Going Wild About ‘Harry’

The Harry Potter craze is revving up again with Saturday’s release of the fourth book in the magical world of wizards and flying broomsticks.

The the 700-plus-page “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” retailing for $25.95, will go on sale at 12:01 a.m. And local bookstores are planning to take advantage of the series’ popularity.

Both the Thousand Oaks and the Ventura Barnes & Noble stores will offer coffee for the adults, giveaways for the kids and costume contests, beginning at 11 p.m. Friday and continuing until 1 a.m. Don’t be surprised to find booksellers in costume, too.

Over at Borders Books & Music, a Magical Midnight Party will begin at 11 p.m. Friday with a magic show, goodies and giveaways. The sales will begin at midnight.

The Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble will follow up with a Saturday morning party of games and Potter-related activities at 11 a.m. in the kids’ department.

Among those excited by the prospect of a new book are members of the Harry Potter Fan Club, which meets the second Thursday of the month at the Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble. Third- and fourth-graders will meet at 3:30 p.m. July 13,, followed by fifth-graders and older at 4:30 p.m.

Club members Logan Stein, 11, and Sara Lim, 9, talked about why they are wild about Harry in a recent phone interview.

Logan said he couldn’t put down the first book--”Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”--devouring it in one sitting. He has read it and the others, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” more than a dozen times and said they are just as exciting each time.

Logan, who will enter Lindero Canyon Middle School in the fall, admits that he wasn’t much of a reader before the Potter books.

“The books are well-plotted and not your everyday book,” he said. “At the beginning, you think Harry’s never going to get hope, but then he gets hope and makes all these friends. It’s like everyday life, you know, because he has some teachers you think hate him, and then he has a really neat secret that everybody likes.”

Logan, who clearly admires the young wizard, speculated that Harry will probably start taking more responsibility--but he’s still a kid.

“Harry is a really nice person--he cares about other people and has a love for his parents. Voldemort [the evil one] was defeated, because he didn’t understand love, but Harry has lots of love in his heart and that’s what makes him him,” Logan said.

Sara will be entering the fourth grade at Red Oak Elementary School in Oak Park. She said her friends turned her on to the Harry Potter books.

“I didn’t really like reading, and then I heard my best friend was reading it, and she said it was good, and then I just started reading it,” Sara said. Of course, Harry is her favorite character in the books, and sometimes she thinks she knows what will happen next, she said. Harry’s world sounds appealing to her.

“I think it would be fun to ride a broomstick and do magic tricks,” she said. She probably won’t be at the midnight event on Friday, though.

But Logan will be there--you will recognize him by the stuffed owl he will carry in a bird cage, just like his hero.

DETAILS

* Monday: 7 p.m. Discussion group based on Michael J. Gelb’s “How to Think Like da Vinci.” Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. Stories about the beach. Bring beach towels. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., 339-9170.

* Wednesday: 4 p.m. Hear animal stories and meet the stars of the show “Wildlife Live!” Borders, 497-8159.

* Wednesday: 7 p.m. Writers Workshop. Share ideas and discuss publishing. Writers of all genres welcomed. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Friday: 1 p.m. Discussion group centering on “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. Borders, 497-8159.

* Friday: 7 p.m. Ventura High School students will read their own stories. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Friday: 11 p.m. Magical Midnight Party. Celebrate the fourth “Harry Potter” title with magic, goodies and giveaways. Borders, 497-8159.

* Friday: 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Celebrate the arrival of the fourth “Harry Potter” book with coffee for adults, giveaways for children and a costume contest. Ventura and Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble.

* Saturday: 11 a.m. Harry Potter party with games and Potter-related activities. School-age “wizards” interested in performing magic tricks are invited to call ahead. Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., 446-2820.

* Saturday: 7 p.m. Riley St. James will discuss the mystery and suspense genre, particularly his latest novel, “Deception in the Rainshadows.” Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

Tip of the Week: A new writing community is forming, with its first meeting from 1 to 4 p.m. July 16 in Simi Valley. For more information, call 522-5532.

Information about book signings, writers groups and publishing events can be e-mailed to anns40@aol.com or faxed to (805) 647-5649.