June 25, 2003

Harry hysteria

Wizard's spell keeps fans up late for book

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

Twelve-pack of Coke on ice, pals Alisha Falberg and Katie Bedard were ready for a marathon read.
Hanging out at Border's Books and Music Friday night for the Midnight School of Wizardry Party - dressed as characters from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series - the pair's plans for the night did not include shut-eye. Once each had her reserved copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in hand, it was time for some serious reading. All 870 pages of it.

Herald photo by Garret Leiva
Brett Fisher, an employee of Border's Books and Music, was nearly swamped by Harry Potter fans Friday night as he handed out trivia quizzes, graded them and bestowed prizes during a Midnight School of Wizardry party that greeted the release of the fifth book in the wildly popular series.

"I'm not going to sleep tonight; I'm going to read it all," declared Bedard, dressed as Harry Potter for the party.
"I'll probably start crying. I cry when I read the books sometimes," added Falberg, who sported a Hermione costume.
Bedard reserved her copy of the book in January, determined to have first crack at it when it came out. She is highly devoted to the series and has read the first four books in the series "countless times." The trend will continue with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
"There aren't even words - Harry Potter are the most amazing books I've ever read," she said. "There's so much scope for the imagination, to quote Anne of Green Gables."
Locally, hundreds of people stayed up late Friday for the midnight release of the fifth Harry Potter book. Both Horizon Books and Border's threw parties to help ring in the new release, with Horizon even mounting a glittering ball that descended during the last 15 seconds before midnight as patrons eagerly counted the last seconds.
The parties also featured games, quizzes, costumes and prizes as house elves rubbed shoulders with wizards. Harry Potters of every size and shape were everywhere.
Crafts and spell tests at Borders were matched by area teens at Horizon who gave Tarot readings using their custom-made Harry Potter deck. Each party turned into a virtual Harry Potter Be In to accommodate the overwhelming anticipation of the next installment in Harry's adventures.
"With the release of number four it was something I hadn't seen in 20 years of book selling," said Amy Reynolds, sales manager at Horizon Books. "So we had some idea what to expect this time."
Smashing sales records in Rowling's native Britain, Scholastic Inc., the American publisher of the Harry Potter books, estimated to the Associated Press that 5 million copies sold the first day. These record-setting figures were driven by intense interest in the series by readers of all ages. Not to mention two highly successful movies that bridged the gap since the release of the fourth book in July 2000.
Both Border's and Horizon representatives declined to give specific sales numbers following Friday's release, though each acknowledged that hundreds of customers had reserved advanced copies. One thing is clear, however: The shelves were bare within 48 hours.
"We have been taking orders since January and we sold out and have more on order," Reynolds said on Monday. "Our orders are up 50 percent over number four's release two years ago."
Nicole Babb donned a Harry Potter guise during Border's party Friday night. Although lacking the trademark owlish glasses, she maintained a strong kinship with the series.
"I like that it's a fantasy book that has a lot to it," said Babb, 13, who has read all the books in the series. "My favorite character is Harry and it is kind of cool how he can sort of get out of breaking the rules."