by Maria Chomina

Created on: May 21, 2009

I believe that JK Rowling's intended audience was pre-adolescents when she wrote the Harry Potter series, especially since the lead character was 10 years old. I have read that she wanted to make her books more marketable to both genders which is why she did not use her full name, just her initials. Whatever her intended market was, it became much more widespread than anyone could have imagined. Many adults, including myself, became absorbed into Harry's world. I'm assuming the question of more romance came from an adult because I don't know of too many pre-adolescents that are into romance novels. I feel that the characters were as romantically involved as they should be involving the story surrounding them. If I had wanted to read a romance novel, I would have picked a Jacquelyn Smith novel or one with Fabio on the cover.

At Hogwart's, the school of magic and mystery, there are many adventures that Harry and his friends became involved in. The first book was the introduction of the characters to one another and the school. As young kids there is no need to read about romantic adventures. Not even I, as an adult, was wanting nor expecting for there to be any romance. Of course, as the characters grow up and their relationships become more involved, I believe that JK Rowling did a great job of giving us enough adventure and romance throughout the series.

I know that as an adult it was nice to read the few romantic encounters between the characters. I enjoyed Hermione's and Ron's constant bickering only to find out that they would end up "snogging" with one another. It was both funny and frustrating reading about Harry's encounters with Cho Chang. It was also great to see Ginny Weasley get her guy, Harry Potter, at the end. These tiny romantic encounters took adults back to the time when we were first dating or had our first crush. For the younger readers, it probably gave them something to relate to in their present lives. I think the romance was innocent enough which was appropriate for the type of book that was written.

I think the storyline didn't really have much room for more romance, anyways. There were too many mysteries to solve, magic to dispel and enemies to run from and confront. Those kids had enough to deal with and adding more romance would just add to their confusion of growing up and take away from the great adventure they were a part of for each book.

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