Potter Power

Her tendinitis was kicking up, but J.K. Rowling couldn’t have been more gracious to the hundreds of Harry Potter fans who lined up to get the famous author’s signature at a Ventura bookstore Monday.

“I want you to know he’s 14 and it’s the first book he’s ever finished,” said one grateful mom, edging her son closer as Rowling scribbled her signature across “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the first of three books about an orphan with magical powers that have zoomed to the top of bestseller lists around the world.

Rowling gave the boy a wide smile and returned the praise: “I’m going to embarrass you by saying this, but you have the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen.”

And so it went for two hours as more than 500 fans showed up at Adventures for Kids, a children’s bookstore, to get a signature and catch a glimpse of the 33-year-old Scottish author.

One after another, captivated young readers and grateful parents praised the books as imaginative tales told in rich detail and language.

They are written for 8- to 12-year-olds, but adults say they like reading them too.

“We wouldn’t miss this for anything,” said Bob Cole, who allowed his 11-year-old son, Sebastian, to skip a day at Mesa School in Somis. “He doesn’t like to read, but these books seemed to have captured his imagination.”

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People began lining up in the store’s parking lot before the sun rose. The first person in line, who did not want to give his name because he was skipping work, arrived with his wife at 4:30 a.m.

“We didn’t even get coffee until McDonald’s opened,” said the man, who was planning to have a first-edition set and other single copies signed.

“I have 22 nephews and nieces, and they will love to get these as gifts,” he said.

Tickets guaranteeing a signature were issued to about 300 people who bought books in advance of the signing. But Rowling was able to sign books for an additional 200 people who showed up to take their chances.

Moms and dads arrived with kids in tow, some of them skipping a day of school to get a signature and a glimpse of the author.

“It’s a great adventure to meet the person who wrote these books,” said Rachel Rubin, who brought her 10-year-old son, Zach. “I see it as an educational experience. How many famous authors come to our little town?”

Rowling’s descriptive powers are the draw that keeps Zach’s nose deep in the books, the boy said.

“It’s very fun to read,” he said. “It’s almost like watching television.”

Carina Covella, 12, learned about Rowling’s appearance while browsing the Internet from her home in Sun Valley, Idaho. She called her father, who lives near Malibu, and asked him to book her a plane ticket, Carina said.

“I’m a huge fan. You can fantasize that you are in the same place as Harry Potter and you are going to Hogwarts [School for Witchcraft and Wizardry],” she said.

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Susan Baskin’s fourth-grade son has read each of the books three times. Baskin, a Santa Monica resident, said Rowling connects with children because she creates a universe of magic and wizardry that fuels a child’s imagination.

“All of the comment you hear is that kids don’t read and the written word is dead,” Baskin said. “Well, this proves that children respond to quality. This is a kid who is an outcast and becomes a wizard. That’s what we’d all like to do.”

The series has been criticized by some parents as promoting witchcraft, prompting scattered protests across the county. In Ventura County, a fourth-grader was transferred out of a Moorpark classroom where the book was read aloud after his father lambasted Harry Potter as “wicked, dark and evil.”

Sunny Barton, a special-education teacher at the same school, said the incident motivated her to attend Monday’s event so she could donate a signed copy to the school’s library. She also brought along her son, Nathan, 9, to meet his favorite author.

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“I just think it’s silly,” Barton said of the protests. “If we’re going to pick a fight, let’s pick a good one. Has anyone watched the violence on the 5 o’clock news lately?”

Rowling’s publisher selected Adventures for Kids, an independent bookseller, for a tour stop because its owner, Jody Fickes Shapiro, was one of the author’s earliest supporters.

“I had recognized it as wonderful and started recommending it to customers very early on,” said Fickes Shapiro, who also raved about the books in a newsletter that circulates to bookstores in California and Arizona.

After signing books until about noon, Rowling’s right arm was aching. But the author was still in good spirits.

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“Well, that went quite well, didn’t it?” she said to her editor, Arthur A. Levine.

Fickes Shapiro had a surprise waiting for Rowling: She had hired a masseuse to give the author a head-and-shoulder massage. Fickes Shapiro’s tired staff also received massages.

After a short break, Rowling headed to another book signing in Irvine.

She will return to Ventura County on Wednesday to sign books at Barnes & Noble in Thousand Oaks. The event will last just one hour, from 7 to 8 p.m., with signatures provided on a first-come, first-served basis.