It didn’t take my family long to seek out Book #2 in the Harry Potter series, after we had quickly devoured Harry Potter and the Sourcerer’s Stone while on vacation last month. Having never read the series before myself, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect style-wise from these famous books, but I have been very happy with Rowling’s unquestionably strong talent for world-crafting and storytelling.

I’ve discussed overcoming my hesitations toward reading this series elsewhere, so I won’t belabor that point here. Instead, I’d like to comment on J.K Rowling’s style as I’m learning to see it, as well as the concept of “worldview” with my kids in mind.

The Writing Style of J.K. Rowling

Rowling’s Harry Potter stories appear formulaic, at least to a point: opening in London with the Dursley’s, Potter somehow finds his way to school and then experiences the two semesters at Hogwarts in joyful misery while uncovering and defeating some wicked mystery bent on destroying him. It’s a simple outline yet one that has great potential for thrilling manipulation, because while the stories appear formulaic, they most certainly are not.

A better word that comes to mind than “formulaic“ is “disjointed,” because just when you think you might be able to predict what will happen next, Rowling throws some new and spectacular ingredient into the mix, and you’re stuck wondering where that came from. There are so many unanticipated turns in this story, not to mention so many uniquely intriguing characters, that I was as gripped by the tale as were my kids.

Characters in this Volume

My favorite character this time around was Professor Lockhart, the celebrity wizard and celebrated author—and I say that knowing full well that I sound more like a teenage witch than I do a muggle father. It wasn’t his looks that got me, I swear. This professor places his winningest smile on full display throughout the story, hoping to let his sophisticated art of plagiarism overshadow his inability to perform the simplest of magic. He’s as unique a character as they come, and it makes me look forward to the other interesting folks who will people the remaining books.

This second novel emphasizes ghosts to a greater degree than the first book had, not only with a larger role for Nearly-Headless Nick but also with Moaning Myrtle, a dead student murdered some 50 years prior who now haunts the girl’s toilet. I’ll be honest that this storyline (plus the parseltongue bit, in which Harry finds he has the ability to speak the language of serpents) made me a little leery for my kids‘ ears and imaginations. We ended up discussing ghosts and the afterlife some as a result, so it wasn’t all bad, but other parents may want to be aware of these elements in this book.

The Worldview of the Series

I’m told that the series gets darker as it progresses and as Harry ages year after year, and I’m preparing myself for it. Along with my family’s other discussions that have arisen as a result of these stories has been a discussion of what it means to have a worldview. I explained to my kids that if all they can think of is Harry Potter, if all they want to do is listen to the audiobooks or read the stories or buy the merchandise or watch the movies—if they find that the world of Hogwarts is taking up their imaginations—we’re going to break from reading the books.

We can easily craft our own worldview by how we feed our minds. To fill my mind (or the minds of my children) with godless worlds written by non-Christian authors (I think Harry Potter fits well within that category) is to step in the wrong direction from where we as Christ-followers need to walk. Yes, there’s plenty of good to learn from stories like this, and we can certainly enjoy them in moderation—especially while taking the opportunity to discuss what we’re reading—yet I won’t trust my 9- and 10-year-old kids to distinguish the good from the bad or the innocent from the evil while filling their minds with nothing but godless entertainment. I couldn’t do trust myself!

What we need, no matter our ages, is to bathe ourselves daily in the Word of God, to anchor our thinking in Truth and godliness, so that when we enter these godless worlds (or as we live daily in this godless World!), we can better discern the Truth and not be swayed by deceitful thinking or misled into worldviews that contradict the thoughts and plans of the Almighty. I can do this by example to my children as I help lay the foundation for the worldview they’ll eventually finalize for themselves.

This aspect of parenting reminds me a bit of Andrew Peterson’s song, “You’ll Find Your Way.” If thoughts like the above have ever crossed your mind, Parent, then this song is definitely worth four-and-a-half minutes of your time!

Conclusion

Ok, this half-review, half-soliloquy is over. Needless to say, I loved the book, and it got us all thinking. We can’t wait to enjoy the third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

©2022 E.T.

Read More from J.K. Rowling:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling (1998)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (1999)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (2000)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (2003)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (2005)
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling (2007)
* Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (2016)