The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1592763987
Manufacturer: Our Sunday Visitor
Release Date: 2007-06-18
Average Customer Review: 
(From 12 total reviews)
List Price: $12.95
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description:
The adventures of the boy wizard have provoked a vigorous debate among Christians.
Whether your children have read the series or are planning to in the future, The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide will help you appreciate and address the series underlying moral and spiritual themes.
Using her natural teaching skills and parenting experience, author Nancy Brown has created a must-read for every Catholic family as she walks you through her journey of discovery:
–Are the stories compatible with the Catholic Faith?
–What moral and spiritual issues are addressed?
–What kind of role model is Harry Potter?
–How can I talk about these issues with my children?
–How are the movies different from the books?
Let The Mystery of Harry Potter guide your family through the fullest experience of Harry Potter yet!
Customer Reviews
An unfortunate and unnecessary injection of political views by H. Fahey
I was very disappointed with the tone and tenor of this book. The author (and those submitting essays at the end) are using the Harry Potter series as a vehicle to not only promote the virtues of homeschooling, but to take gratuitous pot shots at single parents, public schools and homosexuals. (For example, there is a suggestion that bad things happen to those with single parents, ignoring the fact that Draco Malfoy resides in a two parent household.) As an active Catholic, married mother of a young son and Harry Potter fan, I found these comments unnecessary, offensive and ultimately distracting from some good points that were made in the book.
Great Resource by L. Johnson
This book is one-of-its kind–a Catholic review of Harry Potter that is written by somebody who has actually read the books objectively. Ms. Brown gives a logical, consistent analysis of the material. While she is obviously pro-Harry Potter, she does not shy from criticizing the novels when it is warrented.
As a devout Catholic, I was always wondering why these books–unlike other stories nowadays with witch heroes–did not smack of ‘true’ occult practices, and why they did not repulse me. Ms. Brown shows why–Harry Potter is not a series about the glories of the occult, but a Christian-themed hero’s journey.
I would highly recommend this work to both fans and non-fans alike as a tool in discerning the value of reading the Harry Potter series.
HP is Good for Your Kids by A. Hessong
I am a huge HP fan. I have read each book as it has come out. We started reading them to our children a few years ago. They, too, love them. Now, they are reading them on their own. This book is an excellent source of information to get family conversations started regarding all the good that is in the HP books. I love the Catholic parrallels! It has really helped me have some great discussions with my kids. They really get it, too!
An excellent book that can be used in many ways … by MVM
I learned about this book from of all people, my 10 year old daughter. She asked if I would order it so she could read it. I said if she promised to read it all the way through, then we would get it for her. When it arrived, I read it myself first, and realized that the book was meant more for parents than for children. However, I came up with a plan to use it with her active participation. I said that as she read the sixth book, after she finished a chapter, we would go through the “table discussions” and questions posed by Ms. Brown in a chapter of “The Mystery” book. It worked out very well - chapter after chapter I learned to appreciate a different side of the Harry Potter series than I might have otherwise, and so did my daughter. On top of that, we both got to talk to each other about the media, morality (including moral relativism), the value of heroes, making the right choices, and how we all have to constantly on our guard against the evil in this world.
The book has other uses. For example, to stimulate dinner table discussion, and in helping parents decide if their child is really ready to read the series, and/or see the movies. For example, for several reasons, we delayed allowing our daughter to read the sixth book until this summer. After reading the seventh book, I can see she will have to wait until at least next summer for that.
Thank you Mrs. Brown for making such a terrific resource available to parents - whether they are Catholic or not!
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Tags: book club, book discussions, books for children, catechism, catechist, catholic, catholic harry potter, catholicism, christianity, family, fiction, harry potter, jk rowling, literary criticism, witchcraft
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