The Twilight Saga...or Why I Would Rather Watch Paint Dry...

As an English teacher, I often let my students voice their opinions. We don't always necessarily talk about the literary canon; sometimes, we will take a day and chat about what they like or what they dislike. This can often help them with their writing. I've told this story before, but one of these conversations led to why I wouldn't let them read Harry Potter in my class. Well, I told them, the Harry Potter series was British Literature, and I taught American Literature. When they became seniors (I teach World Literature to the seniors), they had me over a barrel. Why couldn't they read Harry Potter? I responded that it wasn't part of the literary canon, and not enough had been written about it to make it a credible work, not to mention, it was below grade level-all of which was true.