‘Deathly Hallows’ offers tragedy, triumph

By Christine Anne Piesyk | July 21, 2007 |

True to her word, J.K. Rowling brought the Harry Potter saga to an end with the seventh and final installment of the series, the 759 page Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but not without its share of tragedy and triumph.

On the heels of the heart-wrenching death of the beloved Professor Dumbledore in Book 6 comes a series of often brutal skirmishes and long-awaited climatic battle between good and evil, between love and hate, between Harry and his nemesis, the evil Lord Voldmort.  It’s a sometimes dark and ominous book into which the beauty of love, the power of hope, and the nobility of honor emerge.

For the first time in the series, the primary settings are not the mystical Hogwarts castle and grounds; Harry, Hermoine and Ron are on the run, fleeing from dementors, death eaters and Voldemort himself, sheltering everywhere but at the once safe school of witchcraft and wizardry. With a handful of items — wands, the invisibility cloak, a few legacies from Dumbledore — the intrepid trio work from the shadows to unravel the mysteries of the horcruxes and a new mystery known as the deathly hallows. Skirmishes abound, with forays into the ethereal beauty of a wedding, the haunting sadness of Potter’s old home (now a commemorative site in the wizarding world), and a revisit to the Chamber of Secrets. «Read the rest of this article»

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Borders brimming with Potter fans as HP7 is released

By Christine Anne Piesyk | July 21, 2007 |

Hordes of anxious readers, many of them children up past their normal bedtimes and many more costumed as their favorite characters, gathered at Borders Bookstore at Governor’s Square Mall Thursday for the midnight release of the seventh and final Harry Potter epic, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Borders was one of several local bookstores hosting “Potter Parties” – the Borders event was billed as the Deathly Hallows Ball.

Author J. K. Rowling lived up to her promise to end the series at seven books and did just that in this 749 page whirlwind conculsion, which is not without its tragedies and triumphs. (see review)

“It’s great to see so many people this excited about buying a book,” said teacher Helen Smith, from her seat near the magazine section. Her daughter Rebecca was one of the hundreds eagerly waiting to buy the $34.99 book at the proffered 40% discount. Rochelle LaPlante, sporting a bona-fide sorting hat and bouncing in anticipation, stood watch with friends at the storeroom door, eyeing the cases of books about to be rolled out to the front counter and sold. LaPlante has been counting down the days to the book release for month, checking off a calendar day by day since February. «Read the rest of this article»

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An update from Miss Trelawney’s Sister

By Debbie Boen | July 21, 2007 |

Miss Trelawney’s sister did hand readings all night long at Hastings.  She recognized the colors of adventure, magic, self love, vitality, pure energy, and ability to see spirit, in all present.  In the process she met many wonderful and creative people all night like Cynthia Smith (AKA J. K. Rowlings) and her daughters Rebecca and Katie pictured above.  She met many parents who, even if their own backgrounds were quite different, create the safe space needed for children to find and use their own creative colors .  It was a validation of human spirit. 

Miss Trelawney’s one grimm message is that our society has a menace that will take away all our beautiful colors if we let it.  It is the TV.  She warns that our good creative colors can be wiped out daily by this kind of death eater.   «Read the rest of this article»

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Lego Imagination Center a world of creative genius

By David W. Shelton | July 21, 2007 |

If there was ever any question that Lego was an important part of my childhood, it was completely erased yesterday as I entered the Lego Imagination Center in the Mall of America. I was visiting southern Minnesota on business this week and we capped off the trip by visiting the country’s largest shopping mall. I couldn’t care less about the four stories worth of shops. I wanted to see the Lego store. And boy, did I ever.

I was in Lego nerd heaven. According to the Lego website, it was the first Lego store in the United States, built in 1992. The Imagination Center wasn’t just a store for Legomaniacs, it was a store for me. I had two loves in my childhood. One was Lego, the other was Star Wars. My heart fluttered when I saw the Lego Death Star (retail price: $299.99). But even that was dwarfed by the magnificent 25-foot-tall Lego clock tower. Just imagine that… two and a half stories worth of Legos! «Read the rest of this article»

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Harry Potter’s spell enchants local Books-A-Million

By David W. Shelton | July 21, 2007 |

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows went on sale at 12:01 am on Saturday Morning in stores all across the country. Clarksville Online editor David W. Shelton presents the events at Books-A-Million in Clarksville and at the Barnes & Noble in the country’s largest shopping mall, the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

No matter how ‘deathly’ the ‘hallows’ may seem, nothing could hold back the hordes of fans that filled bookstores across Clarksville on Friday night. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling’s final book about the boy wizard, went on sale at 12:01 A.M. on Saturday, July 21, 2007. The local Books-A-Million store was one of several “Potter” parties held throughout Clarksville.

The store’s manager, Tim Lause, said this was the second Harry Potter release that he oversaw here in Clarksville. Employees were still selling copies of the book up until the final minute. Since the book wasn’t released until after midnight, fans received a voucher that would be traded for a book once the witching hour began. «Read the rest of this article»

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