Arthur Explains Himself

I received quite an unexpected email from Arthur A Levine’s assistant a few moments ago. I was so incredibly impressed and feel that his response and action so reflect what it is to be a Harry Potter fan, that I’m printing it in full.

I’m Cheryl Klein, Arthur Levine’s assistant, and he asked me to write
and explain his flub on the Today Show this morning. Arthur knows the
location of Flourish and Blotts — he literally came off the stage
and said “We’re going to get a hundred letters telling us that
Flourish and Blotts is in Diagon Alley instead of Hogsmeade.” But as
a judge, he wanted to make sure that the girl playing for Gryffindor
earned some points during the game (she’d made two mistakes already),
and “Hogsmeade” was a likely answer, if not the right one. (And
moreover Arthur was nervous — children’s book editors very rarely
appear on national television!) So do please forgive the error . . .
It was a slip of the tongue, not the brain.

Happy Harry Day tomorrow, everyone!

Cheryl Klein

Assistant editor

Arthur A. Levine Books / Scholastic