The last goodbye.

Friday night, as part of our anniversary date, Brian took me to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2. For anyone who has been following this blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about Harry. Sigh. 

Overall, the movie was okay. I adore the books so I tend to be pretty picky about how the movie plays out in terms of the book's plot. I get irritated when they change or leave out certain parts of the story because the books were good. They were truly fabulous writing and did not need Hollywood (or in this case, England) to change them to make them better. This one was good for a movie, but as a representative of the book, it flew through some of the major parts of the book and left out some of the emotional elements that make me want to reread the series again and again.

So, at 6:40 on Friday night, Harry Potter was concluded for me. I won't lie- there were a few tears. It isn't about the movies or a surprise ending, because that's the fun of books that become movies- you already know what's going to happen. But it dawned on me after the movie that this series, along with my children's media class at Auburn, is part of the reason I chose to major in educational media for my masters. These books that I have invested in again and again and again helped me build relationships with my students. They helped me realize again how good children's literature can be. They showed me how important it is for children to find books that they can make connections to and therefore continue to enjoy reading as they progress through school and into adulthood. These books inspired me to reread fabulous books like The Mixed Up Filed of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and do author studies on people like Roald Dahl or Dr. Seuss. They changed my thoughts on children's literature and helped me find a true passion in children's books and reading. I am thankful that Rebecca introduced these books to me my junior year at Auburn because it really isn't about the movies, nor is it really about this particular book series, but about how great books can draw a person in and build READERS. 

Happy Sunday everyone!