My son, Joseph, upon entering the 6th grade had poor reading and comprehension. He was barely making C's in all of his classes. Each of his Middle School teachers noticed that his level of reading and comprehension was not what it should be. They notified Joseph's father and step-mother, who then in turn contacted me. They had been working with him on his reading, but were not content with the level he was. They asked for my help, hoping I could come up with some way to get Joseph to read more.

I spoke with Joseph over the phone and what it boiled down to was that he had no interest in reading. He was the type of child that preferred playing outside, watching movies, or participating in an electronic game. His father and step-mother had been forcing him to read for 30 minutes a day with them. What they had picked had been of zero interest to Joseph.

I asked Joseph what movies he liked. He loved the "Harry Potter" movies. I asked him if I bought him a "Harry Potter" book would he read it? Joseph asked surprised, "They have Harry Potter books?" I bought Joseph the first book in the "Harry Potter" book series.

Joseph read the entire book in one month, asked eagerly for the next "Harry Potter" book. I sent him the 2nd through 6th books in this book series. By the end of sixth grade, his grades were A's and B's; he was finishing reading the sixth "Harry Potter" book and asking for the 7th in the book series. Which of course, I had shipped to him.

J.K. Rowling's work helped my son. These brilliantly "Harry Potter" books were captivating and instilled a love for reading. I am a very grateful parent. Today, Joseph is comprehending at the level he is supposed and is enjoying the 7th grade. It was very rewarding to see the positive change in my son. Thank you J.K. Rowling for writing "The Harry Potter" books.