversity and the dilemmas of the war on terror are all to be found lurking within the magical world of Harry Potter.”
UPDATE: A blogger for the Guardian newspaper has contacted Mr. Rosen, who feels this matter has been blown out of proportion, and states that “I’ve been passionately defending Harry Potter against the literati for the past seven years. Mr. Rosen is cited as saying again that his seven year old child finds the books difficult, noting “Personally, as an adult, I don’t read the Harry Potter books,” he said. “I’ve read two-and-a-half of the books and no more. But there’s nothing unusual or controversial about that. My child who is seven finds them difficult, but you’d expect that to be the case.”
I don’t think you can generalize by saying that young readers won’t discover other books. Most of the time HP has led readers to love reading and discover other books.
I am annoyed whenever someone claims that Harry Potter doesn’t encourage reading. I started reading the books in the fifth grade (and am now graduating from high school this year). I wasn’t an avid reader until I discovered Harry Potter, and after then I exposed myself to an enormous quantity of literature with eagerness.
The books lead children into reading. It introduces them to the joys it offers. It helps them appreciate the power of the written word and the ways in which it cannot be matched by television, video games, and the internet. Harry Potter has indeed helped a generation rediscover reading. It doesn’t matter how children learn to love opening a book. All that matters is that they do so despite all the distractions out there.
“My seven-year-old daughter watches the films but they tend to spell it out a bit more. I haven’t read the books to her, you don’t want to bore your kids.”
Totally disagree. There are loads of plot-holes in the films because they cut too much stuff out, and also they tell a slightly different story than the books. Maybe Rosen should read the books to his daughter or let her read them herself and then she can decide if she wants to continue reading them. Somehow I think she would – it is so hard to put those books down.
Maybe he should take more notice of Chakrabarti – she’s got it spot-on!
I discovered Harry Potter in 1998 : I was 10 and had never picked a book for myself. Now I’m doing a Master’s Degree in English and want to teach English. All because of Harry. It’s a fact that it encouraged children to read, I would never have done what I’m doing if if wasn’t for Jo.
I completely disagree with Mr. Rosen’s statement. I volunteer with girls aged 11 to 15 and because of the HP series was able to engage in lively discussions with the girls that have read the books. JKR definately got these girls reading HP at a very young age and gave me the gift of having some common ground with them to engage in conversation. Since then some of the girls, our adult leaders and I have passed around my set of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass series, Stephanie Meyer’s The Twilight series this school year alone. I am now reading The Host and will then pass on through the group as well. More than one parent has come and thanked me for getting their “non-reading” daughter excited about reading. It wasn’t me – it was Harry Potter.
I should think a seven-year-old could cope with Philosopher’s Stone. Mr Rosen, give your daughter a chance. (And don’t give her old Enid Blyton to read, there have got to be more PC authors around nowadays who are just as good) Chakrabarti’s comments make so much more sense! The HP books deal with contemporary issues and are thought-provoking and still easy to read.
On the other hand I guess I shouldn’t blame Mr Rosen – if the books just didn’t grab him, they just didn’t shrug of course he’s not going to praise them much. (it’s not like HP is not being read enough, hehe)
Posted by Knackledirk de Storgé on May 18, 2008, 07:34 PM
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EVERYONE, LOOK BENEATH the article and find this in the comments:
“I fear I’ve been misrepresented here. I meant a) that the novels aren’t my personal choice of reading. That’s me as an adult. b) I fully understand how and why the books are fascinating for kids. I support that interest passionately. c) Enid Blyton is an easier read for younger kids.
Michael Rosen, London, UK”
If this is indeed the very same Rosen and not a fake one who made that comment underneath, then we may presume that he doesn’t think that kids would find the books boring. This comment looks authentic to me, but I suppose you never really know. Still, why would someone pretend to be him and say that he felt misrepresented? His biggest fan would perhaps want to defend him, but his biggest fan wouldn’t pretend to be him… In fact, why pretend to be him if what you write only gives him credit? (At least I think it gives him credit, plus it’s kinda hard to contradict someone who’s defending the succes of the HP-series…) Why not take the credit yourself?
Nah, I say he posted that comment. So judging by this he felt misrepresented.
Ah, on the Times site, Mr Rosen has commented himself, apparently?
“I fear I’ve been misrepresented here. I meant a) that the novels aren’t my personal choice of reading. That’s me as an adult. b) I fully understand how and why the books are fascinating for kids. I support that interest passionately. c) Enid Blyton is an easier read for younger kids.
Michael Rosen, London, UK”
Poor guy doesn’t need to be flamed by a horde of irate Potterheads (not that he has been so far).
Posted by Sweet Wrapper Conspirator on May 18, 2008, 07:47 PM
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Perhaps this article is another example of comments being taken out of context. There’s a lot of that going around these days. And shame on me for not reading the actual article with following comments before posting. My feelings haven’t changed however without being able to read a transcript of his commentary who knows what he truly said. My goodness it’s hard to know what to believe anymore.
LOL! This man is the Children’s Laureate in the UK ?????LOL!,I am very surprised .He is SO full of himself and has a rediculous attitude.He passes judgement over books he hasn’t even read how absurd.And thinks they would ‘bore’his daughter,LOL!
He makes me think of the people who critizised Mozart …..
and other masters of music,art and the written word…...
when people like him can’t write works that are so loved the world over… that person they are referring to they make up things to find wrong with that person’s work…....................I get SO sick of SOUR GRAPES .
Plus….JKR has helped more than ANY recent author to expand reading into other auther’s work and if this man thinks otherwise he just is not in tune with the world he lives in….LOL! sorry I just have to laugh ,the absurity of it is mindboggeling
MuggleQueen: You’re completely right about everything, everything you said was spot-on! “It is so hard to put those books down”, Spot-on, I say!
“You don’t want to bore your Kids.”?
That quote makes me angry, that’s all I’ll say…
& Weird One: I agree with you too: I wasn’t a big reader at all when I was little. I’m 14 now & only started reading ‘Harry Potter when I was 13…So it’s only been about a year since I picked up ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’, & since then I can’t get enough of reading! I love it!
I loved ‘Harry Potter’ so much that I’m reading it again with my mom (She loves it too)
But when I’m done for the second time, I’ll probably start reading the Twilight series &
The Chronicles Of Narnia series.
So, really, ‘Harry Potter’ helped me open-up my mind & to turn of the TV.
Sorry, I think he may have just backtracted when he realised how angry his words would make people ….I think he said exactly ! what he ment and mant what he said
Its such a shame to see baseless comments like this from writers, it sounds bitter and envious. Kids should make up their own minds if they like a book. I think its great hp has important themes like death and prejudice, most books for adults deal with shallow things like shopping and stealing boyfriends.
"I still can't work out how you two got the best-looking girls in the year," muttered Dean.[br]"Animal magnetism," said Ron gloomily, pulling stray threads out of his cuffs.
I don’t think you can generalize by saying that young readers won’t discover other books. Most of the time HP has led readers to love reading and discover other books.