>http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993799
>
>Harry Potter 5 has already sold more than a million in advance sales, 17 days before the announced publishing date (through Amazon).

I'm not surprised. I remember when the last one came out (what was it, two years ago?) and the hottest toy of the summer was a book.

My 17-year-old asked for a copy for his birthday back in April and someone in the family ordered it for him. This is a kid who rarely reads for pleasure (though, interestingly, he's enjoyed most of the classics he's read for school). When he picked up Harry Potter and couldn't put it down, I knew it was something special. I've read all 4 twice through and plan to read them all again before I open #5.

Tamar