Slovenia now have a translation of the fifth book– thanks to Kaja for the link!

In a recent interview, First Lady Laura Bush urged doctors to prescribe reading for young children. The article also stated that she read all five Harry Potter books over the summer and, “loved them”. Thanks, Heather!

Chinese fans will get a nice surprise – in an attempt to circumvent further illegal translations of Order of the Phoenix, China will release the book on Sunday, more than ten days ahead of the scheduled release date.

The writer who translated the first Harry Potter novel into Welsh discusses the difficulty in doing so, as well as her hope that she’ll be picked to translate others in the series. Thanks to Narcissa for the link!

The official German Harry Potter site is currently offering a chance for visitors to choose which Book V cover they like best. Editor’s Note: The site is, obviously, in German. To reach the book covers, click on “Zum Wahllokal” on the main page and you’ll link right to them. If you’re interested in translation, Heidi …read more!

A while back, we posted a story about Harry Potter in Braille, and you all wondered how to donate to the National Braille Press.A wonderful lady named Cheryl saw your queries and contacted the NBP, calling HP fans a “great and generous group” and inquiring after donations. If you’d like to donate to this wonderful …read more!

Vietnam released Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Monday, making the country the first in the world to put out an authorized translation. In an interesting twist, it will be released as a 15-part series. The much-anticipated book is being released as a 15-part series, for about 30 cents an installment, so …read more!

At an hour a session, how long will it take to read Order of the Phoenix out loud? One children’s librarian will find out.

Thomas Pardee, one of the lucky winners of Scholastic’s essay contest, spent a few moments chatting with USA Today and Harry Potter fans. Thanks for the tip, Thomas!

The The New York Times reports on illegal downloading of HP5.