It was a weekend well-spent with like-minded people who share my passion for reading and Harry Potter at the National Bookstore’s Philippine Readers and Writers Festival 2017. It was even better that I tagged my budding little reader and siblings along. The event was a 3-day affair with each day filled with meaningful talks about writing and reading, meet and greet opportunities with famed authors, as well as a chance to purchase books at a discount. I was able to participate in Scholastic’s The Path to Possibilities: How Stories Can Reach A Global Audience.
The key topics discussed during the event include:
- How Harry Potter started as a children’s book and ended as a book for all ages
- The maturity of Rowling’s writing through the years and how her characters matured with the readers
- The reading trend in the Philippines
- The type of books that children and young adults read
- How can writers tell stories that will be appealing to a global audience and children
- How important it is for a writer to include local content and Asian elements into a story and how does it impact our children’s identities
J.K. Rowling is and always will be the epitome of impeccable writing skills and her creation, Harry Potter, lives on to be one of the most beloved children’s book character the world over, enjoyed and appreciated both by adults and young readers alike. The way Rowling made her hero ordinary and take on and do extra-ordinary things are what probably captures the readers’ hearts, but more importantly the excitement of how Harry and his friends grew along with the readers is what captivated the readers for years. The first book of the series, Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, but the world will probably never have enough of Harry Potter and his world long after his adventures at Hogwarts ended.
