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10 SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JANUARY 2017 By Theresa Rossetti, Resident Lumos! Petrificus Totalus! Expelliarmus! Accio! If you know what these are, there's probably no need for you to read this article. Go about your business with impunity. If you think I've just lost my mind, or maybe you've heard a youngun' mumbling something like them, you might want to know what the Harry Potter phenomenon is all about. First the facts. The HP books hold the record for the best-selling book series in history. The seven Harry Potter books have been translated into 73 languages, the last four set records for speed of sales. The author, J.K. Rowling, has made billions of dollars on the series, movies and related products. The first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, was released in the U.K. in 1997. The following year it was released in the U.S, with a name change to Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. The other 6 books were released over the next nine years. The first book was not received favorably by literary standards, but the enormous number of copies sold proved that the story resonated with readers. I won't bore you with plot synopses, but I will say each book covers a year of Harry's life, from age 11, when he first learns that he is a wizard and can attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, through age 17, when he knows he must defeat Lord Voldemort (AKA the bad guy). Depending on the child, a seven or eight-year-old should be ready to start reading, or have read to him/her, the first book. So, what's so fascinating about these stories? Why do people reread the books, re-watch the movies and spend lots of hard-earned cash at Universal Studios? For me, the books captured my interest immediately. I saw a young boy, being raised without love, who still showed a goodness that only became stronger as he aged. Rowling's imagination brought the sights and sounds of Hogwarts to vivid life. Harry dealt with issues of prejudice, equality, diversity, and the choice between doing what was right and what was easy. We saw Harry's flaws as well as his strengths. While following Harry, we met many delightful characters, human and non-human, that inhabit the Potter world books. The storyline is fully fleshed out, characters and plots intertwined throughout all seven books. Bottom line, we cared about these characters and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. So, what's with the vaguely Latin sounding words at the beginning of this article? They're one of the things I find most interesting about the books. Rowling invented words for magical spells. As a teenager who absolutely hated taking Latin in high school, I can thank my Dad for making me stick with it for two years. He said it would help with spelling and understanding words when I got older, and boy, was he right! So, if I walk up to you and shout "Expelliarmus" you can expect to be disarmed of your wand! I leave it up to you to figure out what the other spells do, but please don't use "Lumos" in the Lodge, it will raise the electric bill and Greg won't be happy. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter