by Hank Brockett
11/13/02
Fueled by steady chomps on Twizzlers, Lardi tries to explain his knowledge when he hears a question. Duty calls again, and his mind can’t help but answer. The question regards the type of knowledge most forget on a daily basis, and of course Lardi nails it. Forget minor characters, try remembering the author and title of the last book you read.
Odds are for Lardi, those answers would be: “J.K. Rowling” and “something Harry Potter.”
“I like the magic and think it’s cool,” said the fourth-grader and South Wilmington resident. “I want to be able to play Quidditch.”
Such sentiments weren’t out of line Friday night, when 20 grade-schoolers took Fossil Ridge Public Library and renamed it Hogwarts for a day.
The opening of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in movie theaters this week has conjured up a new wave of Pottermania. But as these kids (and many adults) anxiously await the next fantasy installment, a new enjoyment has developed.
Kids aren’t just reading the three books, they’re re-reading them. The accumulated knowledge helped widen smiles in the library’s unique form of role-playing.
Magical mystery tour
With a “Welcome to Hogwarts” banner and insider references abounding, the grade-schoolers entered a library transformed. Beyond the likeness of a tall wizard lay a meeting room now known as the grand hall.
Suspending disbelief comes easy, especially after catching a glimpse of library personnel decked out in shiny robes and tall, pointed hats. Each played a role in the night’s festivities, including youth service librarian Vicki Blackburn. Her headmaster garb covered up the strains of an eight-hour preparation.
With the touches of the film soundtrack as a backdrop, the kids settled into their fate. The random nature of the drawing hat sorts them into “houses”: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Each name is called, just like when Harry Potter entered the Gryffindor house in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
As the kids tittered with excitement, they looked over the class itinerary. Despite no mention of encounters with Hagrid the groundskeeper, there was no feigning ill for these classes. “Transfiguration” and “Preservation” drew much more excitement than the normal science or social studies.
Amid the clatter, the uninformed would go crazy. A reference to Muggles sounded like Muppet defamation ... but made perfect sense to the assembled. Even the structure of the festivities drew a question.
“Well, if Slytherin has Potions class, it’s not going to be very fair, because in the book ...”
Popular opinion
The same things that propelled the film version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to the second largest box office of all time are the same factors that made the books perennial best-sellers. And most likely, they’re the same things that will make the second film and oft-delayed fifth book successful as well.
Call it the magic touch.
More specifically, call it richly detailed writing and a world that plays into the childhood notion of fantasy and adventure.
Setting up a crafts class or trivia quizzes isn’t hard for the Fossil Ridge staff. They enjoy reading Harry Potter’s adventures just as much as the kids.
“They’re so well written and they have a moral so most people that read them come away feeling good,” said library director Janie Votta.
The legend of Kevin Lardi grows during the Potter quizzes. As each house battled to accumulate the most points (and avoiding behavior like talking out of turn, which reduces the point total), the quizzes offer the best chance for victory.
Or at least a chance for second place. Lardi’s knowledge of the arcane drew cheers from his house and dropped jaws from the library staff as he rattled off answers with a speed that would fell a math teacher.
Kevin’s mom, Bonnie Lardi, read the books before allowing Kevin to read them, just to make sure the subject matter was safe. Since her okay, he’s rarely stopped reading since.
“My son’s a reader to begin with,” said Bonnie. “He’s read all four ... and re-read them and re-read them again.”
And her opinion?
“I think they’re really good books,” she said. “I see why kids get hooked on them ... Anything that gets a kid reading is a good thing. More power to Ms. Rowling.”
The spell continues
The other houses’ defeat was softened by sugar-coated treats and the enjoyment of never-ending Potter talk. Plot details were whispered and then shouted like old timers detailing local legends.
No matter the next book’s release, the Fossil Ridge-Hogwarts connection will continue. The summer reading program will allow Friday’s students to graduate to second-year status, with all-new classes. It’s enough to draw a high-five at the Slytherin house.
Votta said the Potter series serves as a starting point for fantasy novels. Some might go on to check out the Wrinkle in Time series, or even that other made-into-movies monolith, the Lord of the Rings series.
“Before, [kids] only wanted a book that’s 100 pages,” said Votta. “Now, they’re reading 700 pages because they want to.”
And if there’s a question about any of those pages, just ask Kevin Lardi.