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Publication #FAR0095

 

Harry Potter—Good for Reading1

Donna Davis2

Figure 1. 

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When you think of celebrities that are household names, you're not likely to think of a fictional character—yet, the young Harry Potter has certainly earned that distinction. And while the Harry Potter books and movies have catapulted to record-breaking success even amid controversy, these books have also had another extraordinary effect on our youth. Harry Potter has stimulated an interest in reading among older children.

In a recent study conducted by the research firm Yankelovich and Scholastic Educational Publishing, children and their parents credited the Harry Potter series with getting more young people to read for fun and with helping them do better in school. Just more than half of the children between the ages of 5 and 17 claimed that they didn't read books for fun before reading Harry Potter, and 65% reported they have been doing better in school since they started reading the Potter books. Their parents were a little more enthusiastic, with 89% reporting their children showing an improved attitude toward reading, and 76% believing their children are doing better in school since starting to read the Potter books (Scholastic/Yankelovitch, 2006).

In the Kids and Family Reading Report, the researchers found that older children claimed that they don't read for fun because they can't find books that interest them. However, the Harry Potter books have garnered interest among all ages and have given many families books to enjoy together and in the process have improved attitudes toward reading.

Perhaps the magic of Harry Potter was equally powerful outside of the story, as the study shows that parents who want their children and teens to read may have found a spellbinding solution.

Listening, learning, and living together: it's the science of life. "Family Album" is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM. If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/516.mp3

http://www.radiosource.net/radio_stories/516.wav

References

Scholastic/Yankelovich. (2006). Kids and family reading report. Retrieved August 30, 2006, from http://www.scholastic.com/aboutscholastic/news/reading_survey_press_call_2.pdf.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR0095, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 516. Published March 2009. Revised March 2009. Reviewed March 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, senior producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.