I do recall writing a text "battle" game in the Pokemon style with Harry Potter characters but that was a single battle sequence. It was also before I knew OOP and for my first programming class :) Your comment brought back some memories.
I was shocked and alarmed at the cellphone bills when I moved to the US from a third world country, and then my classmate who had moved to Canada sent me his bill...
I've read the first couple and it's p good mystery literature. It's not "growth" reading, more like fun reading. I'm enjoying the 90s throwbacks too, without cellphones etc.
My wife has worked her way through most of the series and says it gets better.