I liked this article on Meridian Magazine called "In Defense of Harry Potter", including this bit from Elder Holland:
“You are well aware of the Harry Potter books and movies by J. K. Rowling. One of the reasons the books are so popular, I think, is that they show children victorious in battle against dark forces. They give readers hope that, even in total darkness, there is that spark of light. Despite the powerful evil arrayed against them, they know they can defeat the darkness.
“But fundamental to the message of the Harry Potter books is the idea that children don’t — indeed, can’t — fight their battles alone. In fact, the one gift that saves Harry over and over again is the love of his mother, who died protecting him from evil. Without any question one of those best “defenses against the dark arts” — to use a phrase from the Harry Potter books — is close family ties. Parental love, family activity, gentle teaching, and respectful conversation — sweet time together — can help keep the generations close and build bonds that will never be broken” (“Let There Be Light,” May 2006;
Surely we can all judge for ourselves the relevance of books in our lives but it is always nice to have an apostle's "thumbs up"!
