Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag is celebrating 12 Years of Blogging! A while back she asked if anyone wanted to help her celebrate with some giveaways & I said of course!
She’s also doing a year’s worth of books (12) giveaway, too. Here’s the link to enter!
I was in 5th grade when I read Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone. I was the generation that “grew up with” Harry and Hermione and Ron. I remember pre-ordering books, waiting in lines, and seeing bookstore windows FILLED with the newest HP release. Rowling & Potter nourished my love of reading and writing, turning me into the book worm I am today. Harry Potter strongly shaped my adult personality.
Whether or not you’re “into” the Harry Potter craze, I strongly believe there are some deep lessons to pull from this series.
[1] Friends are family. Harry doesn’t have living family (…spoiler alert?) so his friends easily become his family. Ron has a wonderful, large family… and his friends are still his family and openly welcomed into the Weasley home.
[2] We all have light and dark within us. Every character in HP has shining moments and dark moments. Even our favorite heroes make bad choices sometimes. It’s a story of choices and redemption and consequences.
“We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” -Sirius Black, PoA
[3] Sticking up for others, aligning yourself with the meek or victimized, and taking a stand against your own friends isn’t easy. How many times are characters rewarded for doing the extremely unpopular right thing? I hate that S.P.E.W. didn’t make it into the movies, especially since it makes a later moment between Hermione and Ron all the more sweet.
[4] Bad things happen- it’s how you react that matters. The characters don’t always react “correctly”, but that’s because they’re not flawless. So many of them- especially the adults- handle the battles, deaths of friends, and monumental hurdles with patience and grace.
“What’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.” -Hagrid, GoF
[5] Getting an education is incredibly important, but there’s a LOT to learn outside of the classroom, too. I think even Hermione would agree that she learned a lot about friendship and survival and life outside the Hogwarts classrooms.
Below is a giveaway for a new illustrated Harry Potter book (+ some goodies).
It says “Sorcerer’s Stone”, but you can pick which book you’d like. (For example, if you have SS and want CoS. Or if PoA is your favorite book.)
Click to Enter Rafflecopter Giveaway
And be sure to pop over and wish Lauren a Happy Blogoversary!!
Good luck, friends!
Life as Louise 