Kids (and adults) go wild about Harry Potter finale
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| Brett Pape, dressed as Harry Potter, purchases the first book early Saturday morning at Waldenbooks, Sterling, a perk he received for winning the male costume contest. Jude Gonzalez, dressed as Rita Skeeter, one of the two winners of the female costume contest, stands in line behind Pape. Ashley M. Poskin/ SVS |
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"I think one of the three friends might die, but I'm not sure," she said.
She wasn't alone. The international release of the final book in the series about the adventures of Potter and his friends, Hermione and Ron, at a school for young wizards and witches, has everyone wondering about the fate of its main character and how the book will end.
She and the other enthusiastic readers at Books on First, many of whom had waited for hours, opened the thick, hardback book to take in the opening words: "The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane," before they even left the store.
Claire Etchison, 13, of Dixon, barely looked up from her perch on the stairs in the back of the bookstore.
"I'm trying hard not to look at the back of the book, it's taking every ounce of my ability to keep from looking at it," said Etchison, before she started reading again.
More than 100 magic-minded Potter fans converged at Waldenbooks in Northland Mall, in Sterling. The store took more than 450 advance orders for the book and the audio CD version, and had a waiting list of more than 40. At Kmart and Super Wal-Mart, in Sterling, thinner crowds gathered at the last minute, some still clad in their pajamas accompanied by saggy eyes.
Alex Schultz, 12, of Sterling, wouldn't have it any other way, though. She enjoyed being one of about a dozen people at Kmart. She became hooked on the series five years ago when her mother started reading them to her. Now the seventh-grader enjoys reading about Harry on her own.
"I have all the movies. I'll start (the book) tonight but I probably won't finish it," Schultz said, which is understandable, considering it has 784 pages.
At Waldenbooks, Potter enthusiasts participated in a spelling bee using author J.K. Rowling's ingenious word creations while others engaged in a "Snape debate," arguing whether the series' mean-spirited Professor Severeus Snape was, in fact, on Harry's side or not.
Then, the countdown began. Shrieks of delight erupted as midnight arrived.
Brett Pape, 8, of Sterling, was the first in line to receive a book, which was apparent on his bespectacled face. Decked out in proper Hogwarts gear - striped tie, robes and Harry's signature round glasses - Pape said he was excited after the three-hour-long wait.
Tina Dauen, Waldenbooks store manager, said the store has had copies for about a week. The tomes remained sealed in their black shrink wrap the entire time. Besides the chance that someone might have been driven to break in and steal the books, Dauen had other worries.
"The past few nights I woke up at three in the morning because I was terrified water would get into the back room with all of the severe weather," Dauen said.
Fortunately, the books remained safe and ready for distribution. While preparation was a bit stressful - fielding phone calls and taking orders - she said she'll miss the Harry Potter release parties.
Of course, the book hasn't exactly hurt sales. The store has seen a "substantial" increase in the past week alone and Dauen expects that trend to continue for at least another seven days. The next shipment should arrive early this week.
The Harry Potter series has been published in 63 languages, and worldwide sales of the first six books already top 325 million copies. U.S. publisher Scholastic has printed 12 million copies of "Deathly Hallows," and stores expected initial supply to be gone by sundown Saturday.
In addition to sales receipts, the story of Harry Potter has spawned five motion pictures and added words like "muggle" and "quidditch" to popular culture. Most importantly though, some might say, is that it has been critical in drawing millions of readers, young and old, to curl up with a good book.
Inez Vits, 41, of Dixon, brought her 10-year-old daughter Anne to Books on First to obtain their copy.
"I like the attention to detail. It's all very vivid without being over a kid's head, but engaging enough for an adult reader," Vits said.
Sterling High School teacher Donna Spencer bought the last book at Books on First during the midnight rush.
"I've always wanted to buy one at midnight," said Spencer, 41, of Rock Falls. "She has a command of dialogue and more spontaneity than any author I've read in a long time."
Tracy Hand, 16, of Rock Falls, started reading the books five years ago because of a friend's encouragement. Now she's read each book at least three times, and some more than that. She reads them before bed and often finds herself up early in the morning, unable to put it down.
"(Rowling) puts it down so magically. The first book was geared toward little kids and each book grows with the readers," Hand said. "It keeps being appealing as you read."
GateHouse News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this story.
© Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
© Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
