Entertainment: Harry Potter’s wizardry
“(He) looked rather like an old lion. There were streaks of grey
in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish
eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy,
loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp.”
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– A description of the half-blood prince, a new character in the latest
installment of the most popular children’s book series of the past
10 years.
In 1997, the name of Harry Potter, a thin young wizard, was heard
for the first time with a book called “Harry Potter and Philosopher’s
Stone” by an unknown author JK Rowling. Many boys, girls and even
adults fell in love with the stories set in an imaginary world.
Harry Potter has become the most famous young wizard in a magical
world with his forehead scar memorial that was made by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
(Lord Voldemort). Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, make
friends and have a series of adventures during their first year
at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the eyes of
the headmaster, Dumbledore.
“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”, “Harry Potter and
the Prisoner of Azkaban”, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
and “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” were released in
following years, while the first three in the series were made into
hit movies. All five books in the series about the teenaged wizard
have skyrocketed to the top of best-seller lists around the world.
More than 200 million copies of the five books have been sold in
55 languages, including a Thai version.
In Thailand, the Harry Potter series has become the most popular
collection for children of all time. “Not only are many Thai youngsters
more interested in reading but adults have also become addicted
bookworms. I hope this latest book will be even more welcome than
the others because the climax of the series will be revealed,” said
Siriwan Kamonwichain, PR manager at Nanmeebooks.
On July 16, Rowling’s new book will be launched around the world
with the 608-page UK version and the 672-page US version. Advance
orders for the new Harry Potter book in the US topped 750,000 copies
and 500,000 pre-orders have been booked via Amazon.com.
Harry Potter fans in Thailand can order the Thai version – which
will be released around the end of the year – at Library Bookshop
on Soi Sukhumvit 24 from 5.30am on July 16.
If you can’t wait that long, you can enjoy Harry Potter stories
and games through these websites:
www.harrypotterfanzone.com
www.scholatic.com/harrypotter/home.asp
www.harrypotter.warnerbros.com
www.jkrowling.com
www.mugglenet.com
www.bloomsbury.com/harrypotter
Boonrat Ongphet
Nation Junior
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