The Guardian is hosting a contest in which entrants are charged to write the first 300 words of the novel following from the already-released first lines. Winners will be chosen for best prediction as well as most inventive opening.

Newsday presents a general report on HP fanfic. Quotage: Move over, J.K. Rowling. Frustrated with waiting for the author to supply the answers – presumably in her fifth book, “The Order of the Phoenix,” due to hit bookstores June 21 – fans have taken matters into their own hands. They’ve logged on by the tens …read more!

The Herald has published an article in which an anonymous bookseller speaks out against the scale of the Harry Potter marketing campaign. Quote: “I like being part of kids’ reading and learning, and JK Rowling has created fiction that has undoubtedly helped children to read more, but I feel I’m part of something bigger and …read more!

MSN has posted a political cartoon comparing today’s release of Hillary Clinton’s “Living History” with the June 21 release of HP 5.

Here’s a USA Today Snapshot comparing Philosopher’s Stone to Order of the Phoenix in size and price.

For a chance to win a copy of Order of the Phoenix, visit The Daily Mirror, which is asking this extremely difficult trivia question: “What’s the name of the FIRST Harry Potter book? a) Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire. b) Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone. c) Harry Potter And The Order Of …read more!

A few people have emailed us to let us know that Waterstones has announced the hours for all their locations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, the UK, Scotland and Europe. We’re holding off listing these in MUARI individually until we have information about specific events. So feel free to let us know if you contact your …read more!

The Brazilian website Harry Potter O Filme has posted a high quality scan of the trio’s grown up pose in Vanity Fair.

HP movie actress Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley) did not win the Tony Award this evening; she was nominated for playing the title role in Medea, but Vanessa Redgrave was awarded for her turn in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Having seen both performances, I think it’s worthwhile to note that both were Tony-worthy; …read more!

With book five approaching, The Guardian has published an article marveling at the neverending marketing potential of Harry Potter. Said Diane Nelson, senior vice president of marketing at Warner Bros, “The success is unprecedented. Harry Potter is a bigger property than anything else we at Warner Bros have seen. The interest is equal in Britain, …read more!