I didn't want to like you, J.K. Rowling. I didn't want to like your Harry Potter, your Ron Weasley, your Hermoine Granger or any of the rest of the Hogwarts crew. I resisted mightily all attempts to get me to start the series until after the fourth book hit the shelves.

Mistakenly, I had lumped the Potter books into the same class as all the other teen and young-adult fantasy novels, a world largely populated by all things fluffy, angst-ridden or overly moralistic.

Finally, close to the premiere of the first movie, I gave in and picked up "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." About the time Hagrid bunged a tail onto Dudley Dursley's hind end, I was completely and irrevocably hooked. This was no kids' book. There was texture, humor on an adult level and a richly planned and peopled world that was just far enough removed from our own to make it wondrous.

Rather than create a completely new world, Rowling used the one we know but created a parallel society of witches, wizards and all manner of other magical folk and critters who live right alongside us. In so doing, she took the harder route, but the one infinitely more rewarding for her readers. It's a lot harder to stand close to a window without touching it than it is to sit across the room from it, and at times Rowling gets so close to the pane that I'd almost swear there were centaurs galloping about in the woods behind my house.

Using the Hogwarts Express, Rowling physically relocates the readers from the "real" world of Little Whinging and mundane matters to the magical world. Platform 9¾, from which the train departs, is one of the first steps into the world beyond ... but it's right there in plain sight for those who know how to look. The same goes for Diagon Alley (lovely wordplay), the wizarding version of a mall. Perhaps the greatest example of magical folk hiding among us is the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, whose location I won't reveal for fear of spoiling the movie for those who haven't yet seen it.

By doing this, Rowling sets young minds into the "what-if?" mode. What if that kindly old man across the street is really a wizard? What if that blank wall in the train station contains a secret portal? These are books that stay with young (and old) minds long after the last page is turned.

When I was the age of most new Potter readers, I discovered J.R.R. Tolkien. I still remember the night I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish "The Hobbit." When I turned the last page, I sat for a while and just reveled in the amazing new world into which I'd been ushered. It was the first book I can remember that had ever set my mind on fire to such a degree. For weeks afterward, I had hobbits, elves, dwarves and dragons on the brain.

Tolkien can be a bit impenetrable for younger readers, what with his penchant for going on for pages with past histories and scene-setting, but Rowling's books are easily accessible. However, she doesn't talk down to her readers. She writes books for the smart kids, the ones who would rather pick up a book than a video-game controller. And, in the process, she creates reading far more entertaining for adults than most of what we find on "our" shelves at the bookstore.

She also has the guts to take her young charges into territory not often explored by writers in her field. When Sirius Black met his end defending Harry in "The Order of the Phoenix," the fifth book in the series, there were near-universal gasps from parents and teachers. There was all manner of hoo-ha over whether kids would be upset or given nightmares for life by the incident. The kids paid their elders no mind, though. The way Rowling set the scene, the way she made the character's death a clear-cut act of heroism, made the story all the richer and showed the faith she has in her audience.

And then, in "Half-Blood Prince," the sixth book, Dumbledore died (or did he?) and once again there were cries of foul. This time, I honestly believe more adults than kids were bothered.

Speaking of endings, Saturday we get to see perhaps the boldest thing Rowling has done with the series: the end. She could have gone on writing Potter books 'til the end of time, progressively diluting the storyline and drawing things out. Instead, she stuck to her timeline and is giving us the payoff. Harry and the rest have progressed through Hogwarts, and by making each book another step in their education, Rowling has played fair with her young readers, many of whom have gone through their own school careers with Potter.

Now that the series is ending, I'm going to place a bet: Those kids who have grown up with Potter will not stop reading. In a world where electronic distractions clamor for our attention constantly, the simple pleasure of curling up on the couch or sinking into an armchair with a good book is in serious danger. Writers like J.K. Rowling are fighting the good fight, helping to ensure that another generation will get to experience the wonder that comes when an author creates a world and invites you to visit ... then makes you very glad you did.

Oh, and don't call me on Saturday. I'll be reading.

Got a question? Comment? Something weird in your world? Drop me a line, anytime!