Here is the 10 year anniversary edition. I have no idea where our original copy is.

Recently SH bought the complete Harry Potter series for the kindle. He has been reading it steadily and is far far far ahead of me. I just downloaded the series to my phone a few days ago as a diversion from the news.

After three weeks in England and mostly but not quite disconnected for the news of the USA, I decided I would read HP when I am waiting or bored or whatever instead of opening some news app. I think it will make me happier.

Our three children grew up on HP. We were given our copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by a friend who is married to SH’s oldest friend from college and medical school. She is a librarian and has a gift for finding the best books. I don’t remember what year she gave us the book. It was on a summer visit they made with their own three children to Philadelphia. I would guess maybe 16 years ago.

Anyway, SH read a chapter a night to the children just before bed. I can see them all piled on the bed in a heap listening to him read. He read all the books but the last one to them. He said that some of the chapters got quite long but the children refused to let him stop midway through a chapter. He had to read the entire chapter. When Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was published in 2007 (10 years after the first book), we ordered three copies. If folks wanted to talk about it, they had to go outside so there were not plot spoilers. I remember our middle boy taking his copy and climbing high up into the holly tree in our yard to read.

I am about half-way through the first book and enjoying it immensely. As I read, I look for little clues which foreshadow what will happen latter. I am also keeping a close eye  on Snape to see how his behavior in the early books presages his heroism in the last book.

So a special thank you to our librarian friend to giving our family such a wonderful gift.

And a special loving thank you to my SH for buying the series on the kindle — for the good memories I have from our children growing up and for the immersion in a world where loyalty and friendship and love do win.