Standing there in a cute summer romper, 10-year-old Audryana
Knippert was completely unmoved by the Harry hysteria that
swept the English-speaking world last week as Friday night
became Saturday morning. Sure, rather than head to bed,
she and her dad had driven from their Northeast Portland
home to a Tigard shopping center so she could join a throng
of other kids, many decked out in PJs, inside the suburban
Borders outpost.
Her early arrival won her not only a spot at the head of
the line but, more importantly, one of the empty shipping
cartons in which Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
had arrived. Audryana plans to use hers to store her Harry
Potter collection.
While many kids (and their parents) were giddy from the
mix of media hype and sleep deprivation, Audryana's excitement
(she said her stomach was churning) came simply from the
prospect of getting lost in a good tale. Between bites of
her complimentary licorice wand, the fifth-grader talked
to WW literary critic Susan Wickstrom.
WW: Why couldn't you get your book tomorrow?
Audryana: I love Harry Potter, and I really wanted to get
it tonight because I couldn't wait. My mom's on a trip to
Mexico and I was going to go to my grandmother's in Yamhill,
but I couldn't wait that long to get Harry Potter.
Are you buying the book with your own money?
My dad's buying it for me.
Has he read Harry Potter?
He read the first one and liked it.
When was the last time you were this excited?
Not for a very long time. I haven't been this excited since
my dad got out of jail a couple of weeks ago.
Did you read much before you discovered Harry Potter?
Yes, I read lots. I love books, especially comic books
like Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes, that kind of stuff.
What do other kids think of Harry Potter?
I don't even know because I've never really asked them.
But I don't know kids who don't like Harry Potter books.
Last year, we had a couple Harry Potter books in our school
library and they were very popular. You had to reserve them.
If you could, would you change anything in Harry Potter
books?
I'd change that at least one of his parents didn't get
killed, just because I really get emotional about this sad
stuff.
Why do you think some adults say Harry Potter books
are bad for kids?
Because they get ideas of witchcraft and stuff.
What would you say to convince one of those grownups
that they're wrong about Harry Potter?
I'd say that kids can probably get ideas into their minds
but there's not a good possibility that a kid is actually
going to use witchcraft anywhere.
Are you more interested in magic now?
I've gotten interested in lots of witchcraft books, but
Harry Potter really gave me some ideas about what witches
do and stuff.
Do Harry Potter books teach you any good lessons?
Not exactly. They don't really teach us anything, but they're
very fun to read and I enjoy them a lot.
What kinds of Harry Potter stuff would you like to have?
I really never knew they were coming out with merchandise.
I knew they had Harry Potter books on tapes, and I found
out not too long ago that they were coming out with Harry
Potter movies. I'll probably get some stuff it when it comes
out.
Who should play Harry Potter in the movie?
I haven't thought about it much. I have a friend--not really
my best friend--but he wants to try out for Harry Potter.
He'd probably make a good one. His dark skin wouldn't match,
but I'm sure they could fix that.
How has Harry Potter changed your life?
It makes me feel good when I read a Harry Potter book.
I don't think of anything else except the book and the story.
I actually had this dream once where I popped into Hogwarts,
where Harry Potter goes to school. I had no idea what I
was doing there, but Harry and all his friends seemed to
know me.
If you had to choose between reading and television,
which one would you pick?
Reading, definitely reading.
What other things are you interested in?
I always like art. I like to bike-ride and play with my
friends a lot. Sometimes I spend days with my dad and we
go walking around Portland and go to places like Saturday
Market.
Will you do anything else this exciting this summer?
Not that I really know of.
Will you stay up all night reading?
Harry Potter comes out at midnight and I'm not allowed
to read that late. But sometimes I wake up early in the
morning and like to read something.
Will you read the whole thing fast or savor it?
I do want to read the whole thing now, but it's a nice
thick book that will take me a long time. I'm glad because
it didn't take me long to read the other Harry Potter books--I
finished within a week.
Do you read Harry Potter books more than once?
Oh yes. It's kind of hard for me to get it the first time,
but the second and third time I read it, I understand more.
Also, I forget the plots so I read them over and over to
refresh my memory.
Can you believe that I've never read a Harry Potter
book?
No.
So, why should I read one?
Because sometimes some grownups forget they have an imagination.
Harry Potter lets you remember all the kid things you've
done and lets your imagination run wild.
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