Harry Potter & RI Kids: The Book Effect

The rise of fantasy

Aaron Coutu, a librarian in the Young Adult section at Greenville Public Library explains how the rise in popularity of the fantasy genre as well as teen literature is largely attributed to Harry Potter. “It created a huge surge in interest in fantasy for all ages," Coutu says. "With the Lord of the Rings movies coming out around the same time, shortly after, there was a big burst of people reading fantasy books. Teen literature in general has exploded since Harry Potter and a lot of authors are starting to write Teen Lit, even big names who previously wrote only adult fiction.”

Reading is cool

Another contribution the series has made to young reading is just getting kids to read in general, and keeping them reading. Through her books, J.K. Rowling has transformed reading into something that is cool among the elementary and teenage crowd. “For the 8-12 year olds, it certainly introduces them into magic and fantasy. It’s positive because it gets kids to read,” says Robin Gross of Books on the Square in Providence. Coutu adds that with the popularization of Harry Potter, “Kids don’t give up reading as soon as they reach their teenage years anymore.”

A new generation of HP readers

It’s not surprising that these books are read over and over again and continue to be among the most frequently checked out at libraries. Appealing to all ages, they are timeless and engaging. Susan Lepore, head of the Children’s Department at Warwick Public Library, points out that a new age group starts reading them each year. “A lot of the younger kids are introduced to the Harry Potter books through the movies now,” she says, “They were too young or not even born yet when the books came out, so they are just beginning to read the series now, because they like the movies.”