At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Lawyer&Mom » Tue Dec 21, 2021 8:22 pm

Le Baron wrote:I haven't read Harry Potter even in my native language. I gave it a try when they were riding high on hype, I even got the book for free. It was utterly boring, pseudo-philosophy for children and I couldn't stomach it beyond a 1/4 of the book. I don't know how people use these for language learning, having to contend with that dreadful content when it's already an uphill struggle.


I think you need fond memories of reading Harry Potter in your childhood to use it as a language learning tool. My eight year old is looking forward to reading it in French, since in her own words, she “already has most of the first book memorized anyway.” I’ve never read the books myself and probably won’t read them in any language. That ship has sailed.
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Le Baron » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:10 pm

Lawyer&Mom wrote:I think you need fond memories of reading Harry Potter in your childhood to use it as a language learning tool. My eight year old is looking forward to reading it in French, since in her own words, she “already has most of the first book memorized anyway.” I’ve never read the books myself and probably won’t read them in any language. That ship has sailed.

Yes, that's a fairer perspective than mine. Perhaps if I'd been a child when they were published I'd have those memories. I never even read them to a child, which is also one way into books of another generation. It has sailed indeed.
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Xenops » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:59 pm

Le Baron wrote:
Lawyer&Mom wrote:I think you need fond memories of reading Harry Potter in your childhood to use it as a language learning tool. My eight year old is looking forward to reading it in French, since in her own words, she “already has most of the first book memorized anyway.” I’ve never read the books myself and probably won’t read them in any language. That ship has sailed.

Yes, that's a fairer perspective than mine. Perhaps if I'd been a child when they were published I'd have those memories. I never even read them to a child, which is also one way into books of another generation. It has sailed indeed.


Or when your very conservative, very traditional Christian parents forbade the presence of books in the house, much less having the kids read them; and you didn’t get to read them until college; and when you moved back home briefly you could only get the audiobooks, because that way you could still enjoy them in secret.

I “solemnly swear that I am up to no good” indeed. :D
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby reineke » Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:13 pm

Interesting ranking on p. 25 of this document. The Sorcerer's Stone gets a favorable rating. Still, there are plenty of easier titles including The Little Prince, CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, The Wizard of Oz... As expected, Enid Blyton is ranked high and the least complex book in the list was written by RL Stine.

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... tion_Texts
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Lawyer&Mom » Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:06 pm

Le Baron wrote:
Lawyer&Mom wrote:I think you need fond memories of reading Harry Potter in your childhood to use it as a language learning tool. My eight year old is looking forward to reading it in French, since in her own words, she “already has most of the first book memorized anyway.” I’ve never read the books myself and probably won’t read them in any language. That ship has sailed.

Yes, that's a fairer perspective than mine. Perhaps if I'd been a child when they were published I'd have those memories. I never even read them to a child, which is also one way into books of another generation. It has sailed indeed.


I had planned to read at least the first book to my oldest, and well, she had other ideas. (Devoured it on her own in one sitting…)
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Le Baron » Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:43 pm

Lawyer&Mom wrote:I had planned to read at least the first book to my oldest, and well, she had other ideas. (Devoured it on her own in one sitting…)

Eating books is also okay. ;)
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Re: At What CEFR Level Did You Start Reading Harry Potter?

Postby Deinonysus » Wed Dec 22, 2021 2:54 pm

I've listened to about half the first audiobook in French and read the first chapter of the first book in German. I would estimate that I was around a B1 level in both at the time. I was able to understand the French audiobook just fine, but reading in German was a bit of a slog due to the less transparent vocabulary. So my takeaway is that someone who is familiar with the story can easily read or listen to the first book at a B1 level in a language that shares a large amount (60%+) of vocabulary with a language you know very well. Otherwise it will be a challenge at B1, although still doable if you're committed.

I have not yet tried to read it in a language that is completely unrelated to anything else I speak well. Maybe I'll give it a try in Arabic once I reach high intermediate level.
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