Should Harry Potter Be Allowed In Public Schools

The Harry Potter series are astoundingly popular with audiences of all ages, and continues to have an ever growing fan base. Among other statistics, “The Harry Potter books are distributed in over 200 territories, are translated into 68 languages and have sold over 400 million copies worldwide”(Meet Author J.K. Rowling, 2016, n.p). With the film adaptations, it is not hard to believe their popularity. The author, J.K Rowling, is one of the most successful women writers of this era, and inspires many people in various ways. But ever since the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, came out on June 26, 1997 (Ross, 2016, n.p), concerns about the messages the series is passing on to children and teens have arisen. The anti-Harry Potter community is mainly perturbed by what is perceived by some as unacceptable religious and political influences in the book series. This has caused many people to want Harry Potter banned from schools and public libraries; however, there are many people on the other side of the spectrum who believe the Harry Potter books shed light on real world problems and teach virtuous lessons. Evidence shows the Harry Potter series should be allowed in public libraries and schools.

Children who had not been readers before, were suddenly reading and enjoying it. These books were a new kind of fantasy. Young people were not only devouring the books, but they were talking about them. It would be hard to find someone today who doesn’t recognize the name Harry Potter” (James, Jean. Personal interview. 12 December 2016.). It is very apparent that not only have the series encouraged children to read more, but test scores for reading have improved and many people have been quick to jump on that opportunity. According to Shayna Garlick, a contributor to the Christian Science Monitor (2007,