I can recall the time I read the first Harry Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” back in elementary school. Filled with excitement and cliff hangers, I fell in love with the novel and pretty much ran to my local library to get the next book in the series.
I still enjoyed the second novel and checked out copies of the next few books in the series. However, while devouring the series, I realized that each book didn’t live up to the one before it. With all due respect to J.K. Rowling, the books got less interesting as the series went on.
The Harry Potter series isn’t alone; there are countless series that simply go too far. Reading about the same characters, with a predictable storyline, in the same setting dilutes the anticipation of the book and bores the reader.
Take one of my elementary school self’s favorites for instance: “Dork Diaries.” In this series, I could always figure out what the antagonist, Mackenzie, was plotting against the protagonist, Nikki. This always dulled the plot, making it sound monotonous. Eventually, I stopped reading the series.
Some books simply don’t need a continuing series. It’s better to have a “literary one-hit wonder” than a watered down series of books.
“Normally, if I enjoy one book in a series, I will enjoy the later ones. [But], if I think something’s getting too long or is no longer interesting, I just stop reading it,” English teacher Mrs. Schussler said.
