Quest, Coming-of-Age, Adventure, Children's Literature, Fantasy
Oh, yes, we get our money's worth with this one. Harry Potter gives us the fun of watching Harry and his friends grow up and forge their individual identities, making it a coming-of-age tale. But we also get to follow Harry's on-going quest to understand and to defeat Voldemort, which will continue in the next and last book of the Harry Potter series. Dumbledore's love of adventure ensures that there will be lots of excitement, danger, thrill, and learning to be had. The presence of ghosts, wands, Death Eaters, gnomes, and, well, magic marks this series as belonging to the fantasy genre. While some would argue that these books are meant to be read by young minds, making it children's literature, we would argue that J.K. Rowling serves up juicy themes and ideas that all people wrestle with, regardless of age, background, or belief.