Growing up with Harry Potter

With the Harry Potter story drawing to a close, it will mean the end of an era for millions of readers who have followed the young wizard's adventures.

Here, six fans explain how Harry Potter has become part of their lives.

ROBYN WALKER, RUNCORN, CHESHIRE

Fans can start reading the final Harry Potter book from Saturday

I was seven when the first book was published, but I didn't start to read them until the third book was out.

I remember on Boxing Day 2000, the whole book was read on the radio by Stephen Fry and I got up early and listened to the whole thing. I can honestly say, that was the only year our whole family was silent on Boxing Day! After that my mum and dad bought me the other two and we waited in line for the fourth one.

We will be going to our local Asda for the last book as that's where we went for the sixth. And after that, I'm locking myself in the cupboard under the stairs with a week's supply of milk and cookies until I finish it! I don't want to hear what happens before I finish reading it for myself!

ABI C, BATH

I started reading Harry Potter when I was nine, and I'm 15 now, so six years of my life have been 'wasted', as one may say, on Harry Potter. I have waited outside my local Waterstone's for the last three books (Order of the Phoenix, Half Blood Prince and, tonight, Deathly Hallows), and am really looking forward to it.

A few people who got the book early posted on my friend's internet blog, telling her the plot. She was devastated. Luckily, they were in image format, so she only saw the top of each image and deleted them before they loaded.

I would be horrified if someone told me the plot. I've spent so long speculating, finding out before I'm supposed to would be horrendous.

ALEXANDRA, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

I started reading these books when I was 11. I am now 18. I definitely will be waiting outside the bookstore for this book, as it has contributed so much to my life as I went through high school and now uni.

It is so exciting that there is another book coming out - presently, I am cramming in the Half Blood Prince (200 pages and 14hrs left to go). I have so say, though, it is really sad to think that this is the last adventure I will go on with Harry, Hermione and Ron.

The Harry Potter series are what started me reading and have been a constant source of inspiration and amusement for the past seven years of my life - and I will miss them dearly.

HARRIETTE TANNER, SELSTED, KENT

The new book is being released in children's (left) and adult editions

I've grown up with these books, starting to read them at the age of six and would be absolutely fuming if someone spoilt this last adventure for me. My whole family loves the Harry Potter books with a passion and we have a strict rule whereby until everyone is finished there is no discussing the book at all!

I will be in Canterbury tonight at a street party to welcome this final instalment in a classic series. My only regret is that this is the end, but I thank JK for giving us the opportunity to read these books.

SOKUNPANHA YOU, PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

I grew up in a country where English wasn't even the second language. The world of Harry Potter was introduced to me rather late when I was in high school. From the first page, I haven't really grown too old for what are otherwise supposed to be children's books.

For me, Harry Potter was the starting point of not just a hobby, but a passion. By the time I read the first Potter book, I'd already been an avid reader, but I did most of the reading in my native Khmer language.

Harry Potter books were what got me into reading in English. I have since then ventured to enjoy both classic and contemporary English literature such as the work of Dickens, Austen, the Bronte sisters, Hugo and many more.

I can now hardly go through a day without doing some reading. And all this started by a bespectacled boy living in a broom shed under the stairs.

MARIA L, MANAGUA, NICARAGUA

I was five or six when I started following Harry Potter and his magical troupe. I actually got the books from my mom, who'd been reading them first, and I was the one responsible for spreading the enchantment to many of my friends, most of whom became huge fans in time.

July 21st, marks an important transition - as the Hogwarts gang close the chapter on childhood and move forward to an unknown future, so many of his fans (myself included) begin to drift towards much the same thing.

Your Potter stories in 100 words

Author JK Rowling will end the series with The Deathly Hallows

Before the publication of the seventh and final Harry Potter book, we asked avid Harry Potter fans to tell the entire story of the six books so far in 100 words or fewer.

More than a thousand people wrote in, and the standard of entries was so high that the muggles on the Entertainment team had to choose six entries, instead of the original five.

Now it is up to you to vote for your favourite, using the box on the right-hand side of the page.

But beware, the following summaries give away the plots of the first six books.

1) HANNAH, SWINDON

"By the way, Harry," said Professor Dumbledore halfway through book six, "a prophecy says that you alone can defeat evil Lord Voldemort. That's why he keeps trying to kill you. You must destroy all seven pieces of his soul, and you've got one book left to do it in. Don't expect any help from me; I'll be dramatically murdered in two chapters' time. Besides that, there's exams to pass and hormonal stirrings to contend with. Now do you wish you'd gone to that Muggle comprehensive?"

2) KATE, BERKSHIRE

Psychiatric report:
Harry is a teenage boy who thinks he is a wizard. He explains that when he was a baby he sent the most evil wizard of all into hiding. He believes this wizard murdered his parents. His aunt informs me they died in a car accident.

Harry reports attending a wizard school although he thought he was a muggle (?) before then. His friends at this school who have helped prevent him from being murdered by evil wizard several times.

He believes that both his ex-murder suspect godfather and headmaster have both recently been murdered by evil wizard.

3) EMMA PEARSON, NOTTINGHAM

BOOK ONE:
Harry: :D
BOOK TWO:
Harry: :)
BOOK THREE:
Harry: :|
BOOK FOUR:
Harry: :/
BOOK FIVE:
Harry: :(
BOOK SIX:
Harry: :'

4) GILLIAN IVERSON, HONG KONG

Harry and his posse gots ta eliminate gangsta V-Man and his evil yet sexeh followers lest they destroy the world.

V-Man has already got Harry's posse members shot down (family, godfather, Dumble-D), and it's a-time for revenge!

Harry and crew has got to cruise 'round the hood to find V-Man's treasures to destroy, and only then can they take him on and blast his ass! Pow!

Hermione and Ron want to hook-up, but feel that Harry's hollah is more important at the moment, which is way cool, but Harry ain't bovvered, because he knows that luuurve will get him through.

5) POLINA RASSOLOVA, ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

CV

Name: Harry Potter

Education: Six years at Hogwarts

Relationship status: Single, but kissed 2 prettiest girls at Hogwarts

Marks: Got a magical scar

Achievements: Held philosopher's stone in his hands and didn't even wish to be immortal. Found a secret chamber, killed a giant snake and destroyed one of the horcruxes (pieces of Voldemort's nasty soul). Became mates with a werewolf. Won the Triwizard championship. Was the head of a group of teenagers eager to break school rules. Faced Voldemort three times and survived.

Hobby: Excellent Quidditch player (Seeker)

Ambition: Find and destroy Voldemort and all of his horcruxes

6) MARIE, ALYESBURY

Cinderfella discovers he's a wizard and trots off to wizard school where he aces in broomsticks and being Mr popular. The wicked wizard, who tried to kill him as a baby, returns from half dead and tries again only to be defeated by pluck, luck and the togetherness of giants and friendly centaurs.

Repeated attacks by the evil wizard and teenage hormones ensure gripping adventures but the wizard community buries its head in the sand until the battles of good and evil affect the politicians and the nanny state clamps down.

Evil legacies, puzzles and exams, love and angst await

Press views: The Deathly Hallows

Rowling finished writing the final book in January

The first reviews have been written of the final Harry Potter book, with most critics agreeing it is a fitting end to the popular series.

Here is a selection of comments about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

BEWARE: book reviews inevitably contain plot spoilers. We will try to avoid these as much as possible, but if you DO NOT want to know what is in the new book, DO NOT READ ON.

THE GUARDIAN - John Mullan

Mysteries from earlier volumes are satisfyingly shown to be ripe for unravelling. Rowling has done her damnedest to round up events and minor characters from all the earlier books. Her child fans are notorious for their delight in Potter-trivia, and Rowling has conscientiously done justice to their intricate knowledge of her earlier books.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Tibor Fischer

The books have always gone as much backwards in time as forwards, and there are more revelations about the past of the Potter family, the now deceased Dumbledore, and my favourite character, Severus Snape.

There are very sound reasons why the Potter books have sold so well. Rowling is extremely adroit at twists. The comic element that was so prominent in the earlier volumes (Rowling even indulged in a little political satire with the Ministry for Magic) nearly entirely evaporates here.

THE TIMES - Alice Fordham

Of course, there are always healthy doses of Dark magic in Potter books, but gradually, even in times of brittle peace, we realise this one is going to be rather different.

Harry and his pals, in case you haven't been frantically re-reading the first six books for clues, must set out on an expedition to find pieces of their arch-enemy's soul.

As Hermione reveals the arrangements she has made to give her parents new identities, and even Ron contemplates the sacrifices to be made, it becomes clear that this is to be no boarding-school book in disguise. They are dropping out of Hogwarts in earnest, and there will be no Quidditch, no pumpkin juice and no Blast-Ended Skrewts.

THE SUN - Anne Jones

The final showdown between Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, and his arch-enemy Lord Voldemort, He Who Must Not Be Named, is a classic good-versus-evil tale on a par with Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

The book is very dark - right from the start there is fighting. Characters start falling left, right and centre.

THE DAILY MIRROR - Fiona Cummins

The best thing about this 607-page book is that it finally answers the questions we have been longing to know.

We learn if Dumbledore, killed by Severus Snape at the end of the Half-Blood Prince, was right to trust him. And what binds Voldemort and Harry and if, and how, that link can be broken. And for the die-hard fans, the ending won't be too much of a surprise. The clues have been there all along.

Asda apologises for Potter jibes

The dispute affected an order of about 500,000 Harry Potter books

Supermarket chain Asda has apologised for criticising the publisher of the new Harry Potter book for a "potty" recommended retail price of £17.99.

It had accused Bloomsbury of "blatant profiteering" in a press release and in an interview with BBC Radio Five Live.

Bloomsbury then cancelled a delivery of 500,000 copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but cited a row about "unsettled bills" as the reason.

However, Asda has now stressed the book will now be on its shelves after all.

It is currently advertising it for less than half of the recommended price - £8.87 - on its website, the same as arch-rival Tesco.

Many other chains are offering similarly large discounts, but independent bookshops have complained that they cannot compete with this pricing policy while still hoping to make profits.

'Long-running' row

Asda had accused Bloomsbury of "attempting to hold children to ransom" by pricing the book at nearly £18.

Before the apology was made, company spokesman Ed Watson told BBC Radio Five Live that he believed it was no coincidence the publisher wanted to stop Asda's order.

"It just seems funny that after we expose the potty Potter price hike, Bloomsbury are trying everything they can to stop kids getting hold of Harry Potter at a price they can afford," he said.

However, Bloomsbury always denied that this statement had been a factor in the row.

Instead, marketing director Minna Fry blamed a dispute about invoices had been "going on a while - going on for weeks, actually".

"We always said we wouldn't provide them with the books until that was sorted out," she added.

On the subject of the book's price, however, Bloomsbury did maintain that "at 608 pages, £17.99 is extremely good value".

The release date for the book was announced on JK Rowling's website

Now, though, Asda has withdrawn its previous statement and has apologised unreservedly.

"We look forward to a good relationship with Bloomsbury going forward, including selling the latest Harry Potter book from 0001 BST on Saturday, 21 July, and many other Bloomsbury books in the future," said an Asda spokeswoman.

And for Bloomsbury, Ms Fry added: "We are pleased that this situation has been resolved and look forward to working with Asda in the future."

Many bookshops are planning to open at midnight on Friday evening to satisfy demand for the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will bring to an end JK Rowling's tales of a teenage wizard's adventures.

Internet 'leak'

The pictures show what appears to be a US edition of the book

With fewer than four days to go, pictures of what appeared to be pages from the new novel have been circulating on the internet.

Minna Fry told the BBC: "There have been so many fake books going up on the internet over the past four to six weeks. We have no reason to believe that these are anything other than fake either."

Meanwhile, the Royal Mail has issued commemorative stamps to celebrate the young wizard's success.

There are seven first-class stamps, each featuring the sleeve artwork from a different Harry Potter book.

And there is also a separate sheet with five stamps featuring the crests of Hogwarts School and its four houses - Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

The Royal Mail said the stamps have "some heat-resistant ink that will reveal exciting secrets if you touch them".

Church praises Potter philosophy

Harry Potter gained the Vatican's seal of approval in 2003

Harry Potter novels and films have been praised by a church in Kent as a way of promoting Christian values.

A youth worker at St Margaret's Church in Rainham has created a guide to help young people learn more about morals through the JK Rowling stories.

Owen Smith, who published the booklet, said: "It's all about morals... dealing with issues of trust, issues of love and sacrifice."

Some faith groups previously accused the books of glamorising the occult.

Stephen Green, of Christian Voice, said: "It could be a doorway to the occult. Young children want to act out the things that they read and that they see on the television.

"And when they do that they are likely to want to turn it into reality."

But the Harry Potter gained the Vatican's seal of approval in 2003 when an official said the books helped children "to see the difference between good and evil".

Israel row over Harry Potter sale

Many Israelis have placed advance orders for the new Potter book

The worldwide launch of the latest Harry Potter is provoking religious controversy in Israel.

Bookstores will be opening on the Sabbath, the Jewish holy day, to sell the final instalment to eager fans.

Most shops are normally closed for trade on the Sabbath, which runs from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.

Religious politicians are accusing the bookstores of putting profits ahead of religious sensitivities for agreeing to open their shops.

The Israeli Industry and Trade Minister, Eli Yishai, has threatened to fine any store that opens on Saturday.

Israeli law forbids businesses to force their employees to work on the Sabbath.

Advance orders

"I think it's a little chutzpah [audacious] of them to open the stores just to make money," Associated Press news agency quoted Israeli member of parliament Avraham Ravitz as saying.

But the booksellers remain unrepentant.

Steimatzky, part of Israel's biggest bookstore chain, is hosting a gala event in Tel Aviv to launch the book.

The chain says that it has received ten of thousands of advance orders for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and has no plans to cancel or postpone its event.

"We are required by the publishers to start selling the books at this time," said store buyer Nancy Ayalon.

The Harry Potter books have sold more than 325 million copies worldwide and have been translated into at least 64 languages, including Hebrew.

Potter publisher sues over breach

Publishers have placed a strict embargo on the book's publication

The US publisher of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is taking legal action against two companies for dispatching copies of the book early.

Scholastic sued online retailer DeepDiscount.com for breaking the strict embargo of 21 July.

In court papers filed in Illinois, the publisher also named its distributor Levy Entertainment for failing to ensure books were not sent out.

It said only a tiny fraction of its 12 million copies had been distributed.

"The number of copies shipped is around one one-hundredth of one per cent," said Scholastic in a statement.

'Please ignore'

The company added that they had a list of customers who had ordered the book from DeepDiscount.com and were asking them to put it to one side if they have already received it by mistake.

A report in The Baltimore Sun newspaper about a customer who had already received his copy prompted Scholastic to take action.

Scholastic is seeking unspecified damages from the two companies for "complete and flagrant violation of the agreements that they knew were part of the carefully constructed release of this eagerly awaited book".

A spokesman for Infinity Resources, who own DeepDiscount.com, said: "We take the situation very seriously and are conducting an internal investigation."

JK Rowling has called on fans to dismiss speculation

Levy Entertainment declined to comment.

Scholastic has also asked "everyone, especially in the media, to preserve the fun and excitement for fans everywhere".

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has also posted an appeal on her official website, stating: "Let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press.

"I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Harry Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day.

"In a very short time you will know everything!" the statement concluded.

'No magic wand'

On Wednesday the Baltimore Sun printed a review of the book, saying it had obtained a copy from a relative of one of its reporters who had received it prematurely.

It says Rowling's seventh book "lacks much of the charm and humour that distinguished the earlier novels" but makes up for it with "hard-won wisdom".

Some fans are already queuing outside a central London bookshop

On the same day, another copy was being offered for sale on internet auction site eBay by a seller who claimed to have received a copy ahead of the release date.

"I don't work for a bookstore and I don't have a magic wand," the seller wrote. "An online store shipped a copy early."

Earlier this week, pictures of what appeared to be pages from the new novel were circulating on the internet.

Minna Fry, marketing director of the book's UK publisher Bloomsbury said: "There have been so many fake books going up on the internet over the past four to six weeks. We have no reason to believe that these are anything other than fake either."

Scholastic issued a subpoena on Monday to California-based social networking site Gaia Online in connection to user-posted material on the book.

In a statement, the website said the link had been immediately removed and that the user in question had been banned for 14 days.

Scholastic also ordered photo-sharing service Photobucket to remove Potter-related material from its site.

JK Rowling rails against spoilers

JK Rowling said fans wanted to finish the saga "in their own time"

JK Rowling has hit out at US newspapers that have published plot details from the final Harry Potter book.

The author said she was "staggered" that papers including The New York Times had printed reviews ahead of the novel's publication on 21 July.

The author said the information was in "complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers".

UK publishers Bloomsbury said spoilers remained "unauthenticated". Some books have been sent out early in the US.

The book's US publisher Scholastic has sued online retailer DeepDiscount.com for breaking the strict embargo by dispatching a number of copies.

The book's contents have been the subject of intense speculation

The novel has also appeared on auction site eBay, while pictures of what appeared to be pages from the new book have appeared on the internet.

Bloomsbury said it was "dismayed" to learn about the early sales. But internet spoilers had not come from the few copies sold ahead of the official publication, it insisted.

The strict embargo was being "enforced unflinchingly and without exception" by publishers in 93 countries, the company added.

Rowling said the US newspaper reviews would particularly affect children "who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time".

"I am incredibly grateful to all those newspapers, booksellers and others who have chosen not to attempt to spoil Harry's last adventure for fans," she added.

We tried very, very hard to give away the absolute bare minimum of the plot Rick Lyman New York Times

Rowling's statement follows an earlier message on her website, in which she said: "Let's all, please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web and in the press.

"I'd like to ask everyone who calls themselves a Harry Potter fan to help preserve the secrecy of the plot for all those who are looking forward to reading the book at the same time on publication day.

"In a very short time you will know everything!"

The New York Times said its copy was bought at a store in the city on Wednesday.

Some fans are already queuing outside a central London bookshop

The paper's books and theatre editor Rick Lyman said: "It's our policy that once a book has been offered up for sale, it's fair game to be reviewed.

"It's not our business to help book publishers market their books. We tried very, very hard to give away the absolute bare minimum of the plot."

On Wednesday, the Baltimore Sun printed a review of the book, saying it had obtained a copy from a relative of one of its reporters who had received it prematurely.

A person selling a copy on eBay said: "I don't work for a bookstore and I don't have a magic wand. An online store shipped a copy early."

Meanwhile, UK supermarket Asda has announced it will sell the book for £5 - just over a quarter of the recommended retail price.

Bloomsbury had originally cancelled Asda's order, with the supermarket calling the price "potty" and accusing the retailer of "blatant profiteering".

Potter books fly off the shelves

Australian fans get their hands on the latest Harry Potter book

Harry Potter fans are finally finding out their hero's fate, after the seventh and final book in the popular series went on sale.

The first copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were snapped up across the world.

UK book chain Waterstones said more than 250,000 fans turned up at midnight to its shops across the UK.

Author JK Rowling had admitted to "excitement, nerves and relief" as the launch approached.

WH Smith said it had sold a total of 15 of the books per second at 400 of its shops since they opened just after midnight on Saturday.

And supermarket chain Asda said it had sold 250,000 copies between midnight and 0900 BST, half of its entire Deathly Hallows stock.

The anticipation of the final instalment has been growing for months.

JK Rowling held a moonlight reading of the book at midnight

"All the secrets I have been carrying around for so long will be yours, too," she wrote to fans on her website.

"Within hours you will know what happens to Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest in their final adventure.

"Those who guessed correctly will be vindicated, and those who guessed wrongly will not, I hope, be too disappointed!"

Speed reader and Potter fan Anne Jones was one of the first to finish the book, reading more than 4,000 words a minute.

Book critics

"It's a real page-turner, great fun. The kids are going to love it but there are some sad moments in it," said the 55-year-old.

Newspaper critics have already begun publishing their reviews of the book - The Times said it was "the most adult" of the series, while the Sun described it as "a classic good-versus-evil tale on a par with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy".

These fans in Hong Kong could not wait to start reading

Just after midnight on Saturday, Rowling read excerpts from her new book to 500 competition winners at London's Natural History Museum before embarking on an all-night book-signing.

Reading from the first chapter, entitled The Dark Lord Ascending, Rowling's voice echoed around the auditorium.

"The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow moonlit lane," she began.

The book was released at the witching hour of midnight BST, meaning that in other countries like India and Australia, fans were waking up to magic breakfasts laid on by book shops.

Staff at stores in Hong Kong planned to tour the city dressed as wizards, while in Bangladesh, customs offices continued to work on a Friday - a holiday in the country - to ensure the novel was delivered on time.

A few people who got the book early posted on my friend's blog, telling her the plot - she was devastated Abi C Harry Potter fan

In New York, a street party included face-painting, wand-making, fire-eaters and magicians, while in Bangkok, an outdoor movie screen was showing all the Potter films throughout the night.

325 million sold

A decade after the first instalment, Harry Potter has become a global phenomenon with 325 million books already sold.

That number will grow as millions of copies of the new novel are snapped up over the weekend.

It is being released in 93 countries, with a print run of 12 million in the US alone and more than 2.2 million ordered in advance from internet retailer Amazon.

Loyal fans will finally reach the climax of the story after 10 years of twists and turns in the life of the young wizard.

A final confrontation between Harry and his evil nemesis, Lord Voldemort, has been building throughout the series - and Rowling has revealed some characters do not survive.

Harry Potter finale sales hit 11m

Author JK Rowling launched the book at the Natural History Museum

The seventh and final Harry Potter book has broken sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, selling 11 million copies in its first 24 hours.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 2.7 million copies in the UK and 8.3 million in the US.

The previous record for the fastest-selling book was held by the sixth Harry Potter novel, which sold nine million in its first day in 2005.

The long-awaited climax to JK Rowling's series was released on Saturday.

It was published simultaneously in more than 90 countries.

UK publisher Bloomsbury said: "The response of the first readers to the seventh and final Harry Potter book has been wonderful.

Fans around the world scrambled to get their hands on the book

"We're grateful to all our printers, distributors and retailers worldwide for the most astoundingly successful book launch ever, and to JK Rowling for the most triumphant close to a magnificent series."

A decade after the first instalment, the running total for Harry Potter book sales was already at 325 million even before the seventh novel came out.

Author JK Rowling launched the final instalment with a reading session at the Natural History Museum in London, and signed 250 copies an hour for fans between midnight and 0630 BST.

Tens of thousands of devotees - many dressed as wizards and witches - turned up to midnight launch parties at 280 branches of book chain Waterstone's, while many more took part in release parties all over the world.

Hysteria

UK supermarket Asda said The Deathly Hallows sold twice as quickly as its predecessor.

The store, which discounted the book from £17.99 to £5, said it shifted 97% of its 500,000 copies in the first 24 hours.

"The nation really has gone Potter potty," said spokesman Ed Watson.

The book had a print run of 12 million in the US, compared with 10.8 million for the last book, according to Lisa Holton of the book's US publisher Scholastic.

"The excitement, anticipation, and just plain hysteria that came over the entire country this weekend was a bit like the Beatles' first visit to the US", Ms Holton said.

"The conversations the readers have been waiting to have for 10 years have just begun. Congratulations to JK Rowling on her tremendous literary achievement."