The London Times has an interesting article about how to entertain the kids this summer during long car rides – Goblet of Fire tops the list at 21 hrs. It also recommends the other 3 books as well for a “peaceful journey”. (Thanks again to Chase)

Newburyport: Jabberwocky Bookshop, The Tannery, 50 Water St., celebrates Harry Potter’s 15th birthday on July 31 from 4-5:30 p.m. Prizes for the best Harry Potter costume. Call 978-465-9359. (Courtesy of the Boston Globe. Thanks to Chase).

Tomorrow is Harry Potter’s Birthday – and not to forget that wonderful woman who brought us these great books is celebrating her birthday too on July 31st – Joanne K. Rowling! An official birthday celebration for Harry (and hopefully for JK too) is going on at the Scholastic Store in Manhattan, July 31 at 4PM. …read more!

The Jewish World Review draws parallels between Harry Potter and Jewish history: The books are steeped in such universal ethical lessons as honesty, discipline, and loyalty, to mention only a few. … J. K. Rowling may never have studied Jewish history, but her series provides a perfect parable for the causes of the destruction of …read more!

The official release date for the Harry Potter movie soundtrack in the U.S. is October 30. Thanks to Bart.

The leading German freemail service GMX sent out a virus warning with the following HP reference, translated by our reader Sophie Banshee: There is only one defense against that much scurviness, the one also Mad-Eye Moody urges his “Defense against the Dark Arts” class in the 4th volume of Harry Potter to: “CONSTANT VIGILANCE!”

MuggleNet has found skins and furniture for the popular game The Sims. You can be Harry or Hermione and recreate the Gryffindor Common Room.

The Brazilian publication “O Estado de São Paulo” has an exclusive interview with Alfred Enoch, playing Dean Thomas in the movie, titled “The Wizard Who Likes Feijoada” (Thanks to Juliana Guariente for the article and below translation). Estadinho Newspaper COVER: Dean Thomas gives a break from the school of magic to spend his vacation on …read more!

PoJo.com has a phenomenal site dedicated to the Harry Potter Trading Card Game. They also have a walkthrough of a sample game and a list of all the cards in the Base Set. Enjoy.

Warner Bros. has sent the following email to those on the mailing list for the Official Site: You are cordially invited to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday on Tuesday, July 31st at the LIVE taping of “The CBS Early Show” in New York City! If you happen to be in the New York area, please join …read more!