Harry Potter Book Seven - Fans Wonder While They Wait

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the long-awaited seventh book in the series, and is arguably the most anticipated book in history. As we all count the days and minutes until the final release of the book (all the while wondering if it ends they way we have thought it would), we scour the internet and gossip columns with the purpose in mind to catch a stray word or two from the author that may reveal her closely guarded secrets.
As Harry Potter fans already know, this is the continuing story about Harry Potter's magical training, and his adventures during his last year at Hogwarts. As Harry enters his last year at Hogwarts, it can be well expected that he will face even more danger than he has experienced during his previous years, as each succeeding school year has been fraught with ever-increasing peril. Not only must he solve the mysteries of his own history, he must also bring an end to the Dark Lord's rising power for once and for all, or certainly perish.
The plot is expected to be particularly exciting this time, since after the deaths of several of his allies, Harry is now practically all alone, and must work on the details on his own. There are a number of Harry's friends who are still alive and are sure to offer him their continued support, but Harry will most likely feel keenly the absence of some older and wiser figures whom he had come to rely heavily upon. This is the book where the climax will certainly reach its peak.
According to author J.K Rowling, this is her personal favorite in the series, and she is rather pleased at having ended it the way she has. Due to be released on 21st of July, 2007, for the first time at 0.01 (according to the British Summer Time), the book is to be published in a number of other languages and versions as well. The British version will apparently consist of 608 pages, and is to be published by Scholastic Press and Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
According to statements of the author, J.K Rowling, book seven continues the story lines set up in the previous book, Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Book Seven also continues the overall story, solving the mysteries and completing the epic sweep of Harry's years at Hogwarts and (hopefully) tying up all the loose ends remaining from the previous six volumes. Some of greatest mysteries that remain unsolved include the question of Snape's loyalty, the changes to be made at Hogwarts (if it continues to function at all), the result of Harry's trip to his parental house (which he is apparently going to make this year, accompanied by his two best friends), the consequences of the expiration of the magical protection set by Dumbledore on the Dursley's house, and the results of Harry's quest for the rest of the Horcruxes that he must destroy as soon as possible.
It is expected, of course, that the final Harry Potter book breaking yet more records with its sales, as the "muggle" world waits to be swept yet again into the magical world of Wizards and Witches. I plan on purchasing several copies myself -- after all, just in case this turns out to be the last book to ever be penned by our favorite author, we should make sure to give her the best possible farewell, right?
Amy Koelle is a self-confessed Harry Potter junkie (some would say "addict"), and is the Director of Content Creation for HarryGear.com. She also publishes a monthly Harry Potter newsletter, available at: ==> http://www.harrygear.com/
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Pick Out a Cool Harry Potter Costume

Boy oh boy, I'm really looking forward to that day of days this year. It's a mad celebration with parties and treats galore. Did you think I was talking about Christmas? It seems as though the the consensus is that Christmas is a holiday that really gets her juices flowing. Yes I'm talking about Halloween.
That mysterious day that only comes once a year, but hasn't quite achieved official holiday status. What's that all about? We love it in our household. Anyway, have you decided what are you going to dress up as this year? Anything special come to mind? Maybe a ghost, ghoul, monster, or devilish fiend? Or maybe go for something a little more current. You know, one of those pop culture figures that are splashed all over the headlines. Well, how about a Harry Potter costume? Last Halloween I must have seen a hundred of them if I saw one. The world has simply fallen in love with Harry Potter and his adventures.
Have you put any thought into wearing a Harry Potter costume for the local costume party or Halloween celebration? Speaking of costume celebrations, I think I've went to some of the biggest parties imaginable. Coming from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I'm certainly no stranger to Halloween celebrations. You have to understand that back in Chapel Hill, on Adams Street, a little Halloween party has held each year. Okay, that's an understatement, a huge understatement.
The street is basically flooded with high school and college students in their Halloween costumes. I mean thousands and thousands of people as far as the eye can see. So if you happen to be a Halloween nut like I am, you may want to check out this gala event sometime soon. It's similar to Mardigras for Halloween. Not too long ago I was there and spotted quite a few Harry Potter costumes. Predictably it was incredibly popular after the first film was such a smash hit. Everyone wanted to be Harry, Ron, or Herminie. So there's no question that the Harry Potter costume was and still is a wildly popular one.
Are you looking for a fun Harry Potter costume? Well, if you are then may I suggest checking on the Internet. If you haven't checked out the Internet for Halloween shopping, then you really need to. The World-Wide-Web has a whole boatload of costumes and all shapes and sizes. Anything from a mummy, to a witch, to a cheerleader, to a Harry Potter costume can be purchased here. And they can usually get them at a lower cost. So if you're interested, get your Harry Potter costume online now.
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning entertainment. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Harry Potter Costume
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Book Parties are Literary Educational Fun for Kids

The idea of throwing book parties is a relatively new development that has grown out of the incredible popularity of the Harry Potter books. A book party is basically a party thrown by a group of parents or by a bookstore to encourage the kids to get excited about buying and reading a new book that’s coming out, such as one of the Harry Potter books. Usually the kids really like this because it’s new, fun and they get to stay up past midnight waiting for the earliest possible moment when they can pick up their new release.
You can also throw a book party at home and nothing says you guys have to stay up really late to do it. Lots of retailers let their customer’s pre-order books so they can come in on the day of the books’ release and just pick it up instead of waiting in line. When planning your book party ask all the parents who will be attending if they want to pitch in on a pre-order of the book you are waiting on and then on the day of your book party you can just elect one of parents to go to the bookstore to pick up the books for all the kids. In the meantime keep the kids entertained with games, food, and videos.
The key to decorating for a book party is to make use of the related themes. If this party is for a Harry Potter book, just by example, you can easily find lots of Harry Potter themed party supplies. There are paper plates, tablecloths, napkins, and wall murals, wall hangings, and balloons. You can even get props like wands and wizard and witch hats to place around the party area or have the kids dress up in, heck turn it into a costume party by having the kids come as their favorite characters.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for birthday party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Share the love of reading with friends and family by having a Book Party for a birthday celebration.
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Harry Potter Rave

It is amazing to think about how the Harry Potter craze has captured the imagination of people all over the world. It doesn’t matter if you’re struggling with the business of living in some Third World country or happily ensconced in your glitzy Park Avenue penthouse in the Upper East Side of New York, chances are the Harry Potter craze has captured you and your ilk.
Harry Potter’s appeal transcends race or income bracket, culture and religion, sex and sexual orientation. The great majority of people simply love it. The appeal of powerful wizards and supernatural evils is certainly heady stuff. It’s like one big rollercoaster ride where no one knows what’s going to happen next. Perhaps the one sure this about this whole Harry Potter craze is that there will be a next installment of the series coming soon to a theater near you. And probably another one after that, and another, and another …
For the more perceptive ones around us, the Harry Potter craze is no surprise. The books were great fiction (J.K. Rowling must be laughing himself silly now, all the way to the bank). Admittedly, the first of the series of books did not make a huge impact right away, but children across the world quickly caught on. Soon enough, kids couldn’t stop talking about Harry Potter and were constantly in a frantic search for all the Harry Potter material that they could get their hands on. And, expectedly, parents soon got into the act and started looking into the newest buzz among their kids. They began reading the books and may of them hooked into Harry Potter craze. That the book series was transformed into a series of films was only inevitable. But one still has to take their hats off to the film’s producers and creators, because they have been able to translate the magic of the book into the big screen, making Harry Potter and his dazzling adventures even more larger than life.
Admittedly, some adults don’t fancy the movies as exactly their cup of tea. But others did fall in love with the series much like they fell in love with the Star Wars epic before that. There’s nothing like breath-taking sorcery and the battle of good versus evil on a grand scale to make us forget the price of theater admission. Among kids, however, one would be hard pressed to find a single one who wasn’t crazy about the whole thing from the very beginning.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve read the books or not. In fact, it hardly matters if you’ve seen any of the previous Harry Potter films. All you have to do is catch one of them (or the very next one) and you will be thrilled to the core. The worldwide web and your favorite DVD store (or Amazon.com) are other good places where you can pick up on the Harry Potter magic.
Philip Culver is the owner of My Entertainment Web, a website dedicated to providing arts and entertainment information.
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Spellbinding Fourth Potter Movie Set to Open in November

The Harry Potter phenomenon has become a global obsession the likes of which have not been seen around a series of children’s books since the writings of J.R.R Tolkien first sprang to life. Millions upon millions of each and every one of J.K. Rowling’s books have been sold. The Potter series’ incredible popularity has risen with each new title, and each blockbuster movie version of their printed counterparts. Legions of fans wait like runners with their heels on the mark to rush bookstores around the world for the newest edition to the Harry Potter anthology. The same can easily be said for the release of each Hollywood Blockbuster Potter film.
The latest book to point its magic wand towards the silver screen is the fourth in Rowling’s epic Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". Directed by Mike Newell, and adapted from Rowling’s book by Steven Kloves, "Goblet of Fire" is scheduled to greet popcorn munchers everywhere on November 18, 2005. This – the fourth Harry Potter book to go to film – will see Harry and his mates older than they have ever been before, with a stirring tagline preceding the film’s release and incorporated into movie posters and trailers, "Difficult times lie ahead, Harry".
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was originally released in book form in 2000, and the movie is likely to follow the book’s plot closely, with minor changes made for the big screen, as has been the case with the three previous Potter films. At a sizeable 636 pages this was no small book to turn into a screenplay, especially one for a predominately younger audience. Especially considering that the book’s plot was the darkest that readers of the series had thus far encountered.
The story sees Harry entering his fourth year of witchcraft and wizardry at Hogwart’s school. As school starts up again Potter is selected as the student representative of Hogwart’s in a fierce competition between rival wizarding schools, called the "Triwizard Tournament", in which students compete in a series of progressively more difficult challenges. Meanwhile Harry has been having dreams that two men are scheming to commit murders. During the cup tournament bizarre things begin to occur in the stadium, including the appearance of the "Dark Mark". As well Harry must fight a dragon and do battle with horrible under seas monsters. Even when the competition ends, young Harry Potter is not free from danger as his archenemy Lord Voldemort appears, and death looms imminently close for one of Hogwart’s students.
This book and the soon to be released movie see Harry in an older and wiser role. Gone is his round baby face, instead you see Harry on the cusp of manhood where he begins to realize women in a new light, deal with the death of a close friend and take on battles the likes of which he has never encountered. When the story draws to an end, its battles and sagas won and lost, you can see that Harry is almost verging on adulthood. And one can’t help but wonder if both Harry and his cult following of Potter fans will sense that being a child has a special kind of magic all to itself.
Jessica Cander is a full time freelance writer who loves to stay on top of up-to-the-minute entertainment trends, including new films such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
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Potter Bids Goodbye

Harry Potter and his friends will make their final bow this year as the last of the series of J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novel is set to be released on July 21. Kudos to Rowling for creating an international feat, that of writing seven famous and mega-selling Harry Potter books in a span of ten years. Her books bridged the generation gap as both kids and adults were magnetized to the young wizard boy and the mysteries that surrounded his life.
The last book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is something to look forward to by fans as the story gets more thrilling with two characters to be killed in the end. Readers have already expressed mixed emotions upon the announcement of Rowling on her website. The author, during a reading last summer at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, revealed that she’s not always happy killing her characters including the one who died at the end of Book 6 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). However, she already had that in mind for several years prior to her writing the book. “I’d already done my grieving when I actually came to write it,” Rowling said.
Book 7 will be sold $5 higher than Book 6 at $34.99. U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. said the price increase is due to the rise in the costs of production, paper, trucking, gas and security. These factors have been very vital in ensuring that all readers enjoy their well-loved book during release time. It’s not clear though how many pages it will have but speculations are strong it will either equal or exceed the page length of the previous books at more than 600 pages. Online retailer Amazon.com Inc. has also announced a discounted price for the book at $18.89, 46 percent cheaper than the suggested cover price. It added that first-day advance orders for the last book were 547 percent more than the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which had 1.5 million pre-orders. Book 6 was released in July 2005.
Meanwhile, a deluxe edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with a regular price tag of $65 has also topped the list of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. The book is at number two outselling a diet book and a memoir endorsed by talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Previously, some 100,000 copies of a similar edition of Book 6 were sold, according to Scholastic Inc. It included a 32-page insert of art and illustrations, a full-cloth case book, blind-stamped on front and back cover with the spine being foil-stamped.
J.K. Rowling completed the last Harry Potter book on January 11, 2007 at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh particularly at Room 652. This, according to a note she scribbled using a black marker on the back of a marble bust in the five-star hotel. Hotel sources were surprised over the discovery saying it’s the first time a celebrity guest in their hotel left a note on an ornament. It seems that Rowling is endeared to Edinburgh where she also wrote the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, notably in cafes Nicholson’s and The Elephant House. Rowling’s representative has confirmed that the author had been writing the last part of her internationally-acclaimed novel in Balmoral Hotel.
Since the first introduction of the Harry Potter series ten years ago, more than 325 million copies of the books in 64 languages have been sold while four box-office movies have been produced. The fifth sequel “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” is set to be released on July 13.
Podcastblaster is a site specializing in all aspect of podcasting and provides an extensive podcasting directory covering many topics including arts & entertainment podcasts.
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J.K Rowling - The Magician Who Created Harry Potter

JK Rowling, the celebrated author of the path breaking Harry Potter series of books has her name written down in the annals of literary history. Every one, of all age groups and across geographical boundaries has been touched by the charm of this magical story. The Harry potter books can boast of claiming the number one position on the top of The New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The latest one belonging to the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is no exception.
It would be appropriate here to give a little background of the author of these books. Joanne Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury near Bristol, England. After graduating from Exeter University, she started working as a secretary, and later moved on to teach English in Portugal. She currently resides in Scotland with her husband and three children. Her most noticeable achievements include winning the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Whitbread Award for Best Children's Book.
It was in 1998 in United States that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was published. With this we witnessed the Potter-mania engulfing the whole nation, with both the children and the parents wanting to read the same books! The rest came out in quick succession, and by the fall of 1999, two new books had come out. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire got released on 8th July, 2000 and within 48 hours of its release, sold about three million copies to become the fastest selling book in history! This title was claimed by Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when it got released on June 21, 2003.
Warner Bros, the film production company has the rights to create films on all the Harry Potter books released till now. The Harry Potter books by Rowling have been translated into 63 languages and distributed in over 200 countries. Moreover, all the five books released so far have appeared in the bestsellers list of United States, Britain, and around the globe.
Jacob Marshal, a dedicated writer of Rupizcompare.co.uk which provide information on J.K. Rowling Books and Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Ending or Enigma?

For Harry Potter fans, July 21 2007 will be a date to celebrate and rue in equal measure. The last instalment of JK Rowling's spine-chilling Harry Potter series, called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will hit the shelves on this day and ultimately put an end to the phenomenon that has had the world gripped since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first debuted ten years ago.
The books, which follow the life of social outcast-come-legendary wizard Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione as they battle the evil forces of Lord Voldemort, has had children and adults of all ages enthralled - and the Deathly Hallows looks to be no exception. The title of the book was thrillingly revealed via a hangman puzzle on Rowling's website on December 21 2006 and the author reportedly finished the book while staying in Edinburgh's famous Balmoral Hotel - carving a concluding note on a marble bust in her room which reads: "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room."
But what can Harry Potter fans expect from this final tome in the Harry Potter series? As always, Rowling has remained tight-lipped, but has expressed deep satisfaction with the closing of the book. In an interview, she claimed:
"While each of the previous Potter books has strong claims on my affections, 'Deathly Hallows' is my favourite, and that is the most wonderful way to finish the series."
Even the term ‘Deathly Hallows’ has caused consternation amongst many Potter-philes eager to shed some light on the book's conclusion. While 'hallow' is generally used as a verb in the English language, Rowling uses it as a noun in her latest title - although it is still generally seen to have overtones of its original meaning - "to make holy or sacred".
While it's expected that readers will learn more about Harry's family - in particular the relationship between Harry's mother Lily and his aunt Petunia - it's also likely that more will be revealed about other key characters, including Professor Snape; apparently a murderer but whose loyalties still remain in doubt, and Peter Pettigrew - a former friend of Harry's father's who carried out a terrible betrayal which is said to have cost Harry's parents their lives.
But while the plot of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may confound critics and fans alike, it's certain that the book will be one of the fastest selling of all time. In fact, so many people have decided to pre-order Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that major retailers - including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Border - are currently reporting that they've received more orders for the book than any other in history - a victory that's sure to stand the series in good stead over the course of time, whatever the final verdict on its plot may be.
Andrew Regan is a big JK Rowling fan.
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Harry Potter Is Not Bad For Kids

There has been some controversy about Harry Potter and its suitability for kids. Critics have claimed that due to the Harry Potter stories’ heavy emphasis on wizardry and magic, kids can be negatively affected by being made to believe that real life isn't what it really is. That is, kids can lose touch with reality. In fact, Harry Potter is not anymore fictional than the most common children's stories. Take for example a typical Disney Movie like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White is far-fetched like Harry Potter, but as we'll see Harry Potter has valuable lessons for children, while Snow White just may be promoting unrealistic hopes for young girls.
In Snow White, there is a mirror that talks to a queen, reminding her everyday that she is the most beautiful women around. At the end, a poisoned Snow White is brought out of a deep sleep by the kiss of a handsome Prince.
How about Cinderella? Here we have a poor girl tortured by her step sisters. But, with the help of a fairy godmother, she is able to attend a fantastic ball. This is made possible by turning a pumpkin and mice into a horse-drawn stagecoach. As is typical in these kinds of stories, Cinderella ends up meeting a prince who falls in love with her.
Harry Potter, too, is filled with the products of a vivid imagination. There is a magic train that takes its passengers to a school of wizardry. Students learn to ride on flying brooms, use magic wands, make potions and fight dragons.
It's obvious that it doesn't take much effort to find stories full of magic that are already warmly accepted by the mass public. Disney movies are perhaps the best example. So why does Harry Potter get so much criticism as being bad for children?
I would contend to those critics that Disney-like movies do our children more damage than the Harry Potter stories could ever do. In all the Harry Potter stories, the young wizard must face a seemingly insurmountable problem. Indeed, at the beginning of the stories Harry Potter doesn't have what it takes to handle his problem. But through a process of growth through dealing with struggles and overcoming difficulties, Harry Potter is able to solve his problem and is a better person for it. Harry Potter actually grows spiritually and gains wisdom in his stories.
The results of Disney movies are quite different. The protagonists don't attain spiritual growth by facing and overcoming difficulties. Rather, their sad situations are resolved with the help of outside forces. No effort is needed because the fairy godmother or the handsome prince will save the day. All the main character needs to do in a Disney movie is sit back and wait to be saved.
So which stories are more damaging to our children? Is it the stories that teach them to sit back and wait for something outside of them to solve their problems? Or, is it the ones that teach our children to meet challenges and overcome difficulties?
The answer is clear. The Harry Potter stories are not bad for our children. Rather, they just might be one of the few positive influences among the numerous bad ones that bombard our children everyday.
Mark Newman is a Harry Potter fanatic and writes for http://www.and-the-deathly-hallows.com
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Harry Potter Pajamas - Why They're Very Hard, But Not Impossible, To Find

It seemed like such an easy thing at first. I merely wanted to buy my son some kid's pajamas depicting his favorite characters and images from the Harry Potter series. I thought I'd just pick some up at my local discount super center the next time I bought groceries. I had no idea how wrong this would turn out to be.
The problem was my son decided that he loved Harry and his friends after he read The Chamber Of Secrets over a summer when no Harry Potter film or book releases were on the horizon. The truth is, while it's possible to get your hands on Harry Potter kid's pajamas when a book or movie is being promoted, it's potentially difficult even then. And if you're looking for Potter pajamas for an adult or teen, it's even more difficult.
I soon found, after several special trips to and pleas with managers of discount stores, malls and specialty shops, that merchants do not regularly carry Potter items or pajamas until a new movie comes out and even then it's hard to swoop them up before the other desperate parents find out.
This creates a bit of desperation for parents of children who are wild about the wizards. I have even seen forums where parents desperate for Hogwarts or Hermione sleepwear were willing to buy the fabric and attempt to make them themselves. I am no where near this crafty.
What I've learned is that you really have two options. You can (and should) stock up on these pajamas when the books and movies come out. You should also make friends with the search options on your computer, because you'll need to pounce as soon as a rare pair of simple wizard pajamas becomes available on your screen.
Want to see which, if any, Harry Potter pajamas are currently available? Click here to find out.
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Harry Potter Betting Resumes

JK Rowling has revealed that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be the title of the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series.
The name of the long-awaited seventh and last Harry Potter book has been revealed today in a puzzle on the author's website. Booksellers are already predicting that the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be the literary event of the year but a date has yet to be set by JK Rowling's publishers, Bloomsbury.
On her website Rowling, 41, admits that she is still writing the book about Harry's last year at Hogwarts school. She said: "I'm now writing scenes that have been planned, in some cases, for a dozen years or even more. I both want, and don't want, to finish this book." But she reassured expectant fans: "Don't worry, I will."
The multi-millionaire recently hinted that two characters are expected to die in the finale - and Harry himself might not survive - saying: "We are dealing with pure evil here. "They don't target extras, do they? They go for the main characters - well, I do."
Ms Rowling reveals the title of the book through a puzzle and a game of hangman.
Booksellers predicted that demand for the book will be even higher than the last one, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, which broke UK records by shifting 2,009,574 copies on its first day of release. Kes Nielsen, Head of Books Buying at Amazon.co.uk, says: "The book's release will be met with an unprecedented level of excitement but also a sense of sadness. Over the past 10 years, so many people have been enchanted by the world and characters that JK Rowling has created. It will be like saying goodbye to an old friend.
I certainly can't recall anything like this level of pop culture hysteria around a book series previously. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy came out decades before the advent of the modern hype machine and no other books that I can think of so captured the imagination of children and adult readers alike.
indah
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Harry Potter Party Games

You’ll be happy to have these Harry Potter Party Games on hand the next time you’re holding a Harry potter book release party for the kids.
The first game I suggest is called ‘Play Time’. Before the party collect bundles of three odd items and put them in pillow sacks or bags. Then when you start the game have the kids get into groups and have each group take a bag. Each group must use all of the items they find in an undiscovered scene from one of the Harry Potter books.
Be sure to give all of the groups plenty of time to put together their scene. You may even want to let them have a practice run before they put on their mini plays. To make this kind of competitive, each group must use clues in the scene to indicate which of the Harry Potter books the scene is from and you can have the rest of the guests try to guess which of the books this undiscovered scene comes from.
The next game is called ‘Wizards’. It’s a fun version of tag for magic fans and Harry Potter fans, of course. Have all the players stand in a circle with their eyes closed. Then walk around the circle and place your hand on the backs of those who will become wizards. Try to average about one wizard for every five players. Then have everyone open their eyes and start running.
None of the players will know who each of the wizards are at the start of the game and the wizards won’t know their fellows at first either. Each wizard runs around pressing their hands against the backs of runners to freeze them. Fellow wizards won’t be frozen if they are tagged. Other players can unfreeze the frozen players with a warm hug. The point is to try and get all the players frozen. If the wizard manage to succeed in getting everyone frozen you should give them a Harry Potter party themed prize like chocolate wands, which are really chocolate covered pretzels.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Harry Potter party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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"Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: ...Harry Potter Parody" Valerie Estelle Frankel: Book Review

Henry Potty and the Pet Rock: An Unauthorized Harry Potter Parody by Valerie Estelle Frankel WingSpan Press (2006)ISBN 159594088XReviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (8/06)
Unless you just crawled out from a cave after hibernating for 20 years you have to have heard about Harry Potter and all his glory. Now pretend that Weird Al Yankovich and J.K. Rowling hooked up to create a book. What would you have? You'd have “Henry Potty and the Pet Rock.”
An absolutely hilarious take on the Harry Potter stories, Frankel takes a stab at re-creating a similar story line but with a few wackier characters and events. A parody like no other I've ever seen in literature, you will chuckle and laugh until your belly hurts!
Characters that are just plain silly and fun create a story line that makes one take a second look at the Potter series and say "Hmmm, I wonder if J.K. Rowling ever thought of it that way". As the main character, Henry Potty takes on a series of strange events to create a silly story told much to the likes of anyone that's a kid at heart. Not limited to just a youngster’s read, adults will enjoy this take on the magical world our own kids seem obsessed with as Henry joins the ranks of fellow pranksters and goofballs at Chickenfeet Academy.
An absolutely witty satire, Frankel somehow brings the characters above and beyond what you would expect as you laugh your way through the book. Silly, senseless, and totally nuts, you cannot help but enjoy the ride as you sit back and read “Henry Potty and the Pet Rock.” If you have a Harry Potter fan at home, they'll be amused at the parodies. If you have a Harry Potter nay-sayer at home, they'll love the comical jabs. And if you simply want a good laugh, you'll enjoy every page! Truly for kids of all ages, 2 to 222!
http://www.readerviews.com
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Harry Potter Baby - Adorable Items For Muggle And Wizard-To-Be Infants

Harry Potter merchandise isn't just briskly selling to the older kids who watch the movies and read the books and the parents who love them. Harry Potter maternity and infant items are becoming increasingly popular. Here is an overview of some of the most popular items:
Onesies And Baby Tees: There is a huge selection of baby wear on the market with the Harry Potter logos, fabrics and artwork. There are also artists who sell their own designs and wording. Examples are onesies with phrases like: "wizard-to-be: muggle in training" and "mischief managed." A very popular variation of this is a baby tee with a photo of the sorting hat and wording which reads "where shall I put you?" These items are pretty inexpensive, usually about $10-$15.
Baby Blankets, Quilts And Pillows: Many artists have answered the demand for Potter baby items with homemade, monogrammed wizard themed buntings, blankets, quilts and pillows. The smaller items are typically very inexpensive at under $10. Most are very professional looking.
Complete Baby Crib Bedding And Quilt Sets: These items are more rare and harder to find, but they are still quite popular and sought after. There are full crib bedding sets that depict Harry and his friends. These sets typically come with sheets, padding, bumpers and comforters. Although there are different colors and styles available, the most popular choice is dark blue. Because of the scarcity of this item, it is a bit pricey at about $150.
Custom Items: There are artists who can custom design and make Harry Potter themed décor for nurseries in the form of valances, curtains, bathrooms, borders, rugs and throws, etc. The cost of these items depends upon the size of the product, the scarcity of the fabric ordered and your time frame, but they are often quite reasonable.
In the world of Harry Potter baby items, you don't need a wizard's wand. You only need the willingness to surf the web with a little muggle imagination.
Want to see photos and pricing on the Harry Potter baby items that I am talking about? Click here to take a look.
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Poses a Dilemma for Readers and the Media

We are in for an interesting media situation with the upcoming release of the final Harry Potter book.
How will the millions of readers who are looking forward to the conclusion avoid finding out from the media or big-mouth friends and family members? This is unprecedented. Never before has a book with such an avid fan base been released in a 24/7 all-media culture. Recently, when the Sopranos ended, viewers all saw it at once; the only difference was the time zones, or a couple of hours. And it only takes an hour to watch the show. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is a 784-page book, which would take some time to get through. And no novel has ever had the type of following that the Harry Potter books enjoy.
More than 1 in 4 U.S. teens and adults have read one of the books, and 15 percent have read them all. Thus, the media will be tempted -- perhaps forced -- to cover the conclusion. The Sopranos ending made the cover of our local newspaper and was hot news nationwide; the news of the ending transcended the viewership of the show itself.
And as much as I love the Sopranos, Harry Potter has a much larger audience, who are heavily invested in his fate. In our world of round-the-clock media, how can a reader avoid being exposed to “spoilers”? That doesn’t seem possible. The situation poses a very Interesting media dilemma, and it should be fun to see how it plays out.
Steve Cebalt of Bottom Line Public Relations is Founder of the Social Marketing Leadership Roundtable in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He specializes in marketing, advertising and public relations issues of interest to nonprofit communications professionals. http://www.bottomlinepr.com/
http://www.nonprofitprforum.blogspot.com/
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The Magic of Harry Potter Video Games

A successful movie franchise will often spawn an abundance of branded items, such as toys, books and action figures. That is why there are a bunch of Harry Potter video games on the market right now. You’d expect to be able to find a lot of related merchandise for Harry Potter because the novels and movies about this amazing character have achieved an almost unheard of level of popularity in many countries around the world.
There are several factors that contribute to the success of Harry Potter video games. The biggest factor may be the extremely devoted and rabid fans of author J.K. Rowling's most famous creation. These fans tend to snap up any and every product featuring the bespectacled face of their favorite wizard, and impatiently clamor for more. Since they are usually flying off the shelves as soon as they come out, the various Harry Potter video games are no exception.
Harry Potter video games have thrilling scripts that follow the book plots pretty closely while still giving players a chance to have their own unique adventure. This feature makes these games so popular. These games also appeal to different age levels just like the original books and movies. Young kids can play them because they are easy, and older crowds can enjoy them because they are fun and exciting as well.
However, finding a store that has Harry Potter video games in stock can be quite challenging. A new title that is released soon after the latest movie would probably be sold in a matter of days in most stores. On the other hand, video game stores might not bother to waste precious shelf space on it or carry it in inventory if it's an older title.
It may be much easier to purchase Harry Potter video games from online retailers because a person can quickly and easily browse from site to site to find one that has the title in a decent condition. There is also the extra bonus of a reduced price because online stores often sell Harry Potter video games for much less than regular stores do.
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Harry Potter Video Games. Visit our site for more helpful information about Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix Summary and other similar topics.
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Harry Potter Books - the Blurred Line Between Reality and Fantasy

Because my conservative religion prohibits the practice of witchcraft I promised myself to read the first Harry Potter book to see if I can recommend it to my child. This was because the main character of this book is a practicing sorcerer/warlock and I would have a problem recommending it to my daughter. This was also because I know there are five more Harry Potter books and the seventh is on the way, so there are a lot of related debates all around, thus it is almost impossible to keep her out of item. So, my decision was to read the book first and to have a decision
Despite of fact "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a very well-written book, I have to stand by my original opinion after reading it . The book is gripping and I found it hard to put it down the weekend I read it. But that is part of my problem. Unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien the world in the Harry Potter books is very realistic and similar to ours. Witches and warlocks are seen as just another lifestyle. The line between reality and fantasy is blurred.
And since it is the first of a series of seven, my child would spend several months absorbed in a world of beliefs that are at odds with the values we are trying to teach her. Perhaps when she will be much older and better able to distinguish between fantasy and reality ... we'll have to see.
Eva Lampard is a freelance writer. Sometimes she writes about items such as Harry Potter rumours
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Harry Potter: History and Facts

Harry Potter is fictional character created by J.K. Rowling as part of her popular Harry Potter series of novels. Harry Potter is an orphan who studies magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Lord Voldemort attacked Harry’s parents on October 31st in their home when they were attempting to protect Harry. Lily, Harry’s mother saved him by ultimately placing him under ancient magic that protected him, but lost her life in the process. In the series, Harry has two friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, that are there to help him through the trials and tribulations that he faces. Trials and tribulations that includes the normal awkward moments of growing up as well as fighting evil and stopping villains.
The Harry Potter series of books look at many important topics that pertain to growing up. The books include themes like friendship, love, death, prejudice, and courage in a realistic way that kids can learn from them. The books are written as a fantasy based mystery in which the reader learns the secrets of the story at the same time that Harry Potter gains the information. Readers, like Harry Potter, are not able to see the thoughts of other characters until they are revealed through the unfolding of the plot to Harry.
Beyond the book series, there have been movies released that have been among the most popular movie series ever released. Harry Potter is recognized world wide and has a following of fans that travel world-wide to attend lectures and specially planned Potter themed activities. A party featuring Harry Potter theme decorations and accessories would certainly make any child happy. With the last book due to be released in the not-so-distant future, it may be time to consider having a book release celebration. After all, parties don’t have to be just for birthdays anymore.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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Harry Potter Facts and History for Party Trivia

The boy wizard Harry Potter couldn’t have survived all these years without the help of his wizardly friends, Hermione, Ron Weasley, Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Professor Lupin, and so many others. If you are considering a Harry Potter Party then you may all ready know something about his character and the series of books by J.K. Rowling.
Harry Potter was born several years ago in the wizarding world to his loving parents. Unfortunately at the time there was a war being waged among the wizards. Harry’s parents were fighting for the good against the Lord Voldemort. This evil Lord Voldemort killed Harry’s parents when he was just a babe and attempted to get at Harry, but Harry was saved by his mother’s love and this caused Lord Voldemort to lose his powers and come close to death.
Professor Dumbledore placed Harry with his ‘muggle’ or non-magic folk, Aunt and Uncle until he would be old enough to enter Hogwarts School of magic. The years passed and Harry came of age. J.K. Rowling’s series of books starts just a few days before Harry turns eleventh. She has planned out seven books and written six of them so far that follow Harry’s adventures in magic at the wizarding school and the background plot involving Lord Voldmort’s return to power and the second war between good and evil in the wizarding world.
Harry Potter learns in the series that its very possible that he could have ended up a normal boy with a normal but magical life, but Lord Voldemort interpreted a prophecy to believe Harry was to be his downfall and thus attempted to get at Harry. This is really a coming of age series, following Harry as he grows up and learns to handle his powers, but it is also lots of fun, especially the early books when Harry is more of a kid.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies (http://partysupplieshut.com/), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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Hats Off to the Author of Harry Potter

As you all know that it is the age of satellite channels, computers, internet and mobile phones. Our children most of the time get hooked in some of these gadgets. The biggest casualty of this new craze is the reading habit. Reading is a habit that enhances your understanding and also stretches your imagination. It is an art. It also relaxes your mind and enriches your thoughts.
Nowadays children don't read anything. Reading comics were the thing of the past. Even schools are not encouraging children to read.
Parents too could not encourage their children as they are also victim of electronic gadgets. They don't find time or inclination to read anything other than just going through the day's headline. Reading editorials and well analytical articles has become a rarity.
A situation like this, I was completely awestruck to see when fifth book of Harry Potter was released recently there were wide spread frenzy all over the world. Children were waiting in hours to purchase a copy of this book. Within minutes of its sale million copies were sold out. There were lot of discussions both in the media as well as in public forums about the new release of Harry Potter and there were animated discussions over the characters of this book.
I am not a fan of Harry Potter. In fact I have not read any Harry Potter books. Yet I salute the author of Harry Potter for his great revolution. You may think what revolution I am talking about. Yes author of Harry Potter inculcates reading habit among children. I am really amazed to see that children are ready to throw their electronic gadgets for a copy of newly released Harry Potter. No school or college able to inculcate reading habit as the author of Harry Potter does. We need more authors like the author of Harry Potter in this world to save the humanity from the electronic gadgets.
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Harry Potter Parties are a Magical Good Time!

Celebrate your little wizard’s birthday with a Harry Potter birthday party. Send scrolls as invitations calling all wizard and muggles to meet up with Ron, Hermione and Harry at the Gryffindor House on your street. All the great dragons and sorcerers can come dressed up in cloaks with their crystal balls in hand. Make sure they leave their frogs and owls at home!
Snacks for your Harry Potter party will keep everyone in the mood. Pretzel sticks cast mighty spells when used as wands. Electrify cookies by making them in shapes of lightning bolts. Candy served from the Quidditch Cup will make all Hufflepuffs victors. Or use the Quidditch Cup to serve kool-aid potions that will satisfy even the driest of parselmouths.
Guests at the Harry Potter party can use spellbound broomsticks to break open a dragon piñata filled with candy and trinkets. Or use a pillowcase or stocking as the Sorting Hat to add a Harry Potter twist to any team game. Play Quidditch with the party guests by setting up hula hoops at each the end of the yard. Teams can be drawn out of the sorting hat and the first team to get five balls through their hoop wins! Prizes for the games can be Bertie Bots jelly beans or glasses of ginger ale called butterbeers.
Harry Potter parties are fun for all ages since adults and children alike enjoy the book series. Give your next party all the magic and spark that Harry Potter can bring.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Harry Potter party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Shop has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Theme Parties to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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Bring Out The Wizard In Kids With A Harry Potter Quiz

Q. I think that Harry Potter provides an excellent learning opportunity for my kids. How can I take advantage of his popularity to teach my children something?
A. You're on the right track here I think. A Harry Potter quiz would be an outstanding vehicle to teach your children logic. You don't necessarily have to focus on particular scenes from any of the books or movies, you can use a Harry Potter quiz as a foothold into a wider learning experience.
For example, you could devise a Harry Potter quiz that sets up a scenario where Harry Potter is faced with a problem that needs to be solved. He can use 1/3 magic, 1/3 math, and 1/3 logic to solve the problem.
For example: You could create a Harry Potter quiz question that says:
"Harry Potter is lost in the Forbidden Forrest. He has forgotten his magic wand and his spell book. All he has is his watch, a telescope, and one spell that lets him understand what animals are saying but doesn't let them understand him. Help Harry Potter get back to Hogwarts."
Let me just say that I'm not sure that this particular Harry potter quiz question can even be answered. It's your job to write the quiz, I'm only here to give you ideas.
What you want to make sure is that you don't just go for the easy answer and create a Harry Potter trivia quiz. That won't do anything for your goal of creating a Harry Potter quiz that will teach your children something. Be creative and imaginative. The results of a well-crafted Harry Potter quiz will be magical if you do it right.
----------------------------------------------------------------Brian Fong run the popular quiz sitehttp://www.QuizFaq.com Quiz Faq - Your solutions for the quiz.----------------------------------------------------------------
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J K Rowling Bio

J.K.Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire 1965. She spent part of her childhood in Gloucestershire and then in South Wales. At school she did well in English, arts and poetry, but did not excel in sports. At the strong encouragement of her parents she took a degree in English at the University of Essex. This enabled her to spend a year in Paris, although she later regretted not having studied English. On finishing university she worked for several years in London. This included a job with Amnesty International.
J K Rowling and Harry Potter
The inspiration for writing Harry Potter came on a delayed train journey from London to Manchester. It was on this unremarkable train journey that she became flooded with the inspiration of; magicians, Hogwarts, Harry Potter and magic trains. J.K.Rowling tells how on the journey she didn’t have a pen; also she was too shy to ask a passenger to borrow one. However on arriving in Manchester she began immediately on writing the first draft of Harry Potter. These early writings got redrafted several times over the course of the next few years, but the characters and basic plot had already taken shape.
A significant feature in the main character of Harry Potter, is the fact that an early age he gets orphaned. He misses his mother and father a lot and this becomes an important theme throughout the Harry Potter series. By coincidence shortly after beginning the writing of Harry Potter J.K.Rowling lost her own mother from multiple sclerosis. This was a heavy blow to J.K.Rowling. It also gave her additional empathy with her main character, Harry Potter.
It took several years for J.K.Rowling to finish the first book in the series “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone “ During this time she spent a couple of years in Portugal were she briefly married before divorcing after being thrown out of the house by her husband. Through this first marriage J.K.Rowling had her first child, which she had to bring up by herself on returning to the UK.
However despite having a full time teaching job and being a single mother J.K.Rowling eventually finished her first book and sent it off to book agents. After several refusals by big company’s (how they must be ruing their decision now!) the book was taken on by Bloomsbury, who at the time were quite small in the publishing world.
The book was released and immediately became a big bestseller. It sold well not just amongst children but adults as well. In fact the first book was later brought out with a special adults cover so readers would not be embarrassed with reading a “children’s book” As the Harry Potter series progressed the books became increasingly wide ranging in their appeal. J.K.Rowling has received numerous awards for her Harry Potter series.
J.K.Rowling finished the final and 7th book in the Harry Potter series in Dec 2006. The book titled “The Deathly Hallows” will be released in July 2007.
Extended biography about J K Rowling
Biography by Richard. Richard lives in Oxford where he is a member of Sri Chinmoy Centre and works as a teacher. For more biographies of writers, poets and celebrites visit: http://www.biographyonline.net/
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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - A Spectacular Conclusion

After long waiting, J.K Rowling the renowned English storyteller finally unveiled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and the last book of the phenomenal series, Harry Potter. The breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's series has lot more excitement for the readers. With great revelations, battles, and betrayals the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will leave spellbound almost every fan.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is more about coming in to the terms with the ultimate reality-- death, which every person has to face one day. Despite many rumours and interpretations, Rowling's seventh book has been widely acclaimed by the readers, because she is quite successful creating suspense by narrating increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and adventure, mingled with lessons of honour and contempt. It is another odyssey highlighting spellbinding tales of love and loss, and right and wrong.
The world of Harry Potter, as depicted by the author coexists between the mundane and marvellous, and so is the mortal world. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows is more about Harry's mission of life, i.e., not only about finding and destroying the Horcruxes, but it is his journey from boyhood to manhood. Here the protagonist Harry faces more danger than those depicted in the previous books. Harry is haunted by direct threat of the Death Eaters and is in constant dilemma of losing faith in himself. Rowling applies the same notion of Dumbledore’s warning about making choices between what is right and what is easy to conclude the story.
No doubt, the Potter fans will get the answers of most of the mysterious queries, specially the debated questions about Dumbledore and Snape. However, the 7th book of the Harry Potter series is an embodiment of J.K Rowling's extraordinary imaginary power.
Rowling's inclination towards the Christian concept of resurrection and accepting of self decay and disintegration is evident here from the way she crafts the conclusion of the series. As Rowling concludes, she glorifies parental bond--its power of conferring sacred protection to the children. She gives a spectacular conclusion to the series by gifting her favourite character with precious boon of parental love, including immortality.
Despite pre-release and internet leakage of the book before its official publication, reader’s enthusiasm is not marred, which is clear from its record sales of 8.3 million copies in the first 24 hours in the USA alone.
Fletcher Mak is an author, write various articles on different themes to expand information. You can get information about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and other Music CD Shop
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Teaching Kids To Be Kids Again - Harry Potter

At the tender age of 11 Harry Potter has hit just about every bookshelf, console, movie screen, and imagination as entirely possible. His name is bigger in our muggle world as it is in his fictional world.
It seems as though there is no end to the kid phenomenon, with his heroics echoing from every Harry Potter audio book in the globe, and all of the children mimicking his every move with their replica Harry Potter wands and round glasses, with mum going red with anger at the thought of her brand new brush being split into pieces. But that is not all, even the adults are now in on the act, collecting Harry Potter memorabilia at every chance that they get.
Think about the adventures he has been through. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, he once again faced up to his nemesis Lord Voldemort, at the same time saving the world from total chaos. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the goblet spat his name out and entered him into the Triwizard Tournament, a tournament he didn't want to enter but really had no choice, only to witness a murder. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban where he comes face to face with the dementors who seem to have a lust for Harry's soul. And of course Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, where he witnesses the death of Professor Albus Dumbledore, a life taken away by the treachery of one Severus Snape.
Now Harry has to go off on yet another journey, Lord Voldemort is now at his strongest, and according to the prophecy it is either Voldemort or himself who dies. JK Rowling has won many awards for feeding the imagination of children with her series of Harry Potter books, and rightly so. Just take a look at her long listings: The Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker award, the Whitbread award for best childrens book, the Anne Spencer Lindburg prize, and 3 year winner of the Smarties prize.
It was back in 1990 when JK Rowling admitted was when she first thought of Harry Potter. She was quoted as saying "Harry Potter just strolled into my head, fully formed". Since then a quarter of a billion books have been made, all of the books have been translated into 61 different languages, and Harry Potter mania has been distributed to over 200 countries.
Well done Joanna (JK Rowling), you deserve your merits, and I'll tell you why. Harry Potter is one of the very good reasons for our kids taking an enjoyment in reading again. Your imagination, exciting ideas and ability to be able to make the most of every twist and turn in a story is fuel enough to feed the imagination of every single child on the planet.
Terry Burrows is owner of Harry Potter Wands - A site dedicated to the sales of Harry Potter movie memorabilia and props.
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What's So Special About Harry Potter Lego Sets?

Lego has been part of popular culture for more than half a century. Although it was born in Denmark in 1932 and got its name in 1934, the little plastic locking blocks did not come into existence until 1951. Since that time, there have been improvements and additions to Lego’s games and the famous little locking blocks.
Since 1969, Lego has entered the magical world of robotic models and little mobile people. It progressed through Star Wars to Ninjas and now to Harry Potter. Beginning with the first Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 2001, Lego jumped on the bandwagon and began releasing Harry Potter Lego sets for a total of 14 sets related to the first movie.
Anyone who is into Lego and Harry Potter knows all the Harry Potter Lego and when the next Harry Potter Lego set or piece is going to be released. What is interested and intriguing about the concept of a marriage between Harry Potter and Lego is that in years to come, Harry Potter Lego will likely become a collector’s item.
And why not? A Harry Potter Sorting Hat Lego set is a already treasure and it has only been out since 2001. It was one of the first Lego items to be released and let’s face it, without the sorting hat, what fun is there? The set is small but imagine saving your pristine set today and selling it fifty years from now for a small fortune to people who remember the magic of Harry Potter.
There are already vintage Lego sites harking back to the good old days of Lego supplementary sets that first appeared in 1956. Actually, and this is hard to wrap one’s mind around, there are vintage Lego sets being sold now that were new in the early 1990s. The beauty of childhood is that time moves so slowly that 15 years does seem like enough time for a toy to slip into vintagehood.
What could be better than layer upon layer of nostalgia? People who are grandparents today are buying Lego for their grandchildren because they recognize a name that meant something to them when they were kids.
This is a marketing ploy, when you come to think about it, that is nothing short of wizardry itself. Maybe Grandmother is not quite sure who Harry Potter is but she sure knows Lego. She buys Lego because she remembers it way back when and the grandchild gets Lego because the child knows who Harry Potter is even if the child has never heard of Lego. So the legacy of one childhood is passed on to another generation and then another.
The magic and mystery of toys and their eternal appeal is something Harry Potter would understand.
Check out these deals on Harry Potter Lego sets: http://toybricks.info/harry-potter.html A huge selection including rare and vintage Lego items at severely discounted prices.
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Harry Potter-ific Party

One of the most popular theme parties these days involves the world of Harry Potter. Parties can be for kids or adults, birthdays or any occasion. Make it a costume party for even more fun.
Invitations for Harry Potter theme parties can be in the shape of a wand, Harry’s round shape glasses or Harry Potter himself. Party supply stores have invitations, plates, napkins and cups to match the whole Harry Potter theme. Crepe paper and balloons can be bought in black, blue, silver or gray to match the magical world Harry lives in.
If you have the guests come in costume, hand out prizes for best costume. Take pictures of everyone as a group and an individual portrait to send in a note after the party. It will give them an added momento to remember it by.
Have a real magician come to your theme party. He can imitate tricks done by the wizard or just practice his own style of magic. Kids and adults are fascinated by good tricks. Get magic books from the library and have everybody perform their own tricks for entertainment. Make it a contest on who can perform the best magic trick.
Other crafts to do would be to make Harry Potter glasses using black pipe cleaners. Use blue paper and glitter and everybody makes a wizard hat. If you are daring with a group of kids, give them all dowels that can be transformed into magic wands. Use sequins or stickers to give them extra flash.
Games to play at your Harry Potter theme party can include hide the wizard hat, pin the spell book into Harry’s hands or Harry Potter trivia. Make a bunch of questions from all of the books and movies and see who knows the most about Harry Potter.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino is the internet's leading authority on selecting the best possible party supplies, using proper etiquette and manners while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. More ideas, games, favors, decorations and Harry Potter Party Supplies at the Party Supplies Hut.
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A Harry Potter Party Menu With a Special Pumpkin Juice Recipe

Over the past decade millions have grown to love the boy wizard who lived in Harry Potter. However the series is coming to a close so you'd better use up those Harry Potter party supplies fast.
It’s best to take advantage of all your Harry Potter recipes as soon as possible. The books are all complete and there are only two movies to go in the series! Make up your own Pumpkin Juice for the kids to sip on while partying. You can also serve up some British dishes that are mentioned in the book. Treacle Tart, Spotted Dick and Kippurs may all be on the menu at your very authentic party. You’ll be expanding your guests taste buds as well as their minds. A great back up to have at the party for pickier eaters is Fish and Chips with lots of vinegar.
Pumpkin Juice for the Harry Potter party can also be made up for that next Halloween party. You’ll need; 2 cups fresh or canned pumpkin, 2 cups apple juice, honey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. Juice the pumpkin in a juicer or by mashing up and squeezing through a cheesecloth. Mix pumpkin juice and apple juice with some honey to taste. Blend in a blender. Add spices and mix. Place in fridge to cool, then serve up fresh at your Harry Potter party.
When you have your authentic Harry Potter Pumpkin Juice at the party add some ice cubes to keep it icy cool. Or better yet mix with some club soda or carbonated water for a carbonated treat. Also make sure you have the Harry Potter movies on hand so you and your guests can watch them all! Don't forget about the paper party goods either and you'll need lots of party favors. We suggest boxes of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans!
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Harry Potter party supplies and fun party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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Fun Harry Potter Crafts for Kids

Even though the Harry Potter book franchise is now at an end, the books are still just as popular as they ever were. Children love the magic that goes along with Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they go on their adventures. If your kids love this book series, then they will love doing crafts related to it. This will get them more connected to the books and will also let them be creative and imaginative.
If your child has shown an interest in writing, you could do a community story based on Harry Potter with him. For example, he could write a chapter of a new adventure that he would like Harry to be in. Then you could write the next. Go back and forth like this and see where the story takes you.
Not all kids are into writing, though. Some girls really like to knit and sew. In this case, you can start a project with your daughter showing her how to knit a Gryffindor scarf from the Harry Potter universe. Then she can sport her own Harry Potter themed creation around school during the colder months. She is sure to be thrilled that she not only looks the part of someone going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but that she made it herself.
Another thing you and your kids can do is make wands reminiscent of the ones scene in the Harry Potter books and movies. These can be made out of all sorts of material, including cardboard and paper.
Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for Harry Potter party supplies and fun party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including Harry Potter Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.
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Harry Potter Halloween Costumes are All the Rage

Everybody who has read the books has a favorite character, making Harry Potter Halloween costumes a natural choice for so many kids of all ages. Fortunately, costume manufacturers anticipated the continued popularity of Harry Potter costumes, and there are lots to choose from this year.
There are Harry Potter costumes for the Boy-Who-Lived himself, as well as of many of the children who attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Whether it’s for Halloween, or another occasion, Harry Potter costumes are lots of fun for your child. Of course, the kids don’t get to have all the fun.
There are also adult Harry Potter Halloween costumes readily available for both the children characters, and the adults. Witch and Wizard professors from the school, and other characters that make the series as great as it is all have their own Harry Potter costumes for you to wear at your next Halloween or costume party.
The costumes do require certain basics. For one thing, every Harry Potter costume – whether witch or wizard – begins with a robe. It should be black, and made out of a heavy material. Preferably, your cloak should also have a hood, though it should not be warn on your head. Next, you will need a wand. It can either be a straight wand, or a more gnarled one – depending on your Harry Potter Halloween costume’s character.
If you are one of the children from the school, you’ll want to wear a colored, button down shirt and tie under the cloak, with black pants. The color will depend on your house – Gryffindor (scarlet and gold), Slytherin (Green and Silver), Hufflepuff (Yellow and Black), and Ravenclaw (Blue and Bronze). Do not forget that each Hogwarts house has a scarf in its colors, so it should be a part of your Harry Potter costume if you are one of the students.
And, of course, if you are dressing up in a Harry Potter costume, and you are the boy himself, you can never forget your lightning bolt-shaped scar on the right side of your forehead, and your round-framed glasses.
It can be difficult to come up with an original idea for a Halloween costume every year. Bruce Brown from Dreamascream wants to make Halloween shopping fun and enjoyable. Each year Dream A Scream adds a whole new assortment of Halloween costumes, masks, accessories and decorations for the entire family. Kids costumes - characters from your favorite movies. This year Spiderman costumes, Harry Potter costumes, Shrek costumes and even The Simpsons Halloween masks are all the rage. Read the writings of Bruce Brown and get as excited as he is about Halloween each and every year.
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The Secret Behind Harry Potter's Popularity

Many articles have been written on the subject of Harry Potter and his remarkable appeal to the mass market, but that's not going to stop me putting in my five cents on the subject. I came to Harry Potter late myself, having dismissed the books as something for children for several years. It was a silly dismissal on my part since I can name several children's books that I still happily read. However, a couple of years ago the staggering media coverage of the movies forced me to read the books to see what all the fuss was about. Since then, like most everyone else, I have been captivated. I have read all of the Harry Potter books in order, watched the movies and read many articles about various aspects of both Harry and J.K. Rowling and I believe that I have identified two key elements in the success of Harry Potter. I make no claims that these are the only elements, but I believe they are central to its appeal to both children and adults. GROWING UP ALONG WITH THE READER One obvious feature of the Harry Potter novels is that Harry ages. With each book, a year goes by. While this is not unique to Harry Potter, it is unusual for a writer to stick with a single feature character over so many years. Particularly when those years encompass the key ages of ten through seventeen. As a result of this, and the fact that the books have come out over an approximately nine year period (most likely ten by the time the final book is published), the children who read the Harry Potter and the Sorceror's/Philosopher's Stone have effectively grown up with Harry Potter. Whether by accident or design, it seems that J. K. Rowling has reflected that increasing maturity in both Harry and her audience by telling tells that become progressively darker and more complex in their characterization. This reflection of Harry's growth towards adulthood conveniently mirrors the same growth that Rowling's core audience was experiencing. It also has the side benefit of attracting the interest of adults, many of whom became aware of the books through their children but discovered something with a little more depth than the average children's tale. So the increasing sophistication helped Harry Potter capture an ever larger audience, but what was it that appealed to them in the first place? THE IMPORTANCE OF ARCHETYPES The Harry Potter books are packed full of archetypes. From the Dursely's, a family that will be very familiar to anyone who has read the works of Roald Dahl, to Lord Voldemort (Tolkien anyone?), to the boarding school environment (a setting used in many older British children's books) to the magical creatures which inhabit Harry Potter's world. Now, it's important to be clear on this point. I am not suggesting plagiarism. Those allegations have been made and in each case, clearly showed to be false. No I am talking here about archetypes: "the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based
About The Author
Eoghann Irving is the webmaster for Solar Flare, the long-running science fiction news blog. A lifelong fan of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, Eoghann writes news, reviews and commentary for all forms of science fiction including tv, books, movies and comic books. Eoghann is always looking for news and information on all things sci-fi. He can be contacted at webmaster@sflare.com. Visit Solar Flare: Science Fiction News for more news, reviews and commentary http://sflare.com/

Ten Things Harry Potter Has Over Hillary Rodham-Clinton

Fox News asked the more important question of the day. They asked what Harry Potter has over Hillary Rodham-Clinton in the draw at bookstores in America.
My wife and I contemplated this question, and this is what we came up with:
1. The Harry Potter books are fiction and are on the fiction shelf at the bookstore. Hillary's book is fiction but is on the non-fiction shelf at the bookstore.
2. Harry is interesting. Hillary is not.
3. Millions of people love Harry. Millions of people do not love Hillary.
4. Harry is a wizard. Hillary is a witch.
5. Harry is all of that. Hillary just thinks she is.
6. Harry has a wand. Hillary has Bill.
7. England is proud to call Harry their own. Arkansas is glad Hillary is in New York.
8. Everyday Americans want Harry to stay in America. Everyday Americans would be glad if Hillary left America.
9. With Harry's book, you anticipate every word until the end. With Hillary's book, you just pray that it will end.
10. All of the demons in Harry's world are fictitious.
Copyright Bill Platt - All Rights Reserved
Bill Platt is the owner of http://www.linksandtraffic.com/
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How to Meet Harry Potter!

Not the kind of wand usually attributed to young Potter.
Harry Potter – Wizard of Finance
Give pitiable Harry Potter some money, the poor boy and his thrilling owls need feed! Did anyone catch Daniel Radcliffe recently baring his skinny boy-frame on stage in the West End de-robed sexy horse play Equus?
I always thought Harry Potter would be well fed on toads and wizards brew (or whatever these wizard types eat) then blowing his nose with big wads of twenty pound notes, yet evidently not. Seeing as he’s obviously getting a pittance for his hard career work as a brilliantly great actor, young Potter is opening up a Harry Potter Theme Park so he can feed not only himself but his massive collection of owls (so they can deliver his paychecks).
JK Rowling even chips in with “The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed.” As opposed to saying “It looks awful, I hate this whole rigmarole of pretending to like every single piece of Harry Potter merchandising crap that pops up every week. What about the Harry Potter Umbrella? Harry Potter bin bags anyone? Or the Pobjoy Mint’s Harry Potter Isle of Man Coin? I just can’t take it anymore!” Or thereabouts.
The Harry Potter series has sold more than 325 million books and has been translated into 65 different languages. More people have read a Harry Potter book in Britain than have eaten chips. Fact.
By Paul Bowers, I write for Mio Destino and for it's blog site MioBlog writing articles of interest to their international clients. The company sells internationally, high end, designer lingerie, swimwear, corsets, pyjamas and mens underwear predominantly from Italy and France but also from the US, Canada and other parts of Europe. You can sign up for a FREE Newsletter and FREE to enter competitions if you visit the Mio Destino website.
If you like my articles then why not sign up to my the MioBlog. The company is currently working on a high end designer collection called Hypnotique which will be launched in the next month.
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