This came out of a newspaper in Lancaster Pennsylvania. I would read it if I were you:
Ordering The 'Phoenix'
For those who have been caught up in author J.K. Rowling's literary spell, the three-year wait for "Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix" culminates Friday night with parties across the United States, England, New Zealand, Australia, and South Aftica.
Borders Book Shop, 940 Plaza Blvd., and Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 1700 Fruitville Pike, are having Harry Potter release parties before offering the first copies for sale at 12:01 a.m. With both stores anticipating a full house, there is no guarantee copies will be available.
"I encourage people when they call to reserve (the book)," Shane Thomas, a supervisor at Borders, said.
Both stores will incorporate Potter-themed contests and games. Barnes & Noble is having a sorting-hat ceremony to assign guests at the store's "Midnight Magic" party to various stations around the store (as the sorting hat assigns aspiring wizards to their dorms in the Potter series). Borders customers are asked to come dressed as their faorite character and will be quizzed on their "readiness" for the new book.
Scholastic, the United States publisher for Harry Potter, has distributed 15,000 party kits for "countdown" parties.
The Harry potter craze transcends age, culture and language. The books are sold in 200 countries and published in 55 languages, and Richard Butler, store manager at Barnes & Noble, said some adults come in to reserve copies for themselves.
"Something about (Harry's) story is seemingly everyday childhood, but then he finds out he has something special," Butler said. "It taps into a lot of people's fantasies."
Harry Potter's adventures at the Hogwarts school for wizards have proven contagious, with 196 million copies of the first four columes sold and students eager to read the fifth, ever during summer vacation.
Alison Green, a third-grade teacher at Reidenbaugh Elementary in Manheim Township reserved a copy of the book so she would be able to discuss it with her students.
"The stories are stimulating, and they get the students reading," Green said. "Anything that gets students reading, especially over the summer is encouraged."
The anticipation for Saturday's release becan the moment fans finished the fourth cook. The suspense has been building because of the long interval since te last book and the secrecy surrounding the new plot.
"The fourth book leaves you in suspense," said Brant Forry, 13, who is attending Overlook Day Camp. "You need to know what happens."
But Rowling is only dropping hints. Her innuendoes and foreshadowing from past books have conjured hypotheses and speculation about its content.
"I think there will be romance developing," said Olivia de Cheubell, 13, of Lancaster said. "I want someone to kiss someone."
Hopeless romantics might find the amorous touch they crave in the nexr book. As Rowling puts it: "They (Harry and his friends) are 15 now, horones are working overtime."
Scholastic released some clues of its own, including an exerpt from a pivotal conversation between Harry and the Hogwarts headmaster, Dumbledore: "Dumbledore lovered his hands and surveyed Harry through his half-moom glasses. 'It is time,' he said, 'for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything.'"
Although many rumors are spreading - including the death of a main character, Harry Potter's parents being alive and Harry exploring romance with Ginny Weasley, his best friend's younger sister - some fans don't care about the speculation.
"I don't bother to think about it," said Jamie Ward, 13, of Lncaster. "I just want to read (the books)."
All speculations will be put into rest Saturday as the fifth year of Harry Potter's quest to become a wizard is read worlwide.
A pop-culture phenomenon, the book has everyone from merchandising tycoons to Potter devotees, who mis the words like "Muggle" and "Quidditch" into their daily speech a buzz with anticipation.
"If you don't have something to talk about," said Natalie Greiner, 13, who will be a freshman at Manheim Township, "bring up Harry Potter."
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