Once Helah Snelling read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling in fourth grade, she was hooked.
“I think I like how much of an escape it is. I’ve always had a big imagination so something that allows you to go into a different world and be away from this one is something I really like about it,” the rising Hanover High School senior said. “About every summer I reread every book in the series.”
This summer, Snelling hopes to spread that joy to children across New Hampshire by putting a copy of the first book in the Harry Potter series in every Little Free Library in the state.
“Every summer when I was growing up I always loved to read. It’s my time to read without interruption,” Snelling said. “I thought kids might not have that opportunity because libraries are closed.”
Using a website that tracks Little Free Libraries throughout the world, Snelling determined that there are around 160 in the Granite State.
“I figured because of the pandemic there wouldn’t be a lot going on this summer so I wanted to find something to make it a worthwhile summer,” Snelling said. She is focusing on Sorcerer’s Stone “to get kids interested in the book and hopefully go to their local libraries and check out the rest of the books.”
Since late last month, she’s brought books to around 20 libraries in Hanover, Claremont and Concord, among other locations. One of her favorite parts has been seeing different parts of the state with her parents.
“I’ve grown up in New Hampshire, but by going to all these little free libraries, I realize how much of New Hampshire I haven’t seen,” Snelling said. “It’s a really cool experience.”
Snelling is relying on monetary and book donations from members of the community to fund the project. She is tracking her journey on her blog, littlefreehogwartslibrary.blogspot.com.
“One (lesson) that I had always sort of found in it is the value of having people around you, even if it’s not family — friends, relatives and people you can rely on and that support system,” Snelling said. “Without the people Harry had helping him, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did. I think that’s important for kids to learn. … You have to have people helping you once in a while.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
