The Children Who Lived: Using Harry Potter and Other Fictional Characters to Help Grieving Children and Adolescents

Harry Potter’s encounters with grief, as well as the grief experiences of other fictional characters, can be used by educators, counselors, and parents to help children and adolescents deal with their own loss issues. The Children Who Lived is a unique approach toward grief and loss in children. Focusing on fictional child and adolescent characters experiencing grief, this book uses classic tales and the Harry Potter books to help grieving children and adolescents. Included in the text and the downloadable resources are a number of activities, discussion questions, and games that could be used with grieving children and adolescents, based on the fictional characters in these books.

Kathryn A. Markell is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, WI. She teaches child and adolescent psychology courses, and teaches death and dying issues across the life-span.

Marc A. Markell is a Professor of Special Education at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN. He is a certified thanatologist. He gives presentations on death and dying issues to students, parents, teachers, and foster parents across the state of Minnesota. He has recently published a book on grief rituals for people with developmental disabilities.