Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was an amazing read. It's interesting though, because sometimes I wonder if it should really be considered children's literature. I suppose it is more for adolescents. It seems like when J. K. Rowling wrote her series, she intended the level of the book to grow with the age of the child reading it. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is quite appropriate for a child in the fourth grade, but this one is not. It's more on the level of someone in junior high or even high school. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so much as an adult.
I have met many people who do not think Harry Potter is a good series for children because it involves witchcraft. They say that it is anti-Christian, and children should not read the series because it will cause them to turn away from their faith or want to become Wiccan. I completely disagree. Sure, there are some things about Harry Potter that are not exactly good; he has a terrible temper; he desperately wants revenge; he is not forgiving at all. But I see in Harry a Christ-figure. At the end of this book, he sacrifices himself for everyone else. He, as a young man, faces Voldemort, the king of evil, and defeats him. But the amazing thing is: he dies. Voldemort kills him, and he is resurrected. Now if that isn't a Christ-figure, then I don't know what is. When Harry is killed by Voldemort, he goes to King's Cross, which seems to be a passing between Earth and Heaven, and meets Dumbledore. He is given the choice to stay or to go back to Earth, and he chooses to save his friends and family. Sure, Harry is not perfect, but in a lot of ways, that makes him a better example for children. They see that even though they have their faults, they can still make the right choices. They can still be Christ-like.
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