Harry Potter

The book release was at 9am here - must more respectable than the midnight release some Americans had to suffer... My daughters and I arrived just before 8 and were treated to decorations, lollies (candy), and costumed sales people while we waited for the 9am opening of the boxes... Our early morning start meant we were 3rd in line (one of the benefits of living in a country town!) and were home and reading by 9:15. I'm now finished after almost 9 hours sitting on the edge of my seat......

My Goodness Suzy and was it worth it?

Just spoken with Bec - she finished the book last night - 12 hrs of reading culminating in tears (of sadness/joy?) - I said to withold any information from me no matter how much I badger her...she said it ended befittingly, no anti-climax... thank you JK Rowling for filling a gap in the world of children's literature - you fired their imagination with words on a page, for awhile there pc's were redundant...

if you call 9 am 'early' what you call 6 am??and my hubby who fuzzes for everything was along with my daughter to join the crazy crowd infront of the book store!shriya finished it in 10 hrs flat..if only she reads her lessons that way..hhhmmmmmm sigh,the lessons aint authored by jk rowling afterall..

My daughter read the book yesterday - I'm not sure if she finished it before she went to sleep. It would have been hard not to. When I last looked in on her she thought I was going to tell her to stop reading and said emphatically 'NO'. She was at the Malfoy's with Ollivander.... Those of you who have finished the book know why she wouldn't let me stop there...

How old is Shriya appy? Dana is 14. JK Rowling has worked some magic as my 11 year old is now reading book 1. A couple of years older than her sister, but better late than never. That sounds weird - she tends to read books that are too young for her. This is a huge step for her.

I managed to pick up the book today, in and out in short order and saved 40% off the cover to boot. Amazing to have sales on a book that was just released yesterday. Silly them, I would have paid full price. My only problem is that I still haven't read book 6. No excuse as it has been sitting in the house since it's release. I guess I better get reading.......

I took a few days last week to re-read Book 6, and saw the new movie in an IMAX theater. I picked up my new book Saturday early afternoon, and finished it today. It was well-worth the time! (This comes from someone who spent almost a year refusing to 'jump on the bandwagon' when the first book came out, then re-read it several times and didn't want to see the first movie either for about a year, as I didn't want to ruin the pictures of characters, locales, etc. that I had developed in my 'mind's eye'.)

I saw the book for sale at our little grocery store. They want $45 for it. Tourists might pay that much but I think I'll wait until I find it elsewhere for less. I have tried to get Amber interested in them but no go. She likes Goosebumps.

In Australia the RRP is $50. No one in my town is selling for over $30. My 14yo is astounded at the number of school kids discussing the book without having read it - she says she wishes she could read it again for the first time and won't tell them anything!

Julie - I know what you mean! It was a little disappointing for me to see some of the movie characters - nothing like I had imagined! I still have a problem with the movies showing the students running around in muggle clothes.

hi there suzy..shriya turns 13 this august..and shes been reading HP books since she was 11...i got her some three books and two she got from her cousin,and this is the first time i've ever got her a HP book on the day of release! and now she has finished all the seven books published so far...she will read it again and again and again and........:)

Have finished the last book and it is wonderful. Am listening to the Audio Book by Jim Dale which is even better than the book. Check your local library it. He is wonderful at reading it. I have them all on my iPod!

I just read an article about an interview with JK Rowling. It gives extra information about the last chapter and the hint of an encyclopedia with even more information in the future - after she has a break, probably a long break.

Found the link to the article...


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19959323/

ntd, I too have the 6 books on my ipod for my youngest who has trouble with reading - he loves them and listens to them every night. I am reading the last book to him now. I finished it the day after my 15 year old daughter had finished it. Its the only HP book I've read!

I'm just wild about Harry! I have been since the very start. Scholastic sends out paperback order forms to teachers to give to the kids. I always did, hoping that their interest might be sparked. Not only did I order for the kids, I ordered some for me, too, mainly to add to our classroom library. Book one arrived innocently in a box with other books, and after I had opened it, I couldn't put it down until I had finished. I was hooked. Since this was the last in the series, I decided to go the the midnight release. There was considerable line breaking, rudeness, and children running and screaming, but I just bit my mean-teacher lip and stood in line. It was worth it. Book seven was great and a fitting end to the series. J.K. Rowling doesn't just have a hit on her hands, it's a future classic.

Thank you, Suzy, for the link to the article about the interview with J.K. Rowling! It has been difficult to keep up this week due to some family things going on. (Luckily, I finished reading the book before the family things presented themselves.)

another link to some more 'after the book' information....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/07/30/potters.afterlife.ap/index.html

There is a 'real' almost 80 year old man with the name Harry Potter. Every time a movie or book comes out children ask to talk to him. He apparently goes along with it good naturedly, even though he hasn't seen any of the movies or read the books.

Rena - go to Amazon.com I pre-ordered, they were cheapest and shipped it out so I would get it that Sat.(no lines) Thanks Suzy!

Still in the processes of re-reading the rest of the series, Garry. Currently up to The Goblet of Fire. It's taking me ages to get through it this time but I can't wait for the final book...but I suppose I'll have to. Everyone else in the house has read it but they are not allowed to say a word!

Had you heard about a final book JKRowling has hand written? The book will never be published. It is called 'Tales of Beedle the Bard'.. this is the book given to Hermoine by Dumbledore in the final book. Rowling has only written 7 of these books they are all leather bound and decorated with semi precious stones. Six are being given to people who have had a lot to do with the Potter books and the seventh book was auctioned today in London by Sotherby's. It had been estimated that the book would fetch around £50,000 and the money was to go to a charity called Children's voice. Well the auction went slightly better than the estimate. the book was sold for almost £2,000,000

I have finally finished rereading the first 6 books so that I was up to date before I start reading #7.
I am so excited!

Ended up crying buckets...again...at the end of #6, I'd forgotten the ending. OMG! can't wait to start reading tonight.

I just found this Harry Potter page and am delighted to find there are other HP fans amongst my fellow Sudokuists. I have loved every book and read all except the first before I saw the movies. They (the movies) are mostly a disappointment - agree with you Suzy and Julie - they are never what you see in your own mind. However if they tried to follow the books exactly, they would end up with 12 hour movies! I'm just devastated that they're finished.

So glad there are other Harry Potter fans out there, I love being a kid.

It's too bad there won't be any new ones but at least you can read them again and again. I probably will.

YES! I just finished it today.
BRILLIANT.

Suzy, you were right, all the 'i's were dotted and the 't's crossed.
Not a single question left unanswered.
JK is a fantastic author.

Gail, I just got onto this page to leave a question for you - but you've answered it in the 2 posts above. I wanted to know if you'd finished the book and if you'd enjoyed it. All answered! And only a few hours ago. I must me psychic.

I've just started reading the series again for the 4 / 5th time. How sad is that.

Not sad Martha, fully understandable.
That is the beauty of this series, every time you read it, there is something new!
I don't know if any of you have read the 'Tomorrow' series by John Marsden, it is the same thing. I have read that series twice and will quite happily read it, and Harry Potter, again and again.
I must say, I was bitterly disappointed to get to the end of them both!

I wanted to read Book 7 again, only to find that d2 had started it!! Now I have to wait....

I usually reread them just before film is released - but I really don't think that's a good idea because I then pick the film to pieces - they left this out etc.

Me too CynB!! I say things like 'the only singing in the books is everyone singing a different song at the same time - why would they stick in a choir when they've had to cut so much out?' etc etc with an indignant tone...

Ooooh, another complaint of mine - Hermione's dress at the ball is 'periwinkle blue' in the book, in the movie it is 'pink'. That's huge to me! It changes her character in some way.

Gail, would the John Marsden series be appropriate for an almost 15 year old?

Suzy.. both my boys read the John Marsden 'Tomorrow' Series, when they were around that sort of age..

Ditto...

Suzy, we came across the 'Tomorrow' series because it was on my son's school booklist in his first year of high school. That was the year he turned 13. He really got into it and his older cousin had the others that were available at that time, so my son read them instantly. Only books he's ever read!
Then my oldest daughter got into them around the age of 15 and was champing at the bit every time a new one was due for release.
There is a further 3 books, a follow-up series if you like, called 'The Ellie Chronicles'. Just as good.

Thanks for that! d2 tends to read an entire book in a night or two so it's hard to keep up with books for her. Her first 2 years of high school she had a teacher who didn't 'approve' of her book choices. She now has a teacher who asks what she likes and provides a book in that genre. What a contrast! When she gets a book she likes she tends to recite them back to me with an incredible level of detail. She wishes all of her subjects were written like novels - she thinks she would remember everything easily then.