Are we too old for Harry Potter?

Has any older readers been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !

Yup! :)

No one is too old for Harry Potter.

I'm not even over 16, and I've been told I'm too old for HP!!! I've been told that it's just a kids book, and is so predictable, and that it's not really all that complex, and that before each book comes out, Jo has to re-build her fanbase, because most of the people who liked it grew up and moved on. However, all of this was said to me by someone who didn't know what a fan I really am, and it took everything I had not to go into full blown fan mode on them. But I completely agree. I don't think there is an age limit on these books, and anyone who says there is probably hasn't actually read them.

So isn't, but I'm only twelve, who cares, and besides, there are two swear words in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, so, not really a childrens book.

Of course I have, but I just tell them, "Read the book for yourself and you will understand why I like it so much." I got one of my best friends to read the books. She used to say that Harry Potter was childish. She's now on book 5 and she loves them.

Has anyone over the age of 16 been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !

"Get a life"? What does that even mean? It's like a stock phrase that's applied to anyone others see as inferior. Because reading is so wrong...:grumble:
In any case, no one has told me I'm too old for Harry Potter. Considering I have already read stuff like The Iliad and The Prince I think I can make an informed decision about what I like. And these books are not for children. Torture, bigotry, tyranny, murder and spiritual perversion. A right old bedtime story if ever I heard one.
"Get a life"? They say that to you? Not only ignorant but deeply hurtful. You need to set them straight.

I have been told that also and simply reply, "So I'm a child at heart, but I've you read the books I'm sure you'll change your mind, I'll let you borrow my books if you'd like"
I'm 56

And these books are not for children. Torture, bigotry, tyranny, murder and spiritual perversion. A right old bedtime story if ever I heard one.
.

Alright lets not get carried away now. You're making it sound a lot worse than it is..

Um...no, I'm not. It really is that bad.

Um...no, I'm not. It really is that bad.

It is getting a bit carried away. No one would be reading the books if that was all it is about.

I'm 23 and don't really discuss harry potter to anyone unless I know they are a fellow fan. Most people where I'm from would call you names for reading the books.

No one would be too old to read HP. Actually I always think that people at different ages will draw different conclusions, and have different understandings on it.
But no matter how old we are, we all enjoy it:)

ive started reading when i was 6 and now im 13 it took me 7 yrs and in those 7yrs no one said it was a kids book to me though some teachers did and said we should read stuff our grade level but never our age and yeah i agree with u frances0122

It is getting a bit carried away. No one would be reading the books if that was all it is about.

I never said the books were all about that. But people judge the target audience of a book based on its content do they not? And in the Deathly Hallows, the first chapter no less, Voldemort kills a character and then invites his pet snake to devour the corpse. There are show trials based on blood purity. Fenrir Greyback makes some rather lurid comments.
No, this is not all the books have to offer but my point is simply that with such grim themes and violence (Shown or implied) it cannot be considered a childrens book. And thus, the argument that any of us could be "too old" to enjoy reading the series is groundless, offensive, narrow-minded and clearly designed to provoke a reaction.

Well, I'll be 48 next month and I think they're wonderful. I have several friends (ages 41, 43, 61) and my little sister (age 42) who love the books and read them avidly. In almost all cases we got these books (and our obsession) from our children bringing them home. Two of the people mentioned are published writers who know well written when they read it.

Who says an old dog can't learn young tricks for the youngsters!

If someone really is that interested in what I read and wishes to judge it without reading the books themselves, perhaps it is not "I" who needs a life.

One of the perks of being of the "older" set is most of us just don't care what the other people think anymore and have learned to be true to our own opinions and judgements.

For those young people who have been captured by Harry Potter...Yay! :clap:...and for those who handed me a copy, the deepest thanks :)

I never said the books were all about that. But people judge the target audience of a book based on its content do they not? And in the Deathly Hallows, the first chapter no less, Voldemort kills a character and then invites his pet snake to devour the corpse. There are show trials based on blood purity. Fenrir Greyback makes some rather lurid comments.
No, this is not all the books have to offer but my point is simply that with such grim themes and violence (Shown or implied) it cannot be considered a childrens book. And thus, the argument that any of us could be "too old" to enjoy reading the series is groundless, offensive, narrow-minded and clearly designed to provoke a reaction.

Fair play, but Jo writes it all in a way that does not make it stand out so plainly..

The books have grown in maturity along with the characters within. That being said, I have two 11 yr old twins that I read book 7 to and they understood it just fine. Like any book and children, parents should help determine what books are right for each child....even in children's books.

There are most certainly books they would not be given to read yet by me, but Deathly Hallows would not be one of them. Provocative? Yes...not necessarily a bad thing as long as there is guidance and discussion ...especially if parents are getting involved in that. It can be a very healthy thing.

No, I've never been told I'm too old. I know many adults (aunts and uncles, bosses, teachers) who also read HP; and it's nice to discuss it with them. :D

It's been hinted at... but I've been reading HP since I was 13; I grew up with the series! I wasn't going to just stop reading now was I?!?!

I'm 23 and don't really discuss harry potter to anyone unless I know they are a fellow fan. Most people where I'm from would call you names for reading the books.

Yes. I'm 20 now. Most of my family members and friends don't read HP and worse, they always tend to misjudge it. But how can you know what it's like when you never read a chapter? That's prejudice.:no:

I started reading the books in college, and got completely hooked. The only people who give me that look that says "I can't believe you like Harry Potter" are people who haven't read them. I've personally never met anyone who has read the books and not liked them. I know a lot of people my age (24) who love them, and I don't really think of them as childrens' books, not since the 4th or 5th one. There's a lot of mature subject matter and ideas found in the books, and I don't mean that in a risque' sort of way, just that there are things adults can gleam from the books that children can't comprehend yet.

And why shouldn't adults love Harry Potter? It's (unfortunately) rare that a book series comes along that has an amazingly-detailed plot spanning 7 books, interesting characters, an original world, and great story-telling.

Heck no... I started to read it when I was in my teens and I just got done reading the last one in my 20's... to me age is nothing more than a state of mind :p.

I love to read books that are escapism... it helps to fuel my own imagination :).

Harry Potter has no age limit, even though plenty of people think so. Unfortunately, in the US, it has been labeled as a 'children's book'. But it by no means is limitted to children.
I mean, look at the books in the UK...they come out with two editions of it: the 'childrens' edition and the 'adult' edition (which is the same exact book, just with a different cover to make it look more adult-like). Several countries do this, so that alone shows that it isn't just a kids reading it.

I'm 21 and I love Harry Potter and am not ashamed of it. :cool:
My mom reads it, my 28-year old cousin reads it, plenty of my mom's co-workers read it, my 30-something year old aunt reads it...
In fact, last year at my school, there was a Harry Potter night where they played movies 1-4. And I'm in college! So, HP is fairly popular on college campuses...

The way I see it, HP go labeled as a children's book because when it first came out, it was a book about an 11 year-old kid. The recommended reading age was 9-12. Well, those 9-12 year olds who started reading HP when it first came out are 19-22 year olds now. So it cannot hardly be considered as only a kid's book anymore. So those people who claim we're too old clearly have never read the books before and just do not know what they're missing.

The day I grow too old for Harry Potter is the day Elvis Presley goes public to announce that he didn't die, he jus' went home... :D

I'm 28 (or will be in 2 weeks) and I just finished reading the entire series over again, and had planned on reading GoF again. I also have the first three PC games, which I've been playing quite a bit lately. My Dad (who will be 63 in October) is reading OotP, and my sister who is 11 years older than me also plays my PC games, so I don't think anyone is too old to read/watch/play Harry Potter. ;)

Has anyone over the age of 16 been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !
I'm....er....older.... than you are, and have read all the books several times (I also read books 1-6 just before book 7 came out, so that I'd remember more details! Most of my friends wouldn't understand that, to be sure).

I don't think there's any age limit to HP, the story has universal archetypal themes. If memory serves, I believe that JKR didn't write it as a children's book, it was the publisher who suggested Book 1 be marketed as a children's book.

I'll always be grateful to my nephew (he's 16 now), who was so enthusiastic in telling me about the series when I bought GoF for him -- I hadn't read any HP books at that point. I wanted to be able to discuss it with him, so I started reading....and was immediately pulled in by the characters, story, incredible detail, creativity, wit and cleverness --- a remarkable series, a genius storyteller in JKR.

Ohh...for the record, my hubby is an even bigger HP fan than I am. He had to get his own copy of all 7 books and insisted on buying the CD sets so he can listen on his way to work in the car---he's 52 :D

I'll be damned before I am told I am too old for all this fun.

Has anyone over the age of 16 been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !

I totally agree, HP has no age limit. Actually, I think one can be too young for the latter HP books - they are dark and have reality hit the heroes hard (death of loved ones, betrayals, etc.) - but you're never too old. I actually think 16 is borderline for some of the stuff in HP, but I guess it is an age when it's good to learn about the dark side of life and people.

A good friend of mine wrote a magazine article titled "Thoughts of a middle-aged HP fan" (his editor wanted him to title it "Confessions of a middle-aged HP fan" but he refused, saying it was not a disease or anything to be ashamed of, thank you very much) that is very amusing and makes some very valid points on the universality of the HP world.

My husband (whom I got hooked) and I are well past forty, and we still read HP avidly. So go on, enjoy, never mind what your friends say. There IS a life outside of HP, we all live it. Why not take a break and immerse yourself in a world of fantasy?

Sorry if these thoughts have been expressed before. As usual I only read the first couple of posts before responding.

I am only 16, but both my parents, and my english tacher enjoy HP and i quite frequently get into conversations about it with them. Before the seventh book came out we'd discuss who we thought was gonna die and general plot points. I don't htink you can ever be too old for Harry Potter becasue there are people of all different ages in the Harry Potter books. I mean look at Nicholas Flamel, he was 665. So i think the age that one should be deemed too old for Harry Potter should be set at 665.

If memory serves, I believe that JKR didn't write it as a children's book, it was the publisher who suggested Book 1 be marketed as a children's book.

I hadn't known that, that Jo didn't write it as "kiddie lit" books. I did find the series, especially from GoF on, not at all for younger children (though they do seem to enjoy it). And it was a friend past 60 who put me up to reading them, not the one I mention above, someone else. Up to then, I had dismissed HP as children's books and didn't bother. I didn't know what I was missing!

What irks me is that newspapers like the NY Times still won't put those books on the mainstream best-seller list, though they did review it. Not on the best-seller list when it outsold anything in sight and broke all the all-time records! :rolleyes:

Also, what many people don't realize is that if someone started reading the books the year the first one came out, then they would be a decade older now. I mean i have spent over half my life reading Harry Potter.

im 23 and thankfully no one has told me yet that im too old for HP books (mostly because most of my friends are so into HP books too)...

but hey, i think no one is too old for those chaps who appreciates a well written book right?!

I started reading them when I was young and DH came out when I was in law school...so I didn't expect many of my friends there to be into it. Imagine my surprise when I went to the midnight booksale and met up with three of my law school buddies there. We were all laughing because we had all been thinking the same thing, that no one in our law program would be reading them. But that only lasted about three minutes. We spent the rest of the time (about an hour and a half) discussing the series - it got pretty interesting when we started accusing and defending the characters actions with legal theories, lol.

They had all read from a young age too - I mean how can you stop reading in the middle of a series? I love fantasy/magical fiction though, I doubt I'll ever stop reading it as long as I live - especially any with werewolf/wolf lore in it.

Like others have said, I don't think anyone is to old for Hp! Although you can be to young to read the last few books.

When I was linig up for book 7 I thought I'd be about the only person over about the age 15 (I'm 20) but infact the majority of the crowd were older. Yesterday I saw a guy in who must have been in his 30's or 40's reading OOTP. He must have been enjoying because he didn't want to put it down to even open the door. I read somewhere about the time DH came out that they think a huge reason why the books have remained so popular is because of the older fans.

:lol: No one is too old for HP. :) And sometimes, I just don't care if people tell me I've been too addicted to it.

I've sometimes been asked: Do you really like Harry Potter? It's a children's book! My answer is always the same: And? What's the matter? It's funny, I like it and it helps me with my English. Actually, people get usually more shocked about my reading it English (I'm not English-Speaker) than about my reading it at all. And there are more adult fans than you'd believe. Just yesterday, I saw a boy at college with the Deathly HAllows just before we got in for an exam.

Anyway, you read what you like and because you like it. If the rest of people don't like... Well, the worst for them. Personally, since I'm an adult, I've never let others to tell me what I can or can't read.

I've sometimes been asked: Do you really like Harry Potter? It's a children's book! My answer is always the same: And? What's the matter? It's funny, I like it and it helps me with my English. Actually, people get usually more shocked about my reading it English (I'm not English-Speaker) than about my reading it at all. And there are more adult fans than you'd believe. Just yesterday, I saw a boy at college with the Deathly HAllows just before we got in for an exam.

Anyway, you read what you like and because you like it. If the rest of people don't like... Well, the worst for them. Personally, since I'm an adult, I've never let others to tell me what I can or can't read.

Hi! I'm not an English-speaker either. I read the first 4 books in my native language when I was 14. And this year I read the later 3 ones in English version. Although I was still having some ?? occasionally but overall, I enjoyed it very much. I frequently recommend the original English version to my friends. The series is one of the few things in the world that help you improve your language while letting you have great fun at the meantime.

As an adult reader of Harry Potter, when I want to talk about the story I do this with my friends who are also reader of the books.

We don't feel that they are only childrens' books or that we are too old for them. Especially as the series progress, they are aimed at an older audience.

Maybe because I am a teacher, half the people I work with are adult readers of the series. And of course I also know plenty of child readers!

Well I have to say that I am part of the "older" crowd that has or is reading the Potter series. I have a few close friends who have read the series and always extolled the virtues of the books.

While I have seen all the movies up to this point and have them in my collection, I did not get into the books until recently which is rather odd as I am a voracious reader! I enjoy the escape the stories afford the reader. After dealing with all that comes along with an "adult" life, it is refreshing and a release to allow yourself to be absorbed into the world of Harry Potter. Nightly as I read the books I find myself wondering what is around the next corner (page).

I guess that now even I am "obsessed" with the story. It is hard to put them down for the evening and tell myself that I need to go to bed. I plan on doing a re-read once I get through DH as I am sure I've missed a few of the finer points of the ongoing plot.

Take care everyone............

Morbius

I'm 24 and I love the books. So do many of my friends and my mother. So I'm not embarrassed about reading them.

I wouldn't call the books escapist though. I think thats a bit degrading. There is so much more to them than that. The key to well written fantasy literature, which I think HP is, is that it deals with sensitive and significant issues in a setting removed from the 'real' world, thus allowing readers to be less offended by the content. For example fantasy novels often deal very well with racism, genocide, etc. I think Jo is able to touch on serious issues in HP without getting people up in arms about them. Which makes the books so much more than escapism to me.

Well, I am 15 and have never been told that I am too old to read them, as most of my friends have and some of my older relatives.
I think it depends really. No-one in my family cares if I read books from the 8-12 section because I also read loads of adult books. Anyway, the great thing of the Harry Potter books is that they seem to have no age limit. I now read them on higher levels though than I did when I was seven.

Well, I am 15 and have never been told that I am too old to read them, as most of my friends have and some of my older relatives.


You definately don't need to worry about being to old and I doubt anyone will ever say it. When the books first came out you probably would nearly have been too young to read them.

i don't think anyone is too old for harry potter

I'm not quite 16 yet (less than a week - yay!), but even among teenagers it's seen as "un-cool" to like HP. A friend of mine claims to have "out-grown" the books, which I think is bollocks. Some people don't like them and others do. I think it's very sad for people to think that you can't enjoy "children's" books when they get older, and I think it makes people seem insecure if they have to convince themselves that they are more mature. Anyway it's their loss and HP as a series isn't exclusively for children. Only the first and maybe second book in my opinion can be dubbed "children's books". If you're older - hell, read away!

I just turned 17 in July about 2 days before Deathly Hallows and no one's ever told me I'm too old to read them at school or anywhere else. 3 or 4 of my friends who are my age also read the books and my mom, aunt and uncle and cousins all read the books as well. Even my Theatre Arts teacher and my English teacher both read the books and they're in their late 20's. I don't think you can ever be too old to read HP. My theatre teacher and I even discussed what we thought of book 7 after school started.

I am 55 and enjoy them immensely. You are never too old to enjoy a well written and imaginative story.

There's no such thing as too old for Harry. I disagree very strongly with the New York Times' desicion to make a children's bestseller list. it's so ridiculous when more than half the fans here are adults that they're still considered "children's books. :(

Heck no I'm not too old for Harry Potter. I started reading the series when I was 10 years old (I'm 15 now). I've read each book numerous times and I'll probably still be re-reading this epic series when I'm 50.

I'm 23 and have been constantly asked, "Don't you think you're too old to be reading Harry Potter?". Which is a stupid question anyway because if I did think I was too old for them, I wouldn't have read them.
Of course not everyone is going to like the books, but I don't see why some people have to be rude about the fact a lot of people do like the books. It's not harming anyone and it's brought a lot of people together for chat and fun like on this site.
Besides, why shouldn't older people like some children's things? Heck, if I fancy going outside and playing hop-scotch by myself, who am I hurting?
I'd prefer to enjoy life as much as I can rather than simply sticking to doing what's currently cool.

I have been told that I am too old. I'm currently 26 and I started reading the series shortly before OOTP was released but I don't care. I enjoy the series.

"... Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young...and I seem to have forgotten lately..."

I read Harry Potter to remember what is was like to be young and not make the foolish mistakes of the old. Magic can be rekindled in an old heart and remind us what it took to bring us to this spot. Should more old men and women remember and rekindle, what better place might this world be?

Too old for Harry Potter?

I guess I must too old for Alice in Wonderland...a book that get a re-read every year because it was the first book I fell in love with at a young age.

But I think it's naive to believe that an older reader isn't going to experience the story differently due to their longer life and more varied life experience.

Any book, if it is written well, intelligently and as masterfully as Jo has written hers, has no age limit. There are "Children's" books my sister and I have read that are aimed at children we really like, because of the reasons stated above.

People tend to think that since HP is in the Children's section of the library/bookstore that it is specifically meant for children and is only on a child's mentality.

The Harry Potter books to me are very complex things; they are written so that a child can read and understand them (although if I had children younger than 11-12 I wouldn't let them read the last three just yet...might be too intense...) But so that adults and also appreciate the complexity and the deep emotions and realism throughout the books. I know it sounds silly to say that Harry Potter has "realism"; but besides the fantasy aspects the Characters interactions and emotions and conflicts are extremely true to life.

So to sum up: No, nobody is too old for Harry Potter. And those who say so either hasn't read them, or can't appreciate a good book for what it is.

I know for a fact that pretty much everyone in my year in school read DH over the summer, so I'd have to say no.

I don't question my addiction to HP. :yuhup:

I started reading HP when I was 11 and I decided then I'd finish the series no matter how old I was when it ended. Of course, back then I thought 20 was "old."

No, I've never been told I was too old. Crazy yes, old no.

All of the people I've met who think Harry Potter is just for kids have never read the books.

My 70 year-old Grandpa loves Harry Potter. i think that sums it up, no questions asked. If you're under seventy, you can love Harry Potter. If you're over seventy you can STILL like Harry. yay! :)

My 70 year-old Grandpa loves Harry Potter. i think that sums it up, no questions asked. If you're under seventy, you can love Harry Potter. If you're over seventy you can STILL like Harry. yay! :)

Hear! Hear! For your Grandpa!!

There was another poster elsewhere on the forum that spoke of her 90 year old grandmother who also reads Harry Potter, and thought Dumbledore was "hot"!
:rotfl:
I just love that.

A ninety year-old lady who thinks Dumby's "hot"? Now that's something I've never heard of before. :D

I hadn't known that, that Jo didn't write it as "kiddie lit" books. I did find the series, especially from GoF on, not at all for younger children (though they do seem to enjoy it). And it was a friend past 60 who put me up to reading them, not the one I mention above, someone else. Up to then, I had dismissed HP as children's books and didn't bother. I didn't know what I was missing!

What irks me is that newspapers like the NY Times still won't put those books on the mainstream best-seller list, though they did review it. Not on the best-seller list when it outsold anything in sight and broke all the all-time records! :rolleyes:

Actually, the history of "children's" tales, or as they of course became known later, "fairy tales", were never the kind, fluffy stories we find on book shelves today. I mean, just read the classic children's tales in any culture, they're fairly scary and brutal, and often deal with loss, cruelty and death. I agree there may be an age too young for some of those tales, including HP, but I find that most children are sophisticated beings who would have no problem with any of them.

And yes, the NY Times and those other papers irk me as well. Kind of uppity of them, isn't it?

Oh please... I'm sure the creators of this sites, Aurors, Unspeakables, etc. are all older than 16. I'm more than twice that. There are members here who are over (gasp) 50 years old. All those people have read the books, or they wouldn't be here. They certainly didn't feel they were too old.

Plus, after GoF, this was really not a children's books series any more. I learned recently that JKR never meant it to be, it was the publishers of the first book's decision.

Plus, after GoF, this was really not a children's books series any more. I learned recently that JKR never meant it to be, it was the publishers of the first book's decision.

I absolutely agree. The Harry Potter books are so, so, far from children's books.

Has anyone over the age of 16 been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !

I am 38 and no-one has ever called me a nutter for reading and liking the Harry Potter books.
Yeah, well, you collect plugs, don't you? Birds of a feather...
Sorry about that. Sometimes the cat gets at the keyboard when I have my back turned. Please ignore her. :relax:

I was first turned onto the books by my wife and my then 5-year-old cousin (who thought my wife was the slammin'est thing since velcro sneaker fasteners when he found out she knew all about Quidditch and Hagrid and the Sorting Hat). The first movie was on the TV the next day after that encounter - I was so impressed I started in on the books.

We then turned my mother onto the books. She hasn't gotten all the way through the series yet. She got a little bogged down when we bought her the Irish translation of Philosopher's Stone. Her Gaelic's a little rusty, but she's working through it side-by-side with an American print.

I'm too old for a lot of things, but sitting in my rocking chair reading Harry Potter is something I find quite easy.

Not too many of my contemporaries are eager to discuss Harry Potter theories at length, unfortunately, but thank goodness I have all the wonderful minds of all ages here to share my obsession.

There is no such thing as being to old to read any book really.

Sometime when I have some spare time I will open up a book I read as a small kid.

You are also never to old to be a big fan of anything! I am 21 and a proud HP fan!

I'm 59, am I too old for Harry Potter?

If you ever cared about what someone thought, you deserve your own self-doubt

no because children dont tend to read books the size of bricks do they.
i thought dh was a bit gruesome in my 1st reading of it and im 18

I don't think so.

I'm positively delighted when I see or speak to adults reading Harry Potter. It makes me realise just how wonderful JKR is and how great her books are. They've reached to children as young as 5 and adults as old as 99. It's just extraordinary :D

I'm only 15 and i don't think i am too old for it (though i have been told by several people how childish i was for stilll liking them. I've grown up with HP for 9 years, and still am not tired of it :)

My parents think I'm very sad to read and re-read the HP books and many people in my year say that it's sad (but they know rather alot about the books. hmmmm) but I don't care. I think that anyone can read and enjoy the books.

My parents think I'm very sad to read and re-read the HP books and many people in my year say that it's sad (but they know rather alot about the books. hmmmm) but I don't care. I think that anyone can read and enjoy the books.

I dont think your parents think you are sad , if you asked them to read one or two of the books, then maybe they will understand what good reading they are. And as for your fellow students maybe they ,like most people in the world LOVE HARRY POTTER !(just in secret)

Noone is too old!! People tell my momma that she is too old for Harry Potter and she is only 36, and people tell me I'm too old and I just turned 16 yesterday!!! My grandmother especially!! Of course she doesn't like HP........

Has any older readers been told that they are too old to read Harry Potter ? I am 36 and and have read everything about harry and co about 10 times. Most of my friends think i need to get a life, but i cant help it, i am obsessed . I think HP has no age limit . To me it is escapisam and also these books are the only ones my kids have actually been eager to read. They are so well written any age can enjoy them. If they get people reading instead of watching television,that is not a bad thing ? Dont you agree !

No. Why should teens and kids have the monopoly on fun and imagination? From time to time I get a little tired of the oversexed tripe that passes for entertainment these days (gratuitous sex does not equal plot, tyvm), and HP is a nice break. My friends don't want to talk about it or don't read the books, so I come here. If it makes you happy, who cares?

I think we had a thread for older readers before DH- not sure where that went, but it was nice. You're in good company. :)

You know, it's true. I've read a few "adult" books lately and was sadly disappointed in them. Give this middle-aged girl Harry Potter any day.

Pretty obviously people of all age read and enjoy Harry Potter - and people with the most different background.

I don't think people are ever 'too old' for anything.

No. Why should teens and kids have the monopoly on fun and imagination? From time to time I get a little tired of the oversexed tripe that passes for entertainment these days (gratuitous sex does not equal plot, tyvm), and HP is a nice break. My friends don't want to talk about it or don't read the books, so I come here. If it makes you happy, who cares?

I think we had a thread for older readers before DH- not sure where that went, but it was nice. You're in good company. :)

Actually, there are some so-called adult (I mean mainstream) books that I do enjoy (no sex scenes, just good plots, good premises). But I agree Harry Potter is a nice break from the nitty-gritty. Not that there isn't realism and dark spots in HP but you know that it's an imaginary world, compared to, say, Richard North Patterson's passionate pleas on very adult themes like the death penalty (which doesn't seem to keep Voldemort from his sleep, if he does sleep, at least he has no qualms about it) or the Right to Choose and other such themes.

Yes I do remember a thread about "older readers" too. I haven't seen it lately, but there's been so much going around, I haven't really been looking for it. I hadn't even really looked at it when it was around, though it seemed interesting. Unfortunately we all have limited time for this, considering we all have careers to pursue, families to take care of, social obligations, etc.

I do love coming home from a hard day in the "outside world" and plunging back in HP, in book or dvd form. And I'm way past (do I dare say it?) 50!!!

Conclusion: No, definitely, nobody's too old for Harry Potter. Somebody set the limit at Nicholas Flamel's age (600+) Looks OK to me. ;)

I think anyone who thinks someone is too old to read the HP books are Muggles and have either forgotten or never knew about the magic of the imagination. Look at all the "old" people who went to see Star Wars and grew up on Star Trek.

You can never be too old for Potter.

I'm not even over 16, and I've been told I'm too old for HP!!! I've been told that it's just a kids book, and is so predictable, and that it's not really all that complex, and that before each book comes out, Jo has to re-build her fanbase, because most of the people who liked it grew up and moved on. However, all of this was said to me by someone who didn't know what a fan I really am, and it took everything I had not to go into full blown fan mode on them. But I completely agree. I don't think there is an age limit on these books, and anyone who says there is probably hasn't actually read them.


"EAR'EAR'!" You have no idea how many times i've been told to get a life because of my slightly obsessive Harry Potter fandome! HAHA!! I love the books and I don't care what anybody else says. Some parts are somewhat predictable, but I think that you're still on the edge of your seat enough that the predictablaty is fine, and in the Hermione/Ron and Harry/Ginny things I like that it's predictable!
I also agree with the if they say that they've not read it YET.
I attend an art school, and every person who attends it loves it!!!
my uncles(50+) also read it along with all my cousins (22+)

I really don't think anyone is 'too old for Harry Potter'. It's a wonderful series that sparks the imagination. Any book that encourages so many people from so many walks of life to come together and share a bit of themselves is fit for most any age.

I'm 23 and I've sometimes been looked at stupidly because I've read Harry Potter and am quite obsessed! But i've met lots of older people who loves the books as well - there's a woman in the office i'm working in who is on her 4th read of DH!

So, no I don't think you're ever too old for Harry Potter as long as you enjoy the books. So stay true to your love of all things Harry Potter :love:

No one is too old for HP, I know I never will be.
I am only twelve, and I already have people telling me to get a life or calling me a baby for reading it.

You can never be too old for Potter.
Agreed! I wasn't exactly a child when I started reading the books though! :lol: I don't think you can put on age on something like this - if you get enjoyment from reading HP, it doesn't matter how old you are! :D

Agreed! I wasn't exactly a child when I started reading the books though! :lol: I don't think you can put on age on something like this - if you get enjoyment from reading HP, it doesn't matter how old you are! :D

You couldn't have put it any better! :agree:. There can be no limit to enjoy life and to enjoy books like Harry Potter. I love the series more today than I did the first time I read it some ten years ago! I grew up with these books... I will never ever be ashamed to proclaim my love for Sirius!!!!

I'm 26 and I dont' think I'm too old at all.

I have a friend at church who's like in her fifties and she said she had a friend who is a huge fan, she says she read them and like them

and when I was sitting in Panera Bread reading HBP again the other day a lady that looked like she was in her fifties or sixties came up to me and was like Oohhh I love those books, and preceded to ask me had I finished the series and what did I think, so I don't think they have an age limit.

i was told by my family a couple of years ago when the 6th book came out that i was getting to old to read it!
i was like..."it's a series of books i can't stop reading now!"
they haven't said it since.
i love them anyway,so i don't really care if anyone thinks i am to old for them.
who says they have to just be for kids?
you can never be to old in my opinion.if you enjoy it you should carry on! age is no barrier!

i even got my aunt into reading them and she is 48! :)

Your never to old for Harry Potter. My grandpa has read (and likes) all of them and he is 73.

No one is too old to be entertained and that is exactly what the Harry Potter series does!

For the record I'm 39 years old and didn't start reading the books until I was in my late 20's.

My favorite thing after the release of DH was noticing all the grown-ups commuting to work on the New York City subway noses deep in their books, or seeing people walking around on the sidewalk while reading. None of these people were kids, and clearly none of them could put the book down.

I think Jo said it best when she said that she writes things that she'd want to read. And as Stephen King said, the Harry books are basically ageless because Harry continues to grow up through the series. If we were constantly reading about an 11 year old, maybe the books would stay books for 11 year olds. But Harry grows and matures and takes on the tasks and responsibilities of an adult.

I am a Harry Potter fanatic...my screen saver at work is an image of Harry Potter Trading Cards!!! I love the image and when people ask I proudly tell them it is Harry Potter and I stick out my tongue like a truly grown-up 22 year old when they poke fun at me!

I've been told plenty of times that i'm too old to be reading Harry Potter and I'm only seventeen! In back-up for my argument, however, I say "Well if I'm too old for Harry Potter, then that's saying that we're all too old to celebrate Halloween or Christmas but we still do" or I tell them I know plenty of people way older than me (ie: my english teachers) who love Harry Potter.

No one is ever EVER too old for something as long as they love it. The moment you stop loving whatever you are "too old" for, however, then yes, you are too old.

Im 42 and could careless what people think, I love the Harry Potter series and I will keep reading them as long as I am breathing.

No one's too old to read Harry Potter as has been proven throughout this thread. I'm 25 and I love good children's literature, because I feel the themes and plots are just better than most of the "adult" literature. I do read stuff for my own age, but I'm not afraid to pick up a good piece of children's literature every now and then. Heck, back in college, I took every children's lit class offered. It was one of those classes that introduced me to Harry Potter!
I'm actually glad HP is classified as children's lit. If not, I think we'd be having the discussion on "Are we too young for Harry Potter" on a more serious level.

Agreed! I wasn't exactly a child when I started reading the books though! :lol: I don't think you can put on age on something like this - if you get enjoyment from reading HP, it doesn't matter how old you are! :D

Totally agree with you. :) I don't think i will EVER be too old for this wonderful books and most of my family started reading because of me. My brothers (28 and 30 yrs old) have read them all and they like the series they're not big fans like me but still they enjoyed them and my dad (57 yrs old) he's still reading DH ( I know right how can he take so long...) and we like it so i guess there really is no age for this awesome book!!!

Pah, there's no age limit for Harry Potter. :) When I went to Prophecy, a Harry Potter symposium, the majority of attendees were around 20-30 years old, but there were also quite a few 40-50 year olds, or even more. It was really great, actually.

I rewent to see OotP with a few family members at one point this summer, and I was the only person under 40, lol. Everyone had read all seven books (we saw it mid-August) at least once, though my uncle is almost as obsessed as I am, and has read them quite a few times over, too. And he's about 50 by now.

I'm 35 and there is no way I'm too old for HP - being older just means you appreciate the books more.

I love it when people tell me it's a children's book! I simply say it's one of the best written ones ever....much like LOTR or Chronicles of Narnia. Then I say, just try it, you might like it.

I was turned on to HP rather later than most, only having been reading the books for about 5 years now (I started right before OOTP came out). But, I was instantly hooked and smitten with the glorious story. But, I have to agree with whomever said that the series covers some pretty dark subjects. My oldest daughter is 6 years old and while she's seen all the films (except OOTP), I've only just begun reading the SS with her. I don't want to jump into too much deep stuff just yet.

But, in reality, to those that tell me I'm too old, Oh well! I'm young at heart!
BTW, I more often see adults in waiting rooms, etc. reading the book.

Who set the age limit on HP? Before I got really into HP, a co-worker of mine was into it. And let me tell you, age is nothing but a number. And when it comes to DH, you may very well be with some grown folks, because there's some adult stuff going on in this book!

Psshh...since when do books have age limits? HA! I love when people say these books are for kids I just laugh. People are close minded and their the ones missing out.

You're never too old for Harry Potter. My parents are in their late-40s and they, as well as most of their friends read the books. Most of the people at the midnight OotP screening I went to were in their 20s-30s. I don't really consider anything past maybe book 4 a kid's book anyway. I'm going to stay a fan my whole life I believe, and I fully intend to brainwash my own kids into HP fans as well. :D

With a few exceptions, you can't be too old for anything. Sure, Harry Potter may be considered a children's book, but if it makes you happy, then who cares!

Our household consists of myself (female, age 56), my sister (age, 61) her husband (age, 55) and granddaughter (age, 15). We're all avid HP readers and always end up with at least 2 copies of each book because we haven't been able/willing to wait when the newest ones have come out. My sister says it was one of her greatest moments as a grandmother, sitting up in bed reading her copy of DH, with her 10 year old grandson sitting up beside her reading his copy!

I recall going to see LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring when it first came out, and the queue mostly comprised people over 40 - we'd all read LOTR in our teens and 20s. As a HP link, this was in of all places Wagga Wagga! :lol: No werewolves that I could see though.....

No, you're never too old.... my 85 yr old mother has seen all the movies!

It's impossible to be too old for Harry Potter.
I'll probably still be obsessed when I'm an old woman. :3

Nope. I feel fine in my HP fandomness and just know I'll reread the books for the rest of my life, just as I do with my Laura Ingalls books and other 'childrens stories' :)

No one is too old for Harry Potter.

Agreed!

Im 42 and could careless what people think, I love the Harry Potter series and I will keep reading them as long as I am breathing.

I love it! Harry Potter World!!!!!

I agree, there is no age limit to the Harry Potter books- why should there be?
Infact a lot of things in them are really mature and my ten-year-old cousin got fed up and totally confused with Deathly Hallows.
xx

I'm 47 and I love the books, and listen to the audio tapes on the way to work. A co-worker decided to buy an HP book for her 11 year old grandson, and was going to buy the latest one. I told her to buy the first one. The last one has too much from the previous books to start on. I asked if she at least peeked at the first chapter before giving it to her grandson, but she hadn't. I said "Awwwwwww! Why not?". Too bad, she doesn't know what she's missing!

You're never too old for Harry Potter. I'm going to be reading and re-reading the series until I die.

Well, I guess I am here to agree with everyone else. :) It's pretty obvious, isn't it? :lol:

Age doesnt matter. I actually think these books are more aimed towards adults than children. The last few books are very hard to understand and I actually dont think some children would understand everything from it. Especially the prophecy.
I think the books are more aimed towards late teens and adults! ;)

i'm 22 and people do say I'm too old for the Potter, but if they dont want to read these amazing books because they think they are just for kids, its their loss! Anyway, I dont think they are anyway. A lot of it is pretty scarey for children - I sometimes get scared!

I don't think we'll ever be too old to appreaciate the magic that is Harry Potter.

How can you be too old to read a good book?
I'm 41 and I only got into Harry Potter because of my kids. My older siblings and their kids are into it as well as is my Mum who will be 75 next month.
I have read other "kids" books too - and if they are well written then they are enjoyable.
Why do people think there is an age limit on reading different types of literature?
Why don't more men read "Wuthering Heights" or Jane Austen?
In fact why do we have to pigeon-hole books and limit ourselves in what we read?
And who are these people who say there is an age limit on reading Harry Potter books? - the reading police? (The Dursleys? )
Personally I think they are the ones who need to get a life and stop telling other people what they should be reading!

I feel better now! :relax:

I am 57 years of age. I was urged to start reading the series by my former boss, who was in her 70's at the time, and is now in her 80's. Of course, she still hasn't finished HBP, but she has purchased DH. I've been urging her to finish HBP soon and get started with DH.

Just the thought that someone could have the nerve to tell someone they're too old for HP is both saddening and insulting to me.

These are seven amazing, fascinating novels that have not only invaded every facet of the media, but have done the impossible by getting millions of children and adults worldwide not only reading willingly, but getting EXCITED about it.

How can one be too old for something that can do something that wonderful?

Opinions be damned... I love these books, and I will love them for the rest of my life. And with any luck, one day my children will as well.

TOO OLD?? Nobody's ever too old for Harry Potter! NEVER!

im a proud fan, baby

No. The people that think there is an age limit have no [staff edit]. Everytime I went to the cinema, or went to the book shop on the launch day of the books. There were alway's more late teens / adults than kids.

Of course not no one's too old for Harry Potter. That's like saying we're too old to still enjoy kids books that we enjoyed when we were little. Books are timeless. Never too old to enjoy a book.

I've gotten a few raised eyebrows from people who haven't read the books or have only seen the movies. Most people I talk to tolerate me in a good natured sort of way. Though I do work with one girl who is almost as big a fan as I am.

My wife used to tease me about it until she started reading them this past Saturday. Two days later and she is half way through book 4. Oh yeah!

You are never to old for Harry Potter. I think that this series will go on and it doesnt matter how old you are. We will keep reading these books.

Absolutely not!!!! I too am 36, and though I find myself the oldest on most the HP sites, I have seen many, many, many adults as old as me and older then me reading the books. I have found myself attracted to the HP sites as they are great places to discuss the books, characters, plots, etc. These are great places to make other HP friends, and even though I am usually older then most other fans on the sites, I do find that I am accepted, and most people just view me as another fan of HP. I do not think we will ever be to old for HP.

I don't think anyone's too old for Harry Potter. Maybe they are children's books, but as everyone should know, all good children's books are equally for adults. They may entertain, enchant and enlighten children, but they're only really fully appreciated by adults and mature teens.

as a twelve year old, everyone thinks that the harry potter books are way to big for me instead :lol:

How can anyone be too old to read a great story?

Not at all! And I know how you feel - I may only be 15 years old, but even I sometimes get strange looks from people when I walk through the halls of my high school with an ENORMOUS book tucked under my arm. No worries at all - Harry Potter is ageless, timeless. NO ONE is too old for Harry Potter!

ARE YOU CRAZY?!?! THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH AN OLD HARRY POTTER OBSESSED PERSON!!? I mean, sure we get weird looks, crazy stares, and pleas to visit a psychiatrist, but OH WELL... IT'S ALL WORTH IT!

How can anyone say such a thing!? For someone to think they're too old for Harry Potter is a crime. Anyone can read Harry Potter. It has depth and meaning, just more understandable than the depth and meaning in Shakespeare. Which I personally love, of course. :D I'm not a huge fan of books where you have to search for a theme and meaning because it's not obvious. There are the people who think I'm strange and weird because I am an obsessed fan of it, but what can I do? Give it up? It's a free country (I live in the U.S.), anyone can read it!

chant:

HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!

I happen to be a sophmore in high school and I know a ton of kids who think I'm rather oddball, with all of my flipping awesome Harry Potter shirts, etc., but WHO CARES?

Harry makes me happy! So why shouldn't I openly be a hard core Harry P. fan?

FUNNY STARES , RAISED EYEBROWS, AND LAME JOKES WON'T STOP ME!

no, we are never too old. we are just young in mind and at heart. i got into reading because of Harry Potter. so all i can say is thank you J.K. Rowling.

chant:

HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!

I happen to be a sophmore in high school and I know a ton of kids who think I'm rather oddball, with all of my flipping awesome Harry Potter shirts, etc., but WHO CARES?

Harry makes me happy! So why shouldn't I openly be a hard core Harry P. fan?

FUNNY STARES , RAISED EYEBROWS, AND LAME JOKES WON'T STOP ME!


:)
.

chant:

HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!
HECK NO, WE WON'T GO!

I happen to be a sophmore in high school and I know a ton of kids who think I'm rather oddball, with all of my flipping awesome Harry Potter shirts, etc., but WHO CARES?

Harry makes me happy! So why shouldn't I openly be a hard core Harry P. fan?

FUNNY STARES , RAISED EYEBROWS, AND LAME JOKES WON'T STOP ME!

LOL :lol: nice chanting. it was awesome.

Mkay, I'm 12, but I just wanna say that I will NEVER, absolutely NEVER, become too old for Harry Potter.

pffft. Are you mad??? Never. Nope never too old for Harry Potter. I will cling on to it for life.....*hugs the first harry potter thing she can grab* never.....mad absolutely mad to be too old for harry potter. :lol:

I am 18 and have been told I was too old to dress up for the book releases.

Of course I'm "too old" for Harry Potter. Just ask my friends- they all agree. But I don't care. They're my books and I'll read them if I want to.

I never said the books were all about that. But people judge the target audience of a book based on its content do they not? And in the Deathly Hallows, the first chapter no less, Voldemort kills a character and then invites his pet snake to devour the corpse. There are show trials based on blood purity. Fenrir Greyback makes some rather lurid comments.
No, this is not all the books have to offer but my point is simply that with such grim themes and violence (Shown or implied) it cannot be considered a childrens book. And thus, the argument that any of us could be "too old" to enjoy reading the series is groundless, offensive, narrow-minded and clearly designed to provoke a reaction.

I agree with you. No one is calling "Pan's Labyrinth" a kid's movie just because it's fantastical.

What age are the books classified as...?

What age are the books classified as...?

The same as Monopoly: 8 and up.

I think HP has proved it's not just for kids by its absolutely huge range of fans. And I love that. Nevertheless, for some reason the media still markets it as mainly a kids book. Have you ever noticed that the only ones who are interviewed, or given opportunities to win HP related prizes are children? Especially the readings at the US, I was disappointed that so many fans were not even given a chance to see Jo Rowling.

A person is never to old for Harry Potter. It may have began as a kiddie book, but it grew to be so much more!

Do I feel embarrassed that I read Harry Potter?
Nope. Not even a little...:D

I think being an adult Harry Potter fan is becoming more and more accepted. Usually the people who say anyone is "too old" for Harry Potter are those who have not read the books themselves. They do not understand that although the Harry Potter series are childrens' books, they can appeal to wide range of audiences.

I don't think anyone can be too old for Harry Potter. Although children read and love the series, the characters and plot are developed so well that they are still great books for adults too. I got one of my aunts to read the books, and now most of my relatives have been hooked.

I'm eighteen and you're never too old for a good story.

No way! your never too old 4 a good book! period.

My grandma loves Harry Potter. Period. And she is old.

... A lot of the people I've met who tell me I'm too old for HP have never read it.. I think some people are too young for HP.. Though, no one is too old for it..

There is no age limit to good literature.
A lot of people I know think it's "kiddie" and I should read "books more appropriate for my age level." But Harry Potter is for all ages. Just because it's in the children's section doesn't mean only children can read it.
I know adults who love it just as much as children do. I think only a brilliant author like J.K. Rowling can write a book that everyone of all ages can enjoy.
And whoever doesn't read Harry Potter is missing out on a good thing. :p

People have to realize that it took ten years for all seven parts to get published. So, if you're twenty Harry Potter first came out when you were ten.

Too old, ha ha!

I was at a major professional event with my mate, a formal awards dinner actually, on the Friday evening that DH came out. (Wasn't sure we would be able to make it to the bookstore in time, but reserved the book anyway.) The MC at the dinner closed the ceremonial part with, "Well, I'll finish up now because I know a lot of people here are just waiting to rush to the bookstore for the new Harry Potter!' That got people chatting, and sure enough, about half of them were headed to the bookstores right afterwards. And not strictly on account of their kids, either.

We arrived at the store about 11:30 PM and got in line, alas, near the back. Next to us on one side was a college student, on the other side, a nurse!

No such thing as too old for children's literature. Some people are just too immature to understand that! :)

P.S. My mother is also a HP reader, and she is even older than I, obviously!

Fruitia Pickleweed- could'nt say it better myself. Started reading the series to my girls seven years ago and found myself in love with the books. The stories appeal to all ages, and like you for the the last three book parties have noticed very young to older folks. I can never remember in all my years, such anticipation for a novel to come to the bookstore- then getting to discuss it with people from all over the World via computer- simply marvelous stuff. I think the stories are timeless and will be considered classic by the time I have grandchildren.

I'm only thirteen, so no-one's told me that.

I am 33 and have two kids ages 4 and 10. My 4 year old likes Harry Potter but my 10 year old who has the first three books doesn't seem to like Harry Potter.

Those who say that your to old for Harry Potter doesn't know what their missing. Harry is a great escape for old and young alike. If that is all people have to worry about then they are lucky.

Those who bash Harry Potter in any way are jealous that they are not interest in it and the bottom line is that they don't understand Harry Potter. That someone can loose themselves in something completely even briefly is the problem for people that don't get Harry Potter.

No one is too old for Harry Potter.

:gryff::wave:

Age ain't nothin but a number!

If you are never to old to learn, your never to old to be a fan of Harry Potter!

I was 8 when the first book came out and I started reading it a week or so after it's release. I'd just started getting into reading- Roald Dahl and the Narnia books, and my mom suggest Harry Potter that she'd heard about from a friend. So I went to the libary and got myself a copy. And from the first chapter I loved it.

As I got older and carried on loving HP, sure I got people and friends saying it was a kids book and what not, but they'd never read it before and the books made me happy and I enjoyed them, so I ignored those people.

When I was 14-15 though I moved to Spain, where I attended and international school and as everyone is from different backgrounds and hardly anyone from the same area originally, there was alot of acceptance, so I never really got told it was a kids book or whatever, it was just accepted. In fact now, I really only have one male friend who's really into HP, another who likes it but isn't fanatical, and the rest of my friends who like the series are girls.

People who say it's a kids book or that people are too old to read it have either never read them themselves or are too short-sighted to actually see the meanings and how deep the book is. Given a read it's not even really a childs book. Strip down the series into basics and you've got a full grown man out to hunt down and kill a child in cold blood....where's the childishness in that?

yes but HP is not mearly a childs book it is a experince for fellow fans to have stuff like this i mean i started out thinking that it was childish but my brother taught me other wise!!!

It is strange, but I am fifteen, and people (in this case, my parents) often say, 'You are too old to be so obsessed about a kid's book like Potter'.
Which makes me think, how can a book based on grown-up teenagers' angsty life, deaths, good&evil be called only a kid's book? There are, as stated before, two swear words in DH. There is a lot of violence, deaths, and emotional matter in the books. How, then, can people say the books are not meant for people older than thirteen?
Generally, what I have observed, is that most people who say things like 'You are too old for the books' are either of the following:
1. They might have not read the books at all.
2. They might have only seen the movies, and might be judging based on the movies ONLY.
3. They might not like Harry Potter at all. People have this tendency to snub at people who are doing something they do not like.
4. They are extremely queer.

So, it does not matter whether you are 5, 15, 35,55 or 85... you just need to enjoy the books...

Heh! There's no such thing as being too old for Harry Potter!:no:

I'm 74+ and have read the series 4 times -- except for DH, I've still to read that one a second time. [I went to the midnight parties for both HBP and DH.] My next read through is going to be the British adult paperbacks that I'm ordering from Canada inspite of the high postage and long wait for them to get through Customs. Pity I didn't get around to ordering them when the exchange rate was better. Oh well, just shows old ladies can be just as obsessed as you youngsters!:lol:

I get pretty upset when people tell me I am too old to read Harry Potter. Most of the people who have a right laugh about it haven´t even picked up a book in years. I am 27 and I still read everything I can get ahold of. And I am also a shameless cartoon addict. Does that mean I never want to grow up. No. It means sometimes nothing other than good old fashioned innocent entertainment will do. I still do what is required of my age group but I can enjoy the simplier things in life also.

Terry Pratchett said it best:

"[Wee Free Men is] a children's book because: [...] It has a nine-year-old heroine. This is good enough for the industry, which believes that books with children as the main protagonist are de facto books for children. For similar reasons, Moby Dick is very popular among whales."

I'm rather amused when people try to tell me I'm too old for reading books like Harry Potter, or for watching films like 'Finding Nemo' over and over. I think it's less a question of age though; the most sneers I get are for indulging in matters that aren't high-browed enough (and stuff intended for a younger audience fall into that category just as well). I don't really care. If there's one thing coming with age it's the self-confidence to be fine - and up-front - about things I do and like, no matter what other people say. I think I would have found it much harder to own up to reading HP when I was sixteen still.

Of course,no one IS too old or too young to be reading HP books.If it gets you out of watching too much television or playing too many video games it is a VERY GOOD thing,believe me.

I am an avid HP reader.Infact,I've read the whole series SO MANY TIMES that my family is tired of seeing me read the books...but I don't talk about it to my friends unless I know that they are also an HP fan...

Of course not! What fan in there right mind would say we're too old?

I don't think there's any such thing as being too old for Harry Potter. You either like it or you don't. Age shouldn't be a factor - it's just a number, anyway!

I don't think anyone is too old for the series. I think the fact that they are marketed as "Children's Books" many people that have no read the book may think that adults are too old to read them, but I think fans of the books realized along time ago that the series is much more than child's tale.

There are many adult themes ingrained in the book and a child reading the book will have a totally different view than an adult reading it. Also, I think Jo has put special humor and themes in the books specifically for her adult fans. So no, nobody is too old for the series. :)

Harry Potter is an excellent story that can be enjoyed by any age. It's clear that most of the fans that cued up at bookstores and camped outside are in their twenties and thirties! I often think, the media only shows the 7 year olds. When Deathly Hallows came out, I saw loads of articles in the local paper about primary school children, with pictures of young children holding the book, and on the TV a few days before its release, it was all about the excitement around young children. I couldn't help but feel a bit peeved! What about the older fans, I thought? There are so many!... All you have to do is go on the Internet, and see all these older folks camping and cueing for it, and fanart, and fan fiction, and here on these Harry Potter forums and fansites.... everyone's older. I think it quite strange that that fact seems to be completely missed?...
I went to see the film during the summer with my boyfriend (his treat, he knows how much I love Harry Potter and knows how scared I feel in public) and everyone else in there watching the movie was like, 10. What an annoyance!...
I guess, I think I'm just rambling on, perhaps I think of it as a conspiracy :lol: ...
There are adult versions after all of Harry Potter. And, I don't really know because I've never read an adult version, but aren't they exactly the same but with a more adult cover? They're not at all different in the story, are they?... I think that says that Harry Potter is for adults too :) perhaps the book covers just make it all confusing.. kids book, adult book.... :lol:....

I'm rather amused when people try to tell me I'm too old for reading books like Harry Potter, or for watching films like 'Finding Nemo' over and over. I think it's less a question of age though; the most sneers I get are for indulging in matters that aren't high-browed enough (and stuff intended for a younger audience fall into that category just as well). I don't really care. If there's one thing coming with age it's the self-confidence to be fine - and up-front - about things I do and like, no matter what other people say. I think I would have found it much harder to own up to reading HP when I was sixteen still.

:tu: As C. S. Lweis once put it: "When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

Are we too old for Harry Potter? I certainly don't think so. Apart from the books themselves which are facinating and take us to a different world altogether, the side interests the books have created are truly spectacular.

The web sites and I don't mean the fan - fiction stories, though they too are great because they give us more than the original 7 books; I meant the discussions on the various web sites like CoS, hpana, Leaky Cauldron, veritaserum and so many more that allow so many people to come together in the name of Harry Potter and discuss not only the books themselves, but so much more.

We get a glimpse of the various types of people and their opinions, we get to discuss so many sensitive issues that I firmly believe only open our mind wide and receptive to so many new concepts.

For me it has been and is a learning experience and as I continue to post on a variety of topics on one such site ( Chamber of Secrets) I have learnt so much and have broadened my mind to the different cultures and attitudes that exist here.

All this would not have been possible for me without Harry Potter, for it was the books that drew me to the web sites in the first place.

Nobody is too old!!! I bought the full set for my (soon-to-be) mother-in-law just last Christmas. She can't get enough of them! I think she's starting them over for the third time.

And believe me, if SHE can enjoy them - ANYONE can!!! :lol:

No one's too old for Harry Potter! I've sort of grown up with the series, and I'll always find time to re-read it..whatever my mum says :p

Harry Potter is an excellent story that can be enjoyed by any age. It's clear that most of the fans that cued up at bookstores and camped outside are in their twenties and thirties! I often think, the media only shows the 7 year olds. When Deathly Hallows came out, I saw loads of articles in the local paper about primary school children, with pictures of young children holding the book, and on the TV a few days before its release, it was all about the excitement around young children. I couldn't help but feel a bit peeved! What about the older fans, I thought? There are so many!... All you have to do is go on the Internet, and see all these older folks camping and cueing for it, and fanart, and fan fiction, and here on these Harry Potter forums and fansites.... everyone's older. I think it quite strange that that fact seems to be completely missed?...
I went to see the film during the summer with my boyfriend (his treat, he knows how much I love Harry Potter and knows how scared I feel in public) and everyone else in there watching the movie was like, 10. What an annoyance!...
I guess, I think I'm just rambling on, perhaps I think of it as a conspiracy :lol: ...
There are adult versions after all of Harry Potter. And, I don't really know because I've never read an adult version, but aren't they exactly the same but with a more adult cover? They're not at all different in the story, are they?... I think that says that Harry Potter is for adults too :) perhaps the book covers just make it all confusing.. kids book, adult book.... :lol:....

Exactly! The media focuses on the youngins', and leaves out the adults. That makes the non-HP fans think I am the lone adult in a long line with children waiting outside the bookstore. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Harry Potter started off as a childrens book but it has grown into an all age book and i think when it comes to me being 60 i will still want to read the books again.:relax:

Harry Potter started off as a childrens book but it has grown into an all age book and i think when it comes to me being 60 i will still want to read the books again.:relax:

I agree! I'm 62 and have read all the books several times and still love them all. It's wonderful being on line at the book store at my age. I take my wand and can convince the young'uns I'm really a witch. It's quite easy, I just don't put on my make-up.:lol:

I'm 33, just received all 7 books about 3 weeks ago and have read them all. I LUV the series and now getting my co-workers into it. Nobody has yet to tell me I'm too old. However, my Christian friends are getting on me for reading it and watching the movies. I just tell them it's great fiction like anything else out there. :)

i dont believe children's books have age limits. sometimes, its just fun and relaxing to just read easy books and remember the good old days. :)
i still read fairy tale books for the fun of it :)

As C. S. Lweis once put it: "When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."

Great Quote! I don't think you can ever be too old for Harry Potter! Harry Potter is, above all, an epic story of love, and can be enjoyed by all ages! I have in-depth discussions about the books with both my English professor and my father, both of whom are several decades my senior:)

-LilyPod

I think people say that adults shouldn't read Harry Potter because children can read these books. A children's book is defined as being a book that is appropriate for a child's level of understanding and reading capabilites. Since children can and do read these books, they are deemed as not being appropriate for adults. As anyone in these forums can testify, Harry Potter offers something for all ages and can be understood on so many levels, which is why I think it may be on the road to becoming a classic in the future.

Most all of the books I read come out of the children's section. Not because I can't read "adult" books, they just don't compare with children's books. Children's books have so much more imagination! I think that's because children are more open to believing in things that adults find time consuming. Most adults find it hard to believe in things like magic because we as humans try to find logical reasons for everything. When a writer sits down to write a children's book they're really letting out their inner child. I think it's a pity that most people decide to kill this part of themselves because they are more focused on "growing up". Growing up is about taking responsibility, not becoming boreing...

As Rowling hinted at many times, the books weren't necessarily meant as childrens books. They were just the fabrication of her imagination. It just so happened that the books became immensely popular with kids. When asked if it was moral to lace such dark themes in the later installments, she responded that she had this planned from the very beginning, and she wasn't going to cut out anything just because the book was mostly read by children. She said herself that the books would have very dark themes and a lot of death and fighting. And if Rowling says the books wasn't initially meany for children, I can assume it is safe to say that one is never too old for Harry Potter.

It's also a matter of passion. Passion is not restricted by youth. I suppose I'm not an adult yet, since I am only 17, but that doesn't mean I'm ever going to stop reading Harry Potter. Not when I'm 30. Not when I'm 70. If you love the series, the plot, the universe, then you can never bee too old for Harry Potter.

Hi! I am 30 years old (turning 31 in a couple of weeks). All the people that told me that HP is for kids, have not read the books themselves. So, how can they know it is just for kids?? I was introduced to HP by a friend of mine who is 32. I read all seven books in one month. Could not stop reading. I even read while at work!
I enjoy reading very much, and read a lot of "grown up" literature, both in spanish and english. But I had not read a book (or a series of books) so creative, clever and enthralling such as HP books in a long time.

I haven't gone through all 10 pages, but has anyone actually said we are too old for Harry Potter?

Anyway, my answer: Absolutely not. Now, I'm not going to say that these books can't be called children's books, because there is a certain shallow surface appeal to children (my interest began when I was 12), but I really honeslty believe that the people getting the most out of the books are the adults. That's one of the great things about Harry Potter actually; if you want to take it at face value, it still works as entertainment for any age; if you want to approach the series with an analytical eye, then there has always, of course, been room to do so, to go deeper. That might seem obvious, but work as versatile as this really doesn't come around all that often. Besides, whenever I'm in a crowd for any HP event (book release, movie showing) most of the crowd has been comprised of adults. So no, I really don't think there's such a thing as being too old for Harry Potter.

How can you be too old for something that brings you so much pleasure?

NEVER!! I am 33 and I am proud of being HP fan...if I was 73 I would have been even prouder :D :tu:

Children's books have so much more imagination! I think that's because children are more open to believing in things that adults find time consuming. I just finished reading "Half Magic" to my little girl and a constant theme throughout the book is that they can't let any grown-ups see the magic because they won't believe it. This book was written in the 1950's. There are other books I have read by E. Nesbit that follow the same theme - and those were written in the 1900's. Is it a pattern throughout literary history that says that only kids are interested in the fantastical, the imaginative?

As an adult, there are only so many adult themes I want to read about. How many 'coming of age' stories can I read in a year? Or abusive relationship stories, or family overcoming hard times... I like escaping into books, and having that alternate world really is a departure from the mundane same old story I've read over and over again.

One of my fairly recent favorites is Life of Pi. And at first it was billed as adult fiction - but recently I've seen it in the young adult section. Like it was too much fantasy for a grown up, kids might like it better. What a bummer!

I think good literature has several layers of meaning that is enjoyed by different ages. JKR wrote a wonderful story that would enthrall millions of children (including my own) to want to read, over and over. However, she textured her characters in complex studies that embody more adult themes: love, loss, loyalty, fate, duty are all intertwined and may be a little heavy for kids to conceptualize beyond the story.

Most all of the books I read come out of the children's section. Not because I can't read "adult" books, they just don't compare with children's books. Children's books have so much more imagination! I think that's because children are more open to believing in things that adults find time consuming. Most adults find it hard to believe in things like magic because we as humans try to find logical reasons for everything. When a writer sits down to write a children's book they're really letting out their inner child. I think it's a pity that most people decide to kill this part of themselves because they are more focused on "growing up". Growing up is about taking responsibility, not becoming boreing...

I agree completely! There's something about children's books that is just far more entertaining (and also the author's name doesn't take up three quarters of the books cover). There's just so much more imagination and innovation that we don't see in adult fiction.

I told my English teacher they were my favourite books and he told me I should be looking for something more "complex". I told him if he didn't have the time to read the books, I'd personally write a report about the complexities of the books. So now I'm saddled with seven reports! (not that I mind)

People have been telling me I'm too old for HP since I was eleven. And yet, here I am, nearly a decade after picking up SS, still obsessed with them...

I don't think my love of HP would have lasted this long if they were as juvenile as so many people think they are. Even when I first started reading them, the other things on my bookshelf were more 'adult' - The Diary of Anne Frank was my "other favorite" book at the time, I got really into Shakespeare when I was twelve, and the year after that I read The Catcher in the Rye and left "children's" books behind me entirely. The beauty of HP, however, is that they are accessible to all ages. As I've grown up, I've been able to relate to different aspects of the story and get a lot of deeper meaning from them. Her characters aren't static, and that's what makes the story so interesting. Her younger characters grow up (as do her younger readers), but the adult ones are also human in their ability to learn and grow. Jo's writing itself is unpretentious and complex in its simplicity; again, the youngest readers are able to understand her while those of us who are older can still appreciate the artistry behind the words.

You can never be "too old" for a book, just too close-minded to appreciate it. The people who dismiss Harry Potter as children's books apparently underestimate the impact such a book (not just HP) can have on anyone, young or old. Often times it's just plain snobbery. Of course, not everyone likes the books and that's fine, just don't cite age as a reason.

I told my English teacher they were my favourite books and he told me I should be looking for something more "complex". I told him if he didn't have the time to read the books, I'd personally write a report about the complexities of the books. So now I'm saddled with seven reports! (not that I mind)

Be careful what you wish for!!! What kind of English teacher doesn't recognize the complexities that are found in children's literature. I don't think "adult fiction" lacks imagination. It's just that well received adult literature, especially the classics, seem to thrive on developing complex layers and subtleties to their plots that drive the story, rather than just telling a good story.

Most "children's" literature has had complexity and messages that are complementary to telling the story. The Chronicles of Narnia, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Aesop's Fables all have complex messages, but subordinate those messages to the actual story.

That's what makes JKR's achievement so remarkable. She created a fantastic world out of whole cloth in a skeptical age and time and geared its story for kids who will read it over and over as they grow up and find the adult context as they go along.

In that way, the series will be alive and continue to live as we grow older.

No one is too old to read and enjoy Harry Potter.

End of story.

Unless your so old you can't see the print on the pages even with reading glasses...then I'll be too old for Harry Potter.:cool:

Unless your so old you can't see the print on the pages even with reading glasses...then I'll be too old for Harry Potter.:cool:

I respectfully disagree! Then you will listen to Harry Potter on audio tapes.:rockon:

I don't think Harry Potter is limited to a certain age group. What I personally love about the books is that, though it's a fantasy series, it has a realistic portrayal on humans and is filled with surprising twists. Even better, it has humor, something a lot of books I read lack. I don't think that adults can't appreciate this, honestly.

If someone loves something, I think the person has every right to love it. Age is just a number, so I don't think it's "wrong" for adults to love books that bring them happiness.

Oh I hope that no one ever feels to old to enjoy a wonderfully written story.
I almost made a tragic mistake, when my sister suggested that I read the Harry Potter series.I told her that I didn't think children's books would interest me. She said, with a knowing smile, just shut up and read them okay? So I did. I loved each one of the books, I fell in love with Harry and Hermione and Ron. I discovered Mugglenet, read all of the wonderfully written editorials, and anxiously waited (as did everyone else) for the last book to come out. I have to say (with thanks to my sister) that I am a true Harry Potter fan. And no...I don't think I am too old for Harry Potter, (and neither is my sister,) she was 45 and I was 48 at the time she introduced me to the wonderful world of HP!

It's impossible to be too old for harry potter. i wouldn't care if it's a bit childish, even if i was about 50, but they are amazing!!!!!!!

I dont think so.Its like that old saying you are never too old if your heart stays young.

we are young at heart....

People tell me all the time that I'm too old to be reading Harry Potter
Because it's for kids
And magic isn't real and
The books were so predictable
And not complex at all
And they stunk and
Blah, blah blah.
I throw things at them. :p
I love the series,
And it's VERY far from being un-complex and predictable.

People tell me all the time that I'm too old to be reading Harry Potter
Because it's for kids
And magic isn't real and
The books were so predictable
And not complex at all
And they stunk and
Blah, blah blah.
I throw things at them. :p
I love the series,
And it's VERY far from being un-complex and predictable.

People who say that haven't read the books and have misconceptions about it, that's all. :shrug:

And if I may be permitted, the past tense of "to stink" is "stank", (like drink, drank, drunk or shrink, shrank, shrunk*). ;)

* "Honey I shrunk the kids" is actually a grammatically faulty title. :)

And no, the books are not at all predictable. That's what kept the suspense up to the end, because we didn't know whether Harry would live or die. In the middle book, who could have predicted Cedric's death? http://www.avenueviet.com/forums/images/smiles/confused.gif

Complexity: The series is complex in some ways. In others, it's a bit too simplistic, but let's not get into that. We've addressed the matter in other threads. :)