Wand Waving Weirdos

Let's just talk about what a genius J.K. Rowling is.

Since the release of the first book in 1997, Harry Potter has become a complete classic and has defined many of our childhoods, mine included. I remember lying in bed every night while my dad read me the books and did funny voices for all the characters. I was five, maybe six when it started, and I hardly remember a time that I didn't want to jump into Harry's world, ride my own broom and read by the light of a wand.

The book took off before it became a movie, which is so rare these days that alone deserves recognition. Perhaps it was the controversy the book raised among some parents. (Magic? For our kids? No way! The only magic they need is God.) Controversy surrounding books and books that are even banned tend to collect more readers than they would have. Any publicity is good publicity, right?

However, it takes a mature eye to notice the nuance Rowling put into her novels while writing. It may seem obvious that she would use other languages to come up with many made-up words necessary for the series, but the extent to which she does is impressive. Every single spell and many of her names are variations and mashups of ancient languages, modern words and archetypal names, all of which are directly related to what the spells do or who the people are. It's so extensive, there's a page on the Harry Potter fansite dedicated to decoding her personal lexicon.

It's not just the words that make Rowling an effective writer, though. In essence, the story grew up with the readers, and not just because Harry and his friends grew up over the course of the seven novels. The early novels begin as middle-grade fiction, or fiction dedicated to children between the ages of eight and twelve or thirteen. As the novels progressed, they could be classified as young adult novels, aimed at kids thirteen to eighteen or so. It's not just the age of the protagonists, though that plays a part. The content grows darker, too, and it's all relevant to the age of the reader. At thirteen, what child didn't feel lost and a little bit unhappy, like Harry facing the Dementors? At fourteen, who didn't feel just a little too young for what they wanted to do, like Ron being unable to enter the Triwizard Tournament?

J.K. Rowling certainly knows how to write for an audience, and by doing so she created an empire out of her mind. I mean, you have to have some sort of storytelling prowess to get a theme park based on your books. Even without magic, the characters speak to readers, and that's a rare talent.