ic literature, such as those found in
             Rowling's Harry Potter series, are usually set in times and places that are
             quite different from the ordinary, and are often populated with incidents
             and problems that the main protagonist, like Harry Potter, has to overcome.
             According to Jill P. May, fantastic literature often deals "with ghosts,
             demons, witches, sorcerers, various beasts, charms, chants, spells, curses
             and other thematic devices" (67), and none of these are usually explained,
             for the reader is simply asked to accept that these things actually exist;
             thus, as in Rowling's Harry Potter series, the reader is expected to
             fantasize. For the most part, fantastic literature is shrouded in mystery
             and these mysteries are never truly explained. In fact, it is this mystery
             that often attracts the reader, especially when the characters are endowed
             In today's world, dark fantasy is extremely popular, especially with
             young adults aged between ten and fifteen years. With Harry Potter, the
             great appeal seems to lie in the fact that Harry, as the teenage
             protagonist, is caught up in the world of the supernatural, all set in
             contemporary times "where the supernatural elements contrast nicely and
             more believably with an otherwise common background" (Goldthwaite, 167).
             One of the main requirements for dark fantasy is that the protagonist must
             be in a position where he has discovered something that he is not supposed
             Numerous critical theories on children's literature encompass much of
             what has already been pointed out, yet Kay E. Vandergrift has more to add
             ...