Am I too old to read Harry Potter?

Definitely not too old to read them, but it's worth remembering that they do get more mature with each book, the first one is notably more of a kids books than the later ones.

I read them during the pandemic when I turned 50. I didn't get into them at all when I was younger, but enjoyed them when I actually did read them.

They get better with age!!!! Wish mine weren’t buried in the loft somewhere.

I first read them in my 20s. They weren't around when I was a kid! I can remember getting on a tube on the days before ebooks and every other person was reading Potter.

I'm reading them now to my daughter (in my 40s) and loving them all over again.

You are never to old for a bit of escapism.

I am envious. I loved them and do re read. I would love to have the whole series ahead of me.

Definitely never too old,I read a lot of YA fiction usually because the story telling is so good. The Harry Potters are quite a comfort read really. Enjoy!

I read them for the first time in my mid 20s. I'd seen the first couple of films and didn't enjoy them. But I loved the books. I'd deff read the books and then see the films if inclined but wouldn't really bother with the films tbh

They're pretty standard children's boarding-school-with-magic books, distinguished only by their massive length as the series continues, their detailed world-building, and their huge fan base. I think it's the sheer number of words that makes the world-building so detailed, as JKR responded to fan requests, quibbles and questions about mistakes in chronology etc -- I think personally, they'd have benefited from a sterner edit as the series went on, but obviously there was no will to do so as her fans only wanted as much as possible.

But of course you're not too old. I've read all the HP books to my son, and though I wouldn't reread those for pleasure, I do read a lot of other children's books (Laura Ingalls Wilder, Antonia Forest) on a regular basis.

Absolutely not too old! I was in my 20s when I first read them. They weren't around in my childhood and I wanted to see what all the hype was. I was over 30 when I finished the last book!

I’m not a huge fan of the films - definitely read the books first.

Very excited for the TV series coming in a few years though.

You are never too old for Harry Potter. I do a yearly reread and I envy anyone who’s getting to experience reading them for the first time.

There’s a really good podcast called Potterless who’s another adult reading them for the first time, and it’s lovely to listen along at the same speed as you read the books, it makes it feel like you’re in a book club

Don’t bother with the films.

The books are bestselling behemoths for a reason. Because they’re incredible.

I’m so jealous OP. I wish I could read Harry Potter again for the first time.

I started reading them in my 30s as book 3 was published. We say loads of people reading them on the tube and wondered what the fuss was.

I envy anyone who gets to read them for the first time.

If you have audible you can listen to The Philosophers Stone for free (included in your subscription) until the 5th August.

I have loved having it on my phone, it's like being transported back to being 8 and having the tapes back to back on my Walkman as I pottered around the house stopping only to find more batteries and the next tape.

I'm not sure I can justify buying the audiobooks again as I have tapes of 1-6 CDs of 6&7 and mp3s of all of them, but it is so lovely having them on my phone.

Excellent post - except for the Virginia Woolf bit, because I've never managed to get through more than 30 pages of any of her novels!

Bearing in mind that my late dad introduced me to the Harry Potter books, I wouldn't say you are too old at all. Enjoy! I wish I had the pleasure of reading them from the beginning again, they are fantastic.

No, you're never too old. C S Lewis was an Oxford professor, but he re-read the Squirrel Nutkin books (Beatrix Potter) every Autumn! Harold Bloom, perhaps the greatest literary critic of the 20th-century, loved Alice in Wonderland and Wind in the Willows. I often watch youtube vlogs by an ex-Cambridge professor who re-reads The Hobbit whenever he feels sad.

Many books that seem lightweight, or childish, are masterpieces, and far superior works of art to the Booker nominees. P. G. Wodehouse, for example, was a genius. Lewis' Narnia series, Roald Dahl's stuff, even batty old Enid Blyton's books, are all fantastic. I'm a big advocate for reading children's fiction. It would be weird if that was all you read, just as it's a shame when people read nothing but science fiction or fantasy. The best thing to do is mix them up – read Harry Potter and Tolkien, but also read Virginia Woolf and Henry James and Jane Austen, etc.

I started reading them when I was about 20 (a while ago now though!) so you are definitely not too old. They are wonderful! And I definitely agree that read them before the films. My DS has started reading the first and I’m very excited about it!

I’m a Grandma in my 60s and absolutely love both reading and listening to Harry Potter. I don’t feel I’ll ever be too old for the books.

I’m 32 and reread them last year.
I started reading the aged 8 so grew up with them

the films are poop in comparison! So much missed out! Can’t wait for the series!

I only started reading them in my thirties to my daughter and they are very enjoyable!

I read them as an adult I know lots of adults love them and they did get darker and more complex as they went on but I never saw them as more than children's books tbh

Lovely!!! What joys you've to come! I feel all sentimental 😂

Def not too old!!

I'm quite envious to be honest. To get to experience it all for the first time!!

You must read before films although recently listened to the book tape with stephen fry in the car and there is a lot of setting the scene I hadn't remembered in the first book

They were also written for children and again most obvious in the first book-gets more "grown up" as you read.