My kids and I have been reading through the Harry Potters together for several months, and have just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We started this set because the kids are getting pressure from classmates to read and discuss the books, but I don’t want my two reading them on their own yet. This is the compromise we came up with.

Reading these aloud, I notice things I didn’t when reading them to myself–unfortunate things like awkward dialogue tags and the overuse of adverbs. But the story is just as brilliant, the world just as rich, the characters just as complex and finely drawn, and the humor just as delightful. And the experience is more meaningful when I read with my kids.

I love the way we get to the end of a section and they beg for more. I love the conversations that get started around the dinner table about what good families are like and who to trust and how to make good choices and how the world isn’t divided into good people and Death Eaters–that evil can take many forms and faces, some of which initially appear to be good. I love the way the kids get inspired to create their own worlds as they emerge from this one.

I’ve always loved these books. I love them even more now that my family is experiencing them together.