A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter, By Gina Burkart

A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter

by Gina Burkart
Foreword by Connie Neal

A Parent's Guide to Harry Potter
paperback
  • Length: 112 pages
  • Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.25 in
  • Published: June 03, 2005
  • Imprint: IVP
  • Item Code: 3288
  • ISBN: 9780830832880

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Harry Potter has captivated the imagination of millions of children. And Harry Potter has caused controversy in churches and schools. What's a parent to do with the magical, mystical world of Harry and his friends?

Gina Burkart chose to read the books with her own children. As they read together, she discovered many parallels between Christian faith and the themes of these books. Indeed, the escapades of Harry Potter sparked significant conversation between Burkart and her kids.

In this helpful, entertaining guide, Burkart shows how Harry Potter fits into the tradition of fairy tale writing and how this type of literature aids in building a moral framework. She highlights specific situations and emotions from Harry's world that children face in their own life, such as

fear, anger, bullies, diversity and the choice of good over evil.

Instead of magic words or easy answers, Burkart offers solid, practical advice for helping parents and children navigate Harry Potter's world--and our own--together.

"Gina Burkart has delivered a book that will help parents delve into valuable themes within the stories so that we can have a wonderful shared learning experience as a family. I find Gina to be genuine in her faith in Jesus Christ, intelligent, articulate, well versed in both the Bible and Harry Potter, and--most memorably--passionate about passing on good values to her own children. I find in her a kindred spirit."

From the foreword by Connie Neal, author of What's a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? and The Gospel According to Harry Potter

"Here is the first Christian book to specifically explore how to use the Potter novels as springboards for moral discussions with kids."

Publishers Weekly Religion Bookline (June 8, 2005)
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CONTENTS

Foreword by Connie Neal

Introduction

Part One: What Children Can Learn from Harry Potter
1. The Harry Hype
2. More Than a Story
3. The Modern Fairy Tale
4. Discussing Fantasy with Children
5. Morals, Not Magic
6. The Real Issues in Harry Potter

Part Two: Talking About Harry Potter with Your Children
7. Dealing with Traumatic Experiences
8. Facing Fears
9. Battling Bullies
10. Delving into Diversity
11. Hiding Hurts
12. Letting Go of Anger
13. Getting Help
14. Choosing Good over Evil
15. The Power of Love
16. Facing Spiritual Battles

Notes

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Gina Burkart

Dr. Gina Burkart is the Learning Specialist at Clarke University where she directs the Learning Center and teaches College Study Strategy and English courses. Prior to her work at Clarke, she worked as an Assistant Professor of English at Saginaw Valley State University and as the coordinator of the Reading and Learning Center at the University of Northern Iowa, where she also taught English courses for over 11 years. Her research focuses on first-year students, post-secondary literacy, and retention. She is the author of A Parent’s Guide to Harry Potter (2005), Finding Purpose in Narnia: A Journey with Prince Caspian (2008, Paulist Press), and Finding Meaning in Narnia: A Voyage on the Dawn Treader (2010, Nimble Books), and 16 Weeks to College Success (2014, Kendall Hunt Publishing). She has been interviewed nationally and frequently presents about using literature such as Harry Potter and Narnia to nurture Christian values and to foster inter-generational connections. She is featured on About.com for her work with Harry Potter and Christian Teens. She is also a frequent writer for Crosswalk.com.

Read Gina Burkart's article "Christian Lessons from the Half-Blood Prince" and the CBN interview with her at CBN's website.