2nd Annual Harry Potter Party!!!

Whoa, guys. You should be soooo stoked for the Harry Potter party on July 31 (check out the deets at the bottom). To get in the mood, here are some cool HP links to check out:

• Daniel Radcliffe said he can't wait to see Fantastic Beasts, but will he be in the movie? He says no, but of course people are speculating that he will.
• Speaking of Fantastic Beasts, you could be the newest star! Producers are holding a casting call in London on July 18 to find an actress for the role of Modesty. Luna Lovegood herself is signal boosting the call!
• How much would it cost to go to Hogwarts? Research has been done, and the result is staggering. Reports say that with Galleon-to-Dollar conversion, Hogwarts tuition would be around $43,031 a year. WHOA. Makes you appreciate Ron's parents even more.
• Fandoms collide! Here is a selfie of cast members for Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter. [If you don't know what a fandom is, check out The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Geek Girls by Sam Maggs (YA 302.23 M).]

I think this photo is gonna make the world implode..... Last night was really great #sdcc2015

A photo posted by @maisie_williams on Jul 12, 2015 at 11:01am PDT

• 100 Things You Didn't Know About Harry Potter
• Test Your Knowledge of Spells
• What's in Hermione Granger's inbox?
• 23 Times Harry Potter Characters Made Deeply Questionable Choices
• What Job Would You Have in the 'Harry Potter' Wizarding World?
• Can You Guess The "Harry Potter" Character By These Emojis?
• Can You Guess Which "Harry Potter" Book These Chapter Illustrations Are From?
• Fans of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl know about HP-style fanfic. Here is one HP fanfic that has been gaining attention lately, even though it was published in 2001. What do you prefer: Harry Potter fanfic or "Carry On" by Fangirl's protagonist, Cath?
• There is mass hysteria surrounding Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman. Some bookstores are preparing for Harry Potter-like crowds. But this article from Quartz claims that the excitement surrounding the books is J.K. Rowling's fault. What?! Do you blame Queen Jo for fervent children's book fans?
• This fan-made Marauders prequel is everything.

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter! @ Main Library

7/31/2015

July 31 is Harry's birthday, and it marks when he first gets his Hogwarts letter. Come out to the Library and celebrate this super wizard's birthday with crafts, games & snacks! Don't forget to dress as your favorite character!

Location:
Main Library - downtown Harrisonburg




UPDATE: 
The director of some of the HP movies wants to make more!! Yes, please!!!

Harry Potter Illustrated Books - Sneak Peek!!!

This year, Bloomsbury, a British publisher, will release a fully illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Some images surfaced on the Internet, and they're superawesomecoolfantasticbeautifulmouthwateringlydelightful! Here are a few sneak peeks, courtesy hypable.com:

via hypable.com

via hypable.com

via hypable.com

via hypable.com

via hypable.com

via hypable.com

What scene are you looking forward to seeing illustrated? Comment below!

A Gift from J.K. Rowling!!!

The amazing and wonderful author J.K. Rowling (a.k.a. Queen Jo) has a gift to share with the world this month: 12 new stories taking place in the Harry Potter universe! Apparently they'll feature brand-new "festive surprises and accompanying rhyming riddles" as well as "new potions and Moments" in the Pottermore website. New "gifts" will be released on Pottermore daily from Dec. 12-23.

(If you don't know what Pottermore is, it's an online Harry Potter resource, with games [you can make potions and cast spells!] and a very safe social aspect [it's completely anonymous]. You follow the course of the books through chapters--meaning you answer quiz questions written by Queen Jo herself to get sorted into a house at Hogwarts in the first one! Plus there is so much background on all your favorite characters, locations, potions... It's just really cool and fun! Wait until you read Professor McGonagall's background; she's fantastic.)

Queen Jo has been posting new HP information, backgrounds, and treats through the Pottermore site since it was released in 2011. More recently, she posted an article by Rita Skeeter about the HP crew in their 30's, as well as more background information about the notorious Dolores Umbridge.

Random News!

Ready for a bunch of cool news and links? Here we go:

via ScreenRant.com

• In case you haven't already seen them, here are some amazing new pictures from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. How awesome does Cressida look? And Katniss looks completely different from Catching Fire, doesn't she?
• CNN made a list of 40 new YA books released this fall that you should read! The list includes Rick Yancey's The Infinite Sea (sequel to The 5th Wave), Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield (author of the Uglies series), and On A Clear Day by the late Walter Dean Myers.
  
  [Is there anything on the list that you want to read but we don't have? You can request a book purchase! Pick up a form at the Circulation Desk or in the Children's Section.]
• Are you excited for JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie? CinemaBlend came up with some possible spoilers and theories related to the characters. News also broke that Fantastic Beasts is going to be a trilogy! The three films are set to be released in 2016, 2018, and 2020. And HP director David Yates is back for Fantastic Beasts!
  
  [If you like this, be sure to see our post about Queen Jo's Fantastic Beasts Twitter hint! (Small spoiler alert for the link.)]
• In other JK Rowling news, she's planning on building Hagrid's hut on her property! Here are the plans and more information. I mean, come on--who wouldn't love a perfect replica of Hagrid's hut in their backyard?
• Want to read awesome YA book reviews? Check out Reading Rants! It includes reviews of awesome new books, book trailers, movie adaptation trailers, interviews, and more.
  
  [If you want to write a review for this blog, email it to ecorrea@mrlib.org]
• Do you need Halloween costume ideas? Check out these YA costume ideas from BuzzFeed, Teen.com, Read Breathe Relax, and Forever Young Adult.
• And finally, have you been looking forward to The Office writer BJ Novak's new children's book, The Book With No Pictures? Well, here's your chance to see him read it to an enthusiastic group of kids! It's definitely a use-your-imagination-and-a-silly-voice kind of book.

Bonus Post: J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts Update!!!

J.K. Rowling sent a strange post to the Twitterverse on Monday:

Cry, foe! Run amok! Fa awry! My wand won’t tolerate this nonsense.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 6, 2014

The Internet went into a frenzy, trying to solve the anagram. One possibility was:

Redditor says @jk_rowling's tweet is anagram for: "Harry returns! Won't say any details now. A week off. No comment". pic.twitter.com/PHATsEF7H4
— Eli Langer (@EliLanger) October 7, 2014

But the answer, confirmed by Queen Jo, is:

@jk_rowling Newt Scamander only meant to stay in New York for a few hours... #anagram
— Emily Strong (@EmyBemy2) October 7, 2014

.@EmyBemy2 YES!!!!!!!!!!!! People, we have a winner!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 7, 2014

Queen Jo gave a hint earlier:

#helpfulhint The solution is the first sentence of a synopsis of Newt's story. It isn't part of the script, but sets the scene.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 7, 2014

So now we know more about Newt Scamander and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them! (To learn about about Newt and Fantastic Beasts, you can read the book Queen Jo wrote for Comic Relief. We have a copy in the library system! Check it out!)

Dumbledore's Army Reunion BY J.K. ROWLING!!

J.K. Rowling wrote an amazing update for the Dumbledore's Army for Pottermore.

(If you don't know what Pottermore is, it's an online Harry Potter resource, with games [you can make potions and cast spells!] and a very safe social aspect [it's completely anonymous]. You follow the course of the books through chapters--meaning you answer quiz questions written by Queen Jo herself to get sorted into a house at Hogwarts in the first one! Plus there is so much background on all your favorite characters, locations, potions... It's just really cool and fun! Wait until you read Professor McGonagall's background; she's fantastic.)

Queen Jo wrote an article as Rita Skeeter and posted in on Pottermore yesterday as though Dumbledore's Army (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna) had a reunion at the Quidditch World Cup! You also get an update on some other faves. In case you were wondering, the article mentions that Harry is 34 years old (The Deathly Hallows takes place from 1997-1998).

When I first started reading it, I saw it on Tumblr without seeing the caption and I just thought it was an insanely good fanfic, but I got to a certain point and realized it was her...it was the queen. If you come to the Harry Potter Birthday Party on July 31, we can gab about everything and--oh, enough talk! Here's the article she posted! (If you zoom in, you'll have to read all the left columns before the right ones.)

Major spoiler alert!! If you don't want to know what they're up to all these years later, do not read past this sentence!

Hermione + ???

SPOILER ALERT!

JK Rowling announced this week that she made a mistake matching Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter books. She claimed the pair was "wish fulfillment" and not giving either character what they truly deserved. Even Emma Watson agrees.

This leads us to question other relationship pairings in the books. Should Harry have ended up with Ginny? What about Neville and Hannah Abbott? James and Lily?!

But for now (fittingly, Valentine's Week), vote in this poll:

 

Who do you think Hermione should have married at the end of the Harry Potter books?
	Ron! Stick with the original canon!
	Harry! They were best friends for a reason.
	Krum! How cute was it that he called her "Hermy-own-ninny"?
	Cormac! She wasn't completely repulsed by him, right?
	Draco! It's obvious he was in love with her.
	Who cares?! She can do whatever she wants, including staying single, for Merlin's sake!