Dear Joanne Rowling,

Thank you for writing Harry Potter. I know you have probably heard this a million times since that legendary first book was published back in 1997, and truth be told I didn’t start reading the books until a few years later, but your books brought back my love of reading as an adult. After I graduated from uni and started working, I had not read anything that was a real page-turner since high school, until I read Harry Potter.

I love underdog stories. I am drawn to stories where the catalyst is an ordinary person, who is destined for greater things, and that’s what made me fall in love with the books. Growing up in Australia with Italian born parents brought with it lots of advantages – there was always an abundance of food, Easter and Christmas lunches would match that of the Great Hall at Hogwarts – but it also meant that I was very different to the majority of my friends – the food I brought to school was different, the cultural values were different and the rules that governed the household was different. Seeing Harry’s humility and desire to be just like everyone else is something that resonated with me, and seeing the importance of having accepting friends was something that I was lucky enough to have growing up – just like Harry.

Thank you for writing characters that we can all identify with – we all have a bit of ‘Neville Longbottom’ in us, Hermione’s strength and determination (making it acceptable to be the ‘smart girl’) and Ron’s jokes.

Thank you for giving an adult a reason to dress in witches robes on Halloween.

Thank you for your input into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, which I am embarrassed to admit brought tears to my eyes when I first saw the turrets of Hogwarts Castle. I love butterbeer.

Thank you for making reading a past-time again.

Yours sincerely,

Toni C.

Ravenclaw.