Did you know that Scholastic, the publishing company that publishes the Harry Potter books in the U.S., has a Harry Potter reading club? I didn’t but am super excited to discover that this is a thing!
As you might guess, this is meant to be a way to children better understand author J.K. Rowling’s magical book series. Scholastic’s website has a really nice collection of items to get you started, and you might be surprised at how much there is to choose from.
Even better, there is a pack starter kit that they will send directly to your home, free of charge. I signed up for the kit today (August 13, 2019) so will write an update after I get it. According to their site, the starter kit contains nametags, stickers, bookmarks, and more.
But, as I said, there’s plenty for you to download immediately to get you started as you wait for your kit, if you requested one. Even if you didn’t, there is a ton of stuff to have fun with. I have to admit that adults are sure to enjoy all of the worksheets as much as kids.
This reading group isn’t just fun, but it’s also meant to be educational. Scholastic has included a pronunciation guide, which would surely be helpful to those of us who aren’t sure how to say words such as eeylops. Unfortunately, not all the links work, and the pronunciation guide is one of the dead links found here. The good news is that the downloadable items are live so you can get those.
Be sure to look around because some of the links are hidden. If found this to be true of the discussion guides link. The questions asked in the discussion guides are thoughtful, such as this:
Why does Dumbledore decide to have Harry grow up with the Dursleys rather than with one of the wizard families? How does Harry’s experience with his relatives build his character? ~Scholastic Discussion Guide
Be sure to check out the Scholastic Harry Potter Reading Club by clicking this link. Did you sign up for the starter kit? What did you like most about it? Please tell me in the comments section.
