“Have You Read It Yet?” by Rebecca Martin

Books read in your youth grip you more deeply. You cry harder, you laugh louder and they stick with you longer. The great ones stay with you forever. Stories open your young eyes to a world you didn’t know existed – imagined or real. 

Every twist and turn is shocking because you have never seen it before. The stories grow your empathy – showing you characters from different places, genders and economic backgrounds – and you become friends with someone you never would have met. Good books in childhood help form your adult life. 

One of those books for me was Harry Potter. There was a fervent energy in my elementary and junior high classrooms around every book and movie release. Have you read it yet? No? It’s SO cool! 

This excitement was not restricted just to the girls (like my equal tween passion for a certain moody but drop-dead gorgeous vampire) but shared with the boys as well. Harry Potter was as cool as Lord of the Rings. It was respected by my older (very cool) brother and his (very cute) friends even though one of the main characters was a nerdy girl. We all stood in line together to buy the seventh and final book at midnight.

My cousin, Maddie, was perhaps even more of a bookworm than I was. We constantly traded books and had long debates over the benefits of attending Hogwarts versus the benefits of dating a vampire. At Hogwarts you could get a comprehensive magical education, power, never-ending quests and the ability to fly In Forks, Washington, you could get to make out with Edward Cullen. A true predicament.

I vividly remember sitting on Maddie’s bed, around the age of eight or nine, scanning her bookshelf. Her grandparents on her mother’s side owned the local bookstore in town so there was always a unique find on her shelf. I pulled out the latest Harry Potter. We chatted about it for a couple minutes reliving our favourite plot twists and funny lines.

As I was pouring over the cover art I said “J.K. Rowling must be so cool. I want to meet him!”

“J.K. Rowling isn’t a man. She’s a woman!” Maddie said.

“No way he’s a woman.” I replied in disbelief. 

“Yeah, she is! Her name is Joanne.” Maddie prattled off a few more facts about the author while I let the first sink in. She was a woman? But my cool older brother loved these books? All the boys did.

Maddie left the room as our parents were calling us but I lingered for a few more seconds on the bed gazing at the book before I put it back on the shelf. All the most popular books were written by people with names like Kenneth, Roald or John. I felt something click inside me in that moment that perhaps this Harry Potter book series was extra special. 

*** 

Rebecca Martin is an accountant living in Calgary, Alberta, with her wonderful partner Dave and a few sickly houseplants. She has many passions to keep life interesting including running, hiking, biking, skiing, embroidery and of course reading & writing. 

Note: Quick Brown Fox welcomes essays about a favourite book or about your experience of reading or writing. To get a taste of what other writers have done, see here and scroll down).

Submit to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself. 

Also, for information about our In-Person Writing for Children and for Young Adults, with Kids Can Press senior editor Patricia Ocampo, on Saturday, July 16, see here.

See all of Brian’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.