There's something about Harry
June 21, 2000
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times

          Come July 8, 12-year-old Allie Greenberg will be one of the first kids in Chicago to own the new Harry Potter book.
           Allie, who'll be in seventh grade at the University of Chicago Lab School this fall, put her name on the pre-order list at Barbara's Bookstore in Old Town, oh, a year ago.
           "I'm counting the days 'til it's out," Allie says of Harry Potter and the Doomspell Tournament, apparently the title of the fourth book in the phenomenally popular series of children's books, being released worldwide. "I read the first one (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) the day after it came out in 1998. Since then, I've read that and the other two (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, both published in 1999) at least 12 times."
           The "Potter" books, penned by British author J.K. Rowling, follow the adventures of Harry, a British lad who learns on his 11th birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and is himself a wizard. Cared for by an aunt and uncle who are ambivalent about him, Harry finds solace at Hogwarts School of  Witchcraft and Wizardry - Britain's most unusual school. There, he discovers his mystical roots and learns to use his magic.
          Allie's enthusiasm is shared by her family, who celebrated the New Year with a Harry Potter-themed party.
          Allie, who owns a Harry Potter T-shirt, badge and needlepoint kit, also has something most other fans don't: a 10-year-old brother who resembles the plucky hero.
           "Daniel looks so much like Harry Potter that it's scary," she says, laughing. "His hair's all over the place, he has little round glasses and wears really baggy clothes all the time."
           He's flattered by the comparison, right?
          "Well, I sometimes call him `Harry,' and then he chases me up to my room," Allie says. "He's faster than I am, so I don't do it too often anymore."
           Little is known about the latest in the Rowling series. The publisher is keeping mum about its plot. It is expected to run about 700 pages - more than twice the volume of the last book - with a $25.95 price tag.
           At Amazon.com, fans have pre-ordered more than 150,000 copies.
           Hope Rehak, 11, who is the first on the Potter pre-order list at Women & Children First bookstore in Andersonville, is so anxious to find out what happens next in the series that she is trying to get a leave of absence from her summer camp July 8 to pick up her book.
           "I remember picking up a copy of my friend's book and thinking that it was so good that I kept reading it while I walked home," says Hope, who'll start sixth grade at LaSalle Language Academy this fall.
            "I almost crashed into a tree because I couldn't stop reading it! All my friends are into the books. I like it because it combines fantasy and mystery, and all the characters are really nice and fun and easy to get to know."
           The Potter books accounted for one of every 10 books bought for readers under age 14 last year. The children's series has found an audience with adults, as well - 43 percent of the Potter books were purchased for those 14 and older. One fan, Merry Carole Powers, 33, was the first on the advance-order list at Barnes and Noble on Webster Avenue.
           "My nieces turned me on to the books," Powers says. "From the minute I picked the first one up, I was hooked. I was so into the story at one point that I actually missed my L stop while riding home from work."
           To accommodate anxious fans like Powers, many bookstores are holding special events and opening their doors early.
           Chicago area Borders will open their doors at midnight July 8.
           "(Our store) will open at midnight and stay open until all the people can come in and pick up their books," says Mark Gregory, general manager of the store's Mt. Prospect location. "We already have 225 reserved requests, so we plan on having at least 400 to 500 copies of the book in stock.
           "And then we're opening again at 8 a.m. - an hour earlier than usual - to host a special wizard's breakfast in our cafe.
           " We'll also have a magician and other kids' events running throughout the day. We have to make this a special day because there is no other book comparable to it. I've been in this business for 10 years, and this is, by far, the biggest book that has come out."
 
WHY KIDS LOVE HARRY

Harry's a wizard!
He's a hero, even though he s short for his age and wears glasses.
He's kind-hearted. One of his best friends is Hermione, who doesn't run with the popular crowd.
He battles intriguing, scary creatures, such as a giant snake that lives at his boarding school.
He's constantly learning something new about himself. In the first book, Harry learned that he was a wizard; that he could talk to snakes in the second; and that he has a godfather in the third.
He has a great imagination, combining fantasy with adventure.
He visits really cool places that are vividly described.

Read more about Harry Potter



 

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