Are you pro-Harry or anti-Harry, and what is a Muggle?

"The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide," by Nancy Carpentier Brown, Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Huntington, Ind. 46750, 175 pages, softcover, $12.95.

SALT LAKE CITY — Have you been holding off your children’s whines that "Everybody’s reading them," but are still hesitant to let your children take up the now-seven book series about Harry Potter, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and all the magic they entail?

Our Sunday Visitor has put out a nice little guide to everything Potter, titled, "The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide." If it doesn’t calm your fears about the witchcraft and magic between the covers of the J.K. Rowling books (and it should), it offers good, common sense advice regarding sound parental practices, that being read the books yourself, and even share them with your children. What a novel thought!

Even Newsweek has an item in its Aug. 6 issue speculating on whether Harry is a Christian tale. I’ve only started reading the books myself, and so can’t say, but Brown, a one-time anti-Harry, has read the books, and assures parents there is nothing evil about them. Furthermore, she writes, your children will not learn evil spells or black magic from the books and may instead learn plenty about loyalty, friendship, good judgment, forgiveness, how to cope with failure, and that even Muggles, those people who aren’t witches or wizards, deserve respect.

Brown admits up front she never wanted to read the books in the first place, but a friend whose opinion she trusted, was reading the books with her children, and that, writes Brown, seemed like a good thing to do.

"I rate the books PG, in need of parental guidance," Brown writes. "... If you’ve grounded your children in their faith, they’ll read the books through the eyes of their beliefs – the beliefs you’ve instilled in them."

Brown is less fond of the movies, which she said she believes leave out some important elements of the story that are in the books, and at times are a little dark, even for teenagers.

"It can also be a danger when children have questions answered by other children, the internet, or a teacher who can’t talk about religion (or values) in school," Brown writes. "I believe if the books are read with the eyes of faith, and shared by Catholic parents with their children, good can come out of it."

The Harry Potter stories are a continuous fairy tail, Brown insists, and the dragons and beasties of Hans Christian Anderson and even the Brothers Grimm have endured for generations.

Using generous quotes from the writings of G. K. Chesterton about the value of imagination, poetry, and morality, Brown admits that Rowling, who is a very intelligent Christian woman, is not trying to be C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkein, but she has written a moral tale in which young people learn to call good and evil what they are. Harry and his friends are surrounded by good role models like Professor Dumbledore, a wise old wizard, who helps them see the truth and guide their decisions.

Some people object to Harry Potter because he isn’t perfect. He lies at times, and he disobeys, too. But what young person doesn’t do those things? Harry and his friends learn from their mistakes and grow in the process.

Brown punctuates her book with dinner table questions, which are great conversation starters that can be easily turned into teachable moments.