The Half-Blood Prince has already sold 6.9 million copies, or at least that is the latest I've heard, and while I have yet to finish the first book, I am absolutely delighted to know that hoards of young people are reading it. It is also nice to see a significant drop in all the silly controversy. What is it with the folks who say they love the works of JRR Tolkein and CS Lewis but find Harry Potter so dangerous? And what type of magic are we talking about here? Do people really think their son or daughter will be able to acquire the type of "power" it takes to launch off the floor on a broom?

Pity those children who's parents forbid the reading of a good fairy tale or stunt the growth of a wild imagination because it's "dangerous." As a young girl I lived in a fantasy world. My heroes were Merlin, the Pevensie children and Sarah from Labyrinth. Instead of having tea parties, I crossed swords of pvc pipe and duct tape with my cousin Trisha. My friend Alicia and I used to put on hooded capes and trot around the pasture on my horses like we were elves or the riders of Rohan. And each night, before I drifted off to sleep, I created my own magical lands where I battled the forces of evil with good wizards or rode the sky atop of dragons. All of it was wonderful and it never brought me to the occult... not even close.