Organisers of a New Zealand festival are planning a world record attempt when the much-anticipated next book in the Harry Potter series is launched. Storylines Festival of New Zealand Childrens Writers and Illustrators co-ordinator Robin Houler said the record sought was for the longest reading aloud of a children’s work. Margaret Mahy, author of The …read more!

Thanks to Alison and Ebony for sending us the TIME Magazine article about OotP. The article covers JK Rowling’s correspondence with Catie Hoch throughout the six-year-old’s illness in 2000, the upcoming slew of midnight parties, churches that use the books to reach out to the children among their membership, censorship and the expected length of …read more!

Brittany Hawkrigg, a 16 yr old winner of Scholastic’s contest is profiled in Newsday for her essay on healing her dad.

They’ll be a Potter in Latin, Ancient Greek and even Irish Gaelic but groups in Scotland are outraged that there will be no Scots Gaelic – the language of Rowling’s homeland.

According to Ohio.com, not all churches take issue with the boy wizard.

A neat sum-up of Potter as we approach June 21, from US News & Word Report: Book 5 alive! Harry Potter Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix drops at 12:01 a.m. on June 21. Are you ready? A brief guide: PLACE TO BE: Author J. K. Rowling will read to a crowd of …read more!

The Sunday Mail has an article about the excerpt (SPOILER ALERT). (That quote of mine is used again, but they took out the “oh my god,” for which I want to offer them a very public Thank You. Phew.)

So reads an article New Zealand’s STUFF. Ahradsen’s Paper Plus store owner John Ahradsen said the local ASB Bank had offered to take the books and it seemed the safest place for them. At least two book stores plan to lock copies of the books in an Anglia car, as used to transport Harry Potter …read more!

Courier-Mail’s Rodney Chester looks at an extract for Book IV and brings in some of the discussion on Harry Potter For GrownUps.

Dr. Karen Brooks takes a look at hormones entering the picture and recommends Rowling do her best to keep them out of the series.