Dear Editor,
I have just read Jeffrey Canton's review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and I have a few comments.
How can QUDDITCH be boring? It's a SPORT and quite an interesting one too. What would be boring is just the odd mention of the game here and there throughout the book. Readers would be highly disappointed if they weren't thrown into the action of at least one Quidditch game in each of Rowling's books.
The, "continuing antics of those mugs, the Weasley brothers," are comic relief! Harry has become an honorary Weasley, and Fred and George's "antics" are regular, big-brother stuff that many young fans can relate to. It only makes Harry's world more believable. Moreover, the "Hogwarts routine", such as the requirement of the password to enter the Gryffindor Common Room and the constant reminder of Professor Umbridge's "toad-like" appearance, also add to the conviction of the wizarding world. Haven't you ever had a teacher whose uni-brow or overly-large nose you always notice? Remember, the majority of Harry Potter's audience is made up of children, forgetful children, who find J.K.'s "verbiage" and "authorial voice" far from "tedious".
Rowling has not forgotten Hermione and Ron as being other teens in the story. Yes, Harry is somewhat lost when it comes to Cho Chang (he's a guy, what did you expect?), but Hermione has her famous, exotic, "pen-pal" Krum, and Ron is too busy being ashamed of his Quidditch playing while pretending not to be a prefect in front of his brothers to be concerned with "boy-girl teen stuff".
Of course, "Rowling, like Harry, seems unable to decide whether he should be a leader or an outcast," (although I wouldn't categorize him as an outcast)! He is a teenager, and I happen to know that teenage years can be a confusing time, since, being 16 years of age, I myself am smack dab in the middle of adolescence. Plus, Harry has every reason to be angry, frustrated and have "flare-ups"! He's only human, a young human who has way too much on his plate. Wouldn't you be a little edgy if a gash on your forehead constantly split your head open?!
Who needs "hype ... good marketing and ... movies ... [to catch] young readers' attention" when you have a story like Rowling's?! The extra publicity stuff is just an added bonus. I know that J.K. is one of the top of my list of favorites, along with Phillip Pullman, Tamora Pierce, and Garth Nix to name a few.
I say, the longer the book, the better when it comes to Rowling. I read the fifth book in two days and am now reading it again to really appreciate it. The only complaint that I can dredge up against Harry's creator is that she likes to take her sweet time writing!
Johanna Donovan
MontrTal

P.S. I've probably made some errors along the way, so I guess I'll have to forgive youù it's Voldermort, not Voldemart!

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