Jacqui Jeffrey Eureka, Calif.

As an English teacher, I’m delighted that kids are champing at the bit to tackle a 730-plus-page novel. But frankly, I’m a bit surprised that Rowling, talented writer though she be, has been praised so effusively for her powers of invention. Here’s hoping that all the Potterphiliacs move on from Harry to the real masters of children’s fantasy who precede and (in my opinion) exceed Rowling–J.R.R. Tolkien, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. LeGuin, Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Jane Yolen and many others. Fantasy literature for young people does not begin and end at Hogwarts, NEWSWEEK’s lavish coverage to the contrary.

John Deal Worcester, Mass.

I went to pick up my reserved copy of Harry Potter IV with much excitement and anticipation the morning it was released. Though I, too, had counted the days until its unveiling, the best part was not when I finally had it in my hands. The best was when I received an e-mail from one of my students asking if I had my copy and telling me that he was going to spend all day reading his. That magic is what is turning Harry Potter into a classic.

Shelly Henderson Tampa, Fla.

Evil, sorcery, fear, darkness and murder all wrapped up in children’s books with death as a central theme? No matter how brilliantly written the Potter books may be, are these topics suitable for impressionable young minds? I think not.

Lori Wehmueller Shelby, N.C.

I’m 18 years old and wish I lived in Harry Potter’s world, where good is good and evil is evil, where kids don’t grow up quite so fast and where friends are actually there for each other. Long live Harry Potter!

Lisa Bruce Arlington, Va.

Getting Out the Vote

In his essay “We Can Play a Big Part,” George P. Bush pulls out the age-old cliche “If you don’t take the time to vote, you forfeit your right to complain” (National Affairs, July 17). Young people are not apathetic; we are disenchanted with politics at the national level, where substance and relevance seem to have been replaced by image. We distrust politicians even as we entrust them to safeguard our most precious liberties. Young voters flee from elections in hopes of distancing themselves from the stench. Are the candidates of recent years the best prospects we’ve got? We need to return honor and integrity to public serv- ice, bring the best of the nation back to politics. Maybe then we can find a real leader. Someone to respect. Someone to emulate. Someone who inspires. Someone who can stand firm in the face of those who seek to buy him. Someone with foibles we can relate to but with the sensibility to understand the height and the depth of the office. Find that person, and you’ll see us flocking to the polls in droves.

Dean Stephens New York, N.Y.

Your article “Generation Y’s First Vote” (National Affairs, July 17) addressed some troubling concerns in our nation. While in many parts of the world young people are fighting for the right to elect their leaders, our younger generation, and some of the not-so-young as well, choose to ignore the privilege of the franchise. The answer to the problems we face in American politics will never be solved by simply avoiding them. By not participating in elections, absent voters do not make a statement; rather, they give the power to the voters who show up at the polls. Our younger generation may need to learn a valuable lesson: if you’re unhappy with our politicians, you have to do something about it. Things will not get better by pouting and complaining.

William Crago Hoboken, N.J.

No Time to Be a Kid

The Minnesota parents’ group rebelling against the overscheduling of kids is on the right track (“Busy Around the Clock,” Society, July 17). I coached a soccer team a couple of years ago, and while my expe-rience was for the most part positive with both the team members and their parents, I couldn’t help but wonder when these kids get to be kids–ride their bikes or climb the monkey bars. I had one player who never came to soccer practice because it was on the same night as a church activity and dance class. Many of my players were involved in other sports and activities–softball, gymnastics, dance, Brownies and church youth groups. When I suggested to parents, at the end of our season, that perhaps some of the kids were overscheduled, I was met with gaping jaws and raised eyebrows. The soccer players I coached were 5- and 6-year-olds. It didn’t bother me when my players missed practice–I just wished they were missing it in order to lie on their backs and find pictures in the clouds rather than because of another organized activity.

Geralyn Macklin Plainwell, Mich.

I completely sympathize with the coach in your story who asks his players to sign a contract. As the leader of several school-related and extracurricular activities, I have had many children–and parents–who expect full participation even though the child misses practice after practice for no reason with no prior notice. You bet I make my kids sign contracts. Their parents sign, too, and they don’t participate until I have both signatures in hand. The responsibility to carve out family time lies strictly with the parent. If your child is never home, limit his activities to one or two a week, and if you don’t like the schedule, don’t sign up in the first place. If you sign up for an activity, make sure your child is there regularly. After all, you’ve made a commitment. Other kids are counting on him, and so is the coach or leader. Is the goal to pad our children’s resumes so they seem attractive to someone else? Or is the goal to teach children about community involvement and learning a new skill, both of which require more than showing up whenever you feel like it?

Rebecca Hall Mayfield Heights, Ohio

Children these days are being pressured into too many activities because parents are too busy to take the time to spend with them. Coaches, teachers and grandparents are being used as babysitters while the parents do their thing. It is time for parents to slow down and smell the roses.

Jerry Miller Urbandale, Iowa

Bound to Last for Ages?

Thanks, Anna Quindlen, for your treatise on books (“Aha! Caught You Reading,” The Last Word, July 17). As a retro, schoolmarmish, Midwestern grandmother, I have been mourning the projected demise of the book. It seems to me that there is not the same comfort to be gained in curling up with a cup of tea and a good computer. Nor do I think a computer can replace a book as a bed partner. Reading is a sensual experience that goes beyond the actual language one is decoding or the story that is unfolding. There is nothing to compare with the smell and feel of a new book, or an old one, for that matter. I’m charmed by the heft of the volume, the texture of the paper. I have been wondering, however, if old-timers, eons ago, shook grizzled heads as their beautiful parchment scrolls were stuck away in clay jars and retired in favor of that newfangled sheaf of sewn pages. It must be sad to see an accepted part of life jettisoned in any age. Thanks to Quindlen, I believe I may not be here to weep when the final requiem is sung for literature that is printed on paper and bound between attractive covers.

Joette McDonald Vermilion, Ohio