The Boxcar Children

I have always loved the first of The Boxcar Children series, to be honest, I didn’t even know it was a series until I had grown into an adult and I was looking for it in the bookstore. The story revolves around four siblings Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny, all orphaned very young. They are supposed to live with their grandfather, but they run away thinking that he would be mean since he never came to visit them before. To avoid living with their grandfather, the children make a home in an old boxcar and take care of each other. They make a home for themselves in the boxcar. They gain a dog named Watch, and Henry works for a doctor doing chores in the nearby town so he can get by things they are unable to come across. They work hard to keep their family together and safe until violet gets sick, and they have to rely on the doctor for help; eventually, they are introduced to their grandfather and go live with him.

I’ve been drawn to this book ever since my fourth-grade teacher read it allowed to us. I’m not sure what had initially attracted me to the book, but it could be multiple things. The fact that the older kids showed such maturity taking care of their younger siblings, the idea that they had run away and living on their own, or even just having the same name as one of the characters. I felt like Henry and Jessie were more like parents, then older siblings. They were always more concerned with the well being of the two younger children, especially Benny, that they didn’t act much like children themselves. I identified with Jessie even more because of this. As a mother, I saw my son as Benny doing silly things like pretending to be a cub to wash up in the creek or eating all the blueberries that he picked.

“For a while, Jessie watched Benny and Violet picking blueberries. ‘most of Benny’s blueberries are going into his mouth,’ she thought with a laugh.”

I felt more mature than many of my classmates due to events that had taken place in my life. Looking back, I think that these books were geared for more mature children, while I do love the fantasy genre, I liked the escape that the boxcar children were able to give us while showing them taking care of responsibilities. That although we are mature and have responsibilities, it a reminder that we have a choice in how we act.

Escaping Hogwarts

Many times, children feel like they are helpless or trapped because they are kids. Books have always been an escape. A way to vent their anger and frustration out on the villain or to sympathize with the hero. Throughout these blogs and rereading Harry Potter, I have been able to relive these books as an adult. Some of my feelings have not changed since I was 15 years old, but some have become more intense. When Fred and George start setting pranks within Hogwarts after Dumbledore is forced to flee to mess with Delores Umbridge, I couldn't be happier. Not only were they personally messing with a character the I have completely hated since I first met her, but they also encouraged others in the school to make her life as hard as possible. The twins behaved as long as Dumbledore was still the headmaster at the school, I'm sure it was out of respect for him, but the moment he was gone they no longer had any intentions in completing their schooling. They wanted to open a joke shop, and taking some swings at Umbridge on their way out was just a cherry on top of their triumph exit.

'George,' said Fred, 'I think we've outgrown full-time education. '

 'Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself,' said George lightly.

 'Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?' asked Fred.

Not only do they jump on their brooms and fly off, they tell everyone of the shop they are opening offer a discount to any Hogwarts students if they promise to use their products to "get rid of this old bat."

Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.

 'Give her hell from us, Peeves. '

I had a verbal outburst at this point, and I was ecstatic; they had done something that I had wished I had the power to do. To be able to stand up for myself when I was being bullied when I was young. I feel that the twins, although they may not the best role models when in, comes to doing well in school. They support their friends and are loyal to their beliefs; they happen to do it while being a couple of jokesters. The fact that they were born on April first is just a little fun fact that I adore. I wonder if J.K. Rowling planed that the biggest jokester in the book would be born on April fools day (also my son's birthday). Of course, this is just a small part of a long book but I felt this was the beginning of the end for Umbridge. She was unable to control much before this but after it just became increasingly harder since others took after the twins example. 

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix Part 2.

I’m still reading the 5th Harry Potter book, the story is still progressing and my hatred for Dolores Umbridge is still growing. Although while Umbridge is doing more to gain power over Hogwarts and torturing the students Harry and his friends start to rebel in the ways that not only defy Umbridge but to fight back against Voldemort and his followers. Harry’s school life seems to get worse when Umbridge continues to make rules as the “High Inquisitor” basically this is her way of changing things that she doesn’t like by going over everyone’s head and taking full control. She abuses her power first she gives Harry a ban from playing Quitch, she observes the teachers determine if they are adequate and capable of teaching. She puts bans on clubs and allowing teachers to talk to students about anything other than class material. On top of this, she does not teach her class the way she should assume that all students need to know can be read in a book and not by practice. When Hermione recommends that Harry starts giving Defense against the Dark Arts to some students in secret, he is a little apprehensive at first, but eventually gives in. The members of the DA al seem to have their reason for wanting to be taught, the group ends up becoming important to Harry as it becomes an escape for him. When I was a teen reading this for the first time, I wanted to join them to be able to fight back the things in my life that was giving me a hard time. of course, seeing them break the rules just to say "up yours" to Umbridge is just as satisfying to a 16-year-old as it is to a 28-year-old.

Love and Hate

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I’ve read to chapter nineteen in J.K. Rowling’s fifth book in the Harry Potter series. I know this seems to have been a lot but there are thirty-eight chapters in this individual book. I read this book when I was in middle school shortly after it was released, and I was a teenager at the time.  Now I’m twenty-eight and a mother. My mindset has changed while I still adore some characters, I have found a new appreciation for characters that I didn’t pay much attention to before. One such character is Molly Weasley. Molly is the mother of some of the main characters and surrogate mother of Harry himself. Chapter nine the Woe of Mrs. Weasley while the majority of the chapter was happy with the family celebrating an event that happens within the chapter the part that affected the most was when Molly faces off against a Boggart. Boggarts are magical creatures that take the shape of the thing that the person fears most. A witch or wizard had to think of something funny recite a spell and the Boggart is defeated by laughter. So, when Harry is walking upstairs, he hears crying from a room and discovers Molly facing off against a Boggart.

'R-r-riddikulus!' Mrs. Weasley sobbed, pointing her shaking wand at Ron's body.

Crack

Ron's body turned into Bill's, spread-eagled on his back, his eyes wide open and empty. Mrs Weasley sobbed harder than ever.

'R-riddikulus!' she sobbed again.

Crack.

Mr. Weasley's body replaced Bill's, his glasses askew, a trickle of blood running down his face.

'No!' Mrs. Weasley moaned. 'No ... riddikulus! Riddikulus! RIDDIKULUS!'

Crack. Dead twins. Crack. Dead Percy. Crack. Dead Harry...

 She sees a dead Ron (her youngest son) faced with her fears the Boggart takes the form of dead versions of every member of her family and Harry. She was unable to overcome her fear and had to be rescued by Lupin. I cried my eyes out during this part. I knew a part of it was because I sympathized with Molly my greatest fear would is the same to be helpless to save my family. She fears that the upcoming war is going to take her family from her. That would be any parent's worst nightmare. Now that I have grown I feel that I have become more like Molly.
               Now that I talked about a character that I fell in love with now ill talk about one of my most hated characters. If anyone has read this book, they can probably take a wild guess and still know I’m talking about Dolores Umbridge. First of Harry describes her as looking toad like the first time he sees her, then multiple times after that.  She works for the ministry of magic and has her agenda at the school and its safe to say it's not teaching. She seems to target Harry from the first day and her detention methods result in forcing him to cut the words “I will not tell lies” into the back of his hand using a magic quill. She is out to change how things are done at the school but in a bad way. Forces teachers and students to follow her rules by going over everyone’s heads. Treats some of my favorite characters like they are morons, and it gets worse because it's not even to the really bad stuff yet. She is arguably the most disliked character in the series and Voldemort murders people. My hatred for Umbridge is something that seems to have evolved over time. As a child, it was just because I didn't want her to have her hold over Harry and his friends. Now I can't fathom an adult let alone a teacher hurting students the way she does. The fact that the J.K. Rowling describes her looking toad like you get the feeling that she is not meant to be someone that you will like. But it has evolved to more than that its just disgust.