I met my first love at around this time of year seven years ago. I was eight. I had certainly come across Harry Potter. I had seen Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, but it wasn't until the spring of 2003 when I pulled the small, paperback book off of my brother's bookshelf, just looking for something new and challenging (for a second grader) to read. Over the month it took me to read Sorcerer's Stone I became obsessed. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out mere weeks after I finished the first book. Rather than be smart and wait to read the books in order, I plunged into the confusing 890 pages of the new book, which, incidentally, is far past the average reading level of an eight year old. Consequently, I spent six months struggling through Order of the Phoenix but I'm glad I did, because perservering, for once in my life, led to years of friendship with... a book.