…the books about them are selling like pumpkin pasties. According to the Sunday Sun, books about the Department for Education and Skills’ controversial Standard Assessment Tests may actually outsell Harry Potter in the Northern UK.

Thanks to Lana: This saturday’s Nancy cartoon has a cute reference to all the goings on regarding the upcoming HP launch.

On May 22, 2002, the Discovery Fund For Eye Research begins it’s 10 day Seeing the Stars celebrity eyewear charity auction on eBay. Chris Columbus and the Producers of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have generously donated a prop Howler from that film to auction. Find out more about the organiztion at their …read more!

The Miami Herald mentions that online Children’s Book Store Hedgehog Books is holding a contest to win a free copy of the book.

The Sydney Morning Herald has an article discussing the recently announced results of a survey asking what the UK’s 50 Best-Loved books by a female author are. The first Harry Potter book, Philosopher’s Stone, is in fact 13th on the list while 3 of Jane Austen’s place 1st, 6th and 7th. Thanks to Karen for …read more!

According to this article in the Independent, the recent court injunction issued in Britian has been the first time a “John Doe” order has ever been issued in that country. “To our knowledge this is the first time in this country in over 150 years that a defendant is presently unknown”, said Keith Schilling, Ms …read more!

Channel 4 in the UK has rated our Harry #35 on its list of Britons that Britons love to hate. Just how many Snapes are there in Britain?

Saturday Night Live made mention of the Harry Potter phenomenon tonight, commenting that Book Five’s print run of 8.5 million books would merit the sixth book the title: “Harry Potter and the End of Trees.”

HP Fanfic author Laura Klotz has recently published a book entitled Saving the World in Your Spare Time: The Pocket Guide to Effecting Positive Change.” The book is summarized thus: This book is designed to help anyone who wants to change the world around them but isn’t sure how to go about it. …Although primarily …read more!

I was recently doing some digging on the Simpsons episode we will be seeing next season and on this site I found a summary that excludes the plot line mentioned awhile ago from Newsround (Saying that the family goes to England to find a girl Grandpa Simpson had a wartime fling with). Read at your …read more!