Retail: Fourth in Popular
Harry Potter Series Due
Bookstores throughout San Diego County are gearing up for one of their biggest days ever this Saturday, as Harry Potter comes to town.
Harry Potter, as everyone under the age of 12 knows, is the hero in a series of fantasy books. As written by J. K. Rowling, the orphaned Harry discovers he has a talent for wizardry, and must put his skills to the test as the evil Lord Voldemort tries to destroy him.
He’s also the wonder of the book publishing world. Sales have been unbelievably strong; at one point last year, the first three books in the series occupied the top three slots on the New York Times best-seller list , an “unprecedented feat,” according to Barnes & Noble’s Web site.
Now the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is coming out July 8, and bookstores are ready.
At least two San Diego stores will be open at 12:01 a.m. July 8, to accommodate parents wanting to be the first to get their hands on Harry. The Barnes & Noble in Mira Mesa will remain open July 7 until 1 a.m. July 8.
Starting at midnight, the store will have a “witching hour,” complete with giveaways and a Harry Potter trivia contest. The winner gets the book for free, while adults can take advantage of the free coffee, said Gayle Sicard, store manager.
White Rabbit Children’s Books, in La Jolla, will reopen at midnight July 8 and stay open until 1 a.m. The store won’t have any special events at night, but there will be plenty of excitement the next day when it opens for its regular hours.
There will be face-painting, giveaways, and magic-themed food like “cauldron cakes.” There will also be palm readings and wizard poetry readings, said Barbara Melkerson, floor manager for the store.
The store has ordered 400 books for the first day, and has almost 100 advance orders for the title. No other children’s book has even come close to such strong numbers, said Susan Malk, manager of White Rabbit Children’s Books.
The B. Dalton Booksellers in Horton Plaza will be keeping its regular hours, said Arladean Arnson, assistant manager. However, the store has ordered “several hundred” copies and plans to have a release party, complete with clerks dressed in wizard outfits, she said.
Elizabeth Baldwin, buyer for Mysterious Galaxy in Clairemont, said the store will have a continental breakfast and giveaways of Harry Potter-themed prizes. Based on preorders for the book, about half are for adults who want a copy just for themselves, she said.
Julie Mitchell, manager of the Yellow Book Road in La Mesa, isn’t planning any special events for July 8. However, she did note that 160 copies of the book are coming in, with 80 preorders already. In some cases, parents are even delaying their summer vacation a few days, just so they can get Potter when it comes in, she said.
Why all this fuss over a children’s book?
Because this is no ordinary series, Baldwin said. Even adults without children love to read the Harry Potter books because they’re well-written, and not “written down” to children, she explained.
It’s easy to understand the books’ tremendous appeal to children, she said.
“They have all the elements that a child loves to read about , mean adults, magical elements. They’ve got a child that’s been fighting a bogeyman. They’ve got great friends, and (Potter) always seems to come out on top, which is what most kids fantasize about,” Baldwin said. “You get to the end of the book, and I can just see the child going, ‘Whew! Harry made it again.'”
Adding to the anticipation for the fourth book is the fact that nobody seems to know anything about it. The plot is shrouded in mystery; even the book’s title was kept under wraps until just last week.
Rumors have been circulating all over the Internet based on unanswered questions in the first three books. What happens to Harry’s godfather? Will Voldemort return? And will hormones finally kick in for Harry, who turns 14 as the book opens?
Whatever the outcome, the stores will be very busy Saturday, all thanks to a young boy with a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.
Dolores Rojas, bookseller at the White Rabbit in La Jolla, noted that author J. K. Rowling has successfully woven a spell of her own, because she has single-handedly rekindled an interest in reading among young children, Rojas said.
“A lot of kids have pushed their reading abilities in order to read them , kids who normally wouldn’t be reading a novel like that. And it has started them into a desire to read other books. Especially if they like fantasy, they tend to become voracious readers. So I think she has done a wonderful thing for literature, and reading in general,” she said.
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