I also have a feeling, that part of the plan was to write a series that would 'grow up' with the readers. Certainly, the ten year olds I knew who read the first book are now in their late teens...
Actually, I think this is one of the strengths of the books (and a weakness, which I'll speak to in a sec). Very much like the Little House books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, I've appreciated how the tone and complexity of the books has matured along with the main characters. The first books are easier to read whilst the later ones are more difficult (bigger words, more complex scenes and plot lines).
But as my mother, who works in a bookstore, pointed out to me, the problem is that these books were written for young kids with the intention that the readers and Harry would grow up together. As Harry matured and the books became darker, ostensibly the readers would be able to handle it because they, too, had matured by an equal amount, at least.
But what happens now that all of the books are available and a 10 year old can pick them up and read them sequentially? My mom has a hard time recommending these to parents of the kids on the low end of the age range.
I haven't let my kids watch the movies, both because I think they are too scary and because I want them to read the books first. I'm thinking I'd like them to at least be 9 or 10 before getting started. The very idea of a hero who's parents were brutally murdered is a pretty tough subject.
As to the name change, I'd heard what Lab heard as well. It's funny but reading this book, I noticed a lot of places where the language was changed a tiny bit to suit the US audience, and I only noticed this because as I read I knew it wasn't the UK way to say things. For example, every time a character went to the hospital, they did exactly that - went to
the hospital instead of going to hospital.
I read an article about her American editor - apparently she has both a British editor and an American editor, and they both get together to create a single "editorial suggestions" presentation.
Lynn
