The Saints Of Mibba
The Girl Who Read.
Have you ever had a book change who you are? Have you ever had a movie inspire you to do something? The feature film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban changed mine. The entire Harry Potter seires changed me. The depths of the world of Witchcraft and Wizardry engulfed me. My head would never be above water again; I had no problem with that.
In June 2004 my father and I were going to see a movie, when we got to the theater the movie we were going to see was sold out. We figured that since we were there we might as well see a movie. He suggested that we see the new Harry Potter movie. I wasn't too big into the Potter series at the time, but I thought, what the hell? I had seen the other two movies so I told my dad sure. After that, life never seemed quite the same.
After the movie I had to read the books. The movie made it all seem so interesting; I had to know what was going to happen next. I already had the first four novels. My grandmother had gotten them free from a book club; she told me that she was never going to read them and she gave them to me. It seemed fate was working in my favor.
So I read the first four: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It only took me about four months to read these books. I did adore them; I set out immediately after finishing Goblet of Fire to buy the fifth book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This one only took me two months to read. I discovered that the Potter series had greatly improved my reading comprehension. I could read faster than I had ever been able to before. When the summer of 2005 I set out on the morning of July sixteenth and bought Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This one only took me thirty-six hours to finish. Then I reread the series again. By this time I was in eighth grade and I had bought my reading and english grades up from a low C to a mid A. For the first time I was ahead of my reading level in my grade.
I myself had been writing for the passed two years at this point, not very well if I said so myself. But after reading Rowling's books, my vocabulary had improved and my writing seemed to improve as I continued to reread the the seires about The Chosen One. However, I was not a Potterhead completely; I didn't love it that much...yet.
After seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when it came out on DVD I was sorely disappointed, I thought it wasn't very good. It lacked important plot details, they altered many things that I deemed important and they skipped so many things. I know it costs a lot of money to make these movies though, and I knew you couldn't fit everything from the book into the movie; it was only my opinion. But I needn't fretm for the that spring J.K. Rowling announced the name of the seventh and final installment of her Potter books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was when my Potter maina really kicked in.
That summer before my freshman year was difficult, although a lot of people would have never noticed. I was going through a lot: marching band, a new school, and a harsh break-up. My obsession with the pop-punk band Green Day was fading quickly and was being replaced with Harry Potter. At the turn of the New Year I stopped reading any books I had been reading and started to reread the series about The Boy Who Lived once more. Though it only took me two months to read one through six this time. I took a break afterwards to read Stephen Kings: The Shining. But when May broke I dropped everything and I really got back into Harry Potter. I couldn't be seen without a Harry Potter book. The Potter countdown had really begun. I was ready, I was excited, I was insane.
Friday, July twentieth, 2007 had arrived. I waited eagerly for the day to end. I spent most of the day on a Harry Potter subforum on a website I go on often. Various people left throughout the day to go get the book, they lived in different parts of the world. I left for Wal-Mart at about ten-thirty that night to buy my copy. I bought the Special Edition. I also asked if I could have the countdown Harry Potter cardboard standup; it was of Harry on the cover of the Deathly Hallows. They let me have it and it currently resides in my room.
That night when I got home I immediately started to devour the book, I did not sleep. I stayed up all night in hope of finishing the book that day. At five that night I had finished. I had never cried so much in my life for fictional characters. But with the Wizarding World, my heart ran deep. I couldn't explain my deep connection with these books, but it was like Rowling ripped parts of me away when some of the characters died. In my opinion...it was unfair.
Months after I finished the seventh book I still reread the series for my own reasons. You can see me walking around with the books with various Post-it's sticking out of the books. That's for a little project I'm working on right now, my fan fiction. But that's a whole different story in itself.
Life can be altered by one person, one movie, one event, one book...even seven books. All it takes is one thing to set off that little spark. And when you set off that spark, anything can happen. Perhaps even something...magical.
***
This was written for my english class as my memoir paper. J.K. Rowling has changed my life. This is my story.
In June 2004 my father and I were going to see a movie, when we got to the theater the movie we were going to see was sold out. We figured that since we were there we might as well see a movie. He suggested that we see the new Harry Potter movie. I wasn't too big into the Potter series at the time, but I thought, what the hell? I had seen the other two movies so I told my dad sure. After that, life never seemed quite the same.
After the movie I had to read the books. The movie made it all seem so interesting; I had to know what was going to happen next. I already had the first four novels. My grandmother had gotten them free from a book club; she told me that she was never going to read them and she gave them to me. It seemed fate was working in my favor.
So I read the first four: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It only took me about four months to read these books. I did adore them; I set out immediately after finishing Goblet of Fire to buy the fifth book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This one only took me two months to read. I discovered that the Potter series had greatly improved my reading comprehension. I could read faster than I had ever been able to before. When the summer of 2005 I set out on the morning of July sixteenth and bought Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This one only took me thirty-six hours to finish. Then I reread the series again. By this time I was in eighth grade and I had bought my reading and english grades up from a low C to a mid A. For the first time I was ahead of my reading level in my grade.
I myself had been writing for the passed two years at this point, not very well if I said so myself. But after reading Rowling's books, my vocabulary had improved and my writing seemed to improve as I continued to reread the the seires about The Chosen One. However, I was not a Potterhead completely; I didn't love it that much...yet.
After seeing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when it came out on DVD I was sorely disappointed, I thought it wasn't very good. It lacked important plot details, they altered many things that I deemed important and they skipped so many things. I know it costs a lot of money to make these movies though, and I knew you couldn't fit everything from the book into the movie; it was only my opinion. But I needn't fretm for the that spring J.K. Rowling announced the name of the seventh and final installment of her Potter books: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was when my Potter maina really kicked in.
That summer before my freshman year was difficult, although a lot of people would have never noticed. I was going through a lot: marching band, a new school, and a harsh break-up. My obsession with the pop-punk band Green Day was fading quickly and was being replaced with Harry Potter. At the turn of the New Year I stopped reading any books I had been reading and started to reread the series about The Boy Who Lived once more. Though it only took me two months to read one through six this time. I took a break afterwards to read Stephen Kings: The Shining. But when May broke I dropped everything and I really got back into Harry Potter. I couldn't be seen without a Harry Potter book. The Potter countdown had really begun. I was ready, I was excited, I was insane.
Friday, July twentieth, 2007 had arrived. I waited eagerly for the day to end. I spent most of the day on a Harry Potter subforum on a website I go on often. Various people left throughout the day to go get the book, they lived in different parts of the world. I left for Wal-Mart at about ten-thirty that night to buy my copy. I bought the Special Edition. I also asked if I could have the countdown Harry Potter cardboard standup; it was of Harry on the cover of the Deathly Hallows. They let me have it and it currently resides in my room.
That night when I got home I immediately started to devour the book, I did not sleep. I stayed up all night in hope of finishing the book that day. At five that night I had finished. I had never cried so much in my life for fictional characters. But with the Wizarding World, my heart ran deep. I couldn't explain my deep connection with these books, but it was like Rowling ripped parts of me away when some of the characters died. In my opinion...it was unfair.
Months after I finished the seventh book I still reread the series for my own reasons. You can see me walking around with the books with various Post-it's sticking out of the books. That's for a little project I'm working on right now, my fan fiction. But that's a whole different story in itself.
Life can be altered by one person, one movie, one event, one book...even seven books. All it takes is one thing to set off that little spark. And when you set off that spark, anything can happen. Perhaps even something...magical.
***
This was written for my english class as my memoir paper. J.K. Rowling has changed my life. This is my story.
♠ ♠ ♠
by just_call_me_dookie