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HARRY POTTER CASTS A SPELL ON AREA READERS
By Keith Hagarty
 | | --Photo By Keith Hagarty Harry Potter dazzles a group of young spellbound fans with a magical creature show last Friday night at the Howell School of Magic & Wizardry at Barnes & Noble in Howell. |
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As the midnight hour approached, hundreds of Muggles, Mud Bloods and budding wizards from throughout the area ventured out with one goal in mind: to be one of the first readers to get their hands on the final Harry Potter book.
What was once the Barnes & Nobles Booksellers on Route 9 North was magi- cally transformed into the Howell School of Magic & Wizardry on July 20, all in enchanted anticipation of one young sorcerer with round-rimmed spectacles.
Having waited one long year since she finished the last book, Megan Donaldson, of Jackson, didn't mind standing in line a few hours longer with her sons, Tyler, 8, and Harrison, 15.
"We're all really excited to see what will happen and how it all gets wrapped up," said Donaldson. "I love what they've done here (at Barnes & Noble). I knew it was going to be a big deal, but I never really thought so many people would be here."
Donning an impressive array of costumes in honor of the big event, Mary Caronna joined a capacity-filled crowd for the big gala event, looking every bit the role of the Ministry of Magic's Griselda Marchbanks.
"We were at the last Harry Potter book launch two years ago and had a lot of fun, so we knew we had to come back for this one," said Caronna. "We didn't dress up last time, but we knew this was a once in a lifetime event, since it's the last book."
Joining Caronna in impressive full-on Hogwart's attire were her friends and family, many of whom made the special trip from Brooklyn, including Irene Vandervoort as Molly Weasley, Mary Slack as Professor Sybil Trelawney, and Kellie Vandervoort as reporter Rita Skeeter.
Aside from the excitement and wonderment of the magical realm of Harry Potter, it's the prevailing emphasis on loyalty of friendship which keeps the ladies coming back for more.
While Caronna's 17-year old daughter, Tara, did not don a costume, she was delighted to see her mother and friends having so much fun.
"I'm so proud of them because they're all really creative and talented," she said.
Now that the release party is over, Caronna already has plans for what she's going to do
with her handmade costume.
"I'll probably save it for Halloween," she said. "I'm a teacher and I'll dress up for the kids in
school. I'm sure they'll have fun with that."
Release A Huge Event Celebrating the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" the long-awaited final book in the blockbuster Harry Potter cycle, the store held a series of Potter-themed activity stations, some of which included wizard face painting, divination station, potion demonstrations, roaming trivia and having your photo taken with the famous young wizard himself.
As participants made their way from station to station, the young wizards were bestowed an honorary diploma of their accomplishment from the Howell School of Wizardry & Magic.
As the clock hands ticked down to the book's midnight release, avid fans took pride in their dedication.
"I've been here since 4:30," said 13-year old Danielle Szarek. "I was here when there were only five people waiting on line."
Saying her favorite character is Harry's loyal friend, Hermione, Szarek believes the tales of Harry Potter are timeless because of their ability to whisk you back to a point in your life when the imagination ruled.
"It's everything you wish you could be, like all the magic, the flying creatures, the wizards," she said. "It just brings you back to when you were a kid and wished you were there."
Joining Szarek and her friends was her 16-year-old sister, Ashley Szarek, who had no problem at all waiting on line for hours. Ashley was looking forward to sharing a copy of the book with her younger sister, both of whom grew up on the series.
"I've been reading Harry Potter forever, I can't even remember when I read the first book," said Ashley. "I really like all the characters. I don't think I can even pick a favorite."
Saying she read her first 700-page Harry Potter book in the second grade, 12-year old Julie Bierach is a huge fan of Hogwart's students, Ginny and Cho, not only for their magical abilities, but also for the positive message they send to young female readers.
"They're strong girls," she said about her favorite characters.
When asked if the girls had any temptation to go online prior to the book's release to catch spoilers about Harry's fate, the answer was a resounding ''no!"
"No way!" said an emphatic Andie Senkewicz, 13. "That ruins the whole book."
Despite her eagerness, reading the final page of the last Harry Potter book will be bittersweet for Bierach.
"I'm going to be very, very, very sad," she said. "But at least we can always read them again, and watch the DVD's over and over."
Spreading Love For Reading
All hands were on deck for the special night, according to store manager Betsy Russo, with more than 30 employees and then some catching Harry Mania.
"We've even had volunteers helping out tonight from throughout the community," said Russo. "Some of our employees' cousins, sisters and friends who love Harry Potter all wanted to help out since it is the last one."
Since the 1998 debut of the first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," British author J.K. Rowling's stories have flown off the shelves. Since the 2003 opening of the Barnes & Noble in Howell, Russo has seen crowds buzzing over the latest Harry Potter book, but nothing like she saw on Friday, leading up to the midnight countdown.
"The line for Harry Potter six was a pretty big line and we sold a lot of books, and the line went down to the first row (of books in the store), but it was completely around the building today," she said. "It was really great, and we're really happy to have that."
While there have been many popular books in recent years drawing a constant steam of voracious readers into Barnes & Noble, Russo said the Harry Potter series has definitely raised the bar of anticipation and excitement for fans of all ages.
"It's a very big community draw because it's something that the parents and kids both enjoy, and really brings them together," she said. "The interesting thing is that a lot of these kids have grown up with Harry Potter and some of them are as old as Harry, and they're all graduating with him."
Viewing Howell as such a young community full of new parents, Russo said it's heartwarming watching so many kids come into the store each day with their moms and dads, chomping at the bit to crack open a new book and let their imaginations soar. While the Harry Potter series may have come to a close, she's excited by the limitless seeds of reading planted in the children's' minds.
"It's introducing children to reading and then bringing them up on it throughout their whole lives," she said. "It's that love of reading, and that's just wonderful."
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