As “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” continues to levitate off store shelves and into readers’ hands across the country, kids and grown-ups alike are proving to be enchanted by tales of the boy wizard from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
“They love the story, they love the characters, everything,” said Marilyn Stinson, whose daughters, Vicki and Kerri, were among the first customers to get their hands on the new book at Betty’s here Saturday morning when it was released world-wide.
While her daughters were a little shy to talk about the series’ appeal, Stinson didn’t mind explaining what she liked about the novels by Edinburgh author J.K. Rowling, all four of which she’s read herself.
“The characters are believable, and you can identify with them–it’s really good literature,” said Stinson, who is a teacher at Robert Moore School here.
But more than a story, reading Harry Potter has become a group activity in the Stinson household.
“My oldest, Vicki, finished the latest book [on Monday] but Kerri and Kati are getting a little impatient to get me to read it with them,” she noted. “But I like the fact we’re reading them together–we all enjoy the magic.”
Some Potter fans may not be so young, or have children to read to, but they find the adventures of the boy magician to be a good read nonetheless.
“I pretty much bought the [first three books] just to see what the craze was all about,” said Times reporter Jack Tynan.
“When I first picked up [‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’], it seemed pretty simple, but then I really got into it,” he remarked. “I’ve got to admit, I’m going to read the whole series now.”
Coun. Dave Bourgeault also noted the series was popular in his household.
“We have all of them–they were really purchased as adult books in our house,” he said, adding he was on the list to get “Goblet of Fire” when the first 50 arrived here last week.
“I think the first one was written for children but since they’ve really been geared to adults,” he noted.
But Coun. Bourgeault admitted he couldn’t say too much about the series–he has yet get to read any of it. “I’m on the list here to get my turn,” he chuckled. “But I can say they seem to be the kind of book I’d like–quirky.”
Meanwhile, Blair Anderson of Betty’s still marvels at the series’ success.
“We had some folks from New Jersey who were just passing through [on Saturday] and we managed to get them copies,” he said. “You see, some people reserved two books but when we had this extra demand, we called them up and asked if they could get by with just one copy for now.
“Usually in the summer, there’s a hot toy on the market. But this year, it’s a hot book. Amazing,” Anderson added.
He also said it’s not uncommon for young readers to come into the store and tell him how much of the book they’ve read so far.
Unfortunately, those who didn’t get a copy of “Goblet of Fire” will have to wait a short while all 350,000 copies of the first printing have been sold out.
Copies from the second printing should be at Betty’s around July 24.
The first three Potter books–“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabhan”–have sold more than a million copies in Canada alone.