Scholastic Kicks Off Muggle Read-A-Thon
By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 8/21/2008
As part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the U.S. release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Scholastic, the U.S. publisher of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, is inviting fans of all ages to its New York City headquarters to take part in “Harry Potter Cover to Cover Day,” an all-day muggle read-a-thon.
At 8:00 a.m. on September 23, fans will have the opportunity to sit in the throne used by J.K. Rowling when she read from the Sorcerer’s Stone at Radio City Music Hall in 2005 and Carnegie Hall in 2007.
Each fan who takes to the throne and reads aloud will receive a special commemorative Harry Potter anniversary souvenir, and the first 100 fans to read will receive a free copy of the special anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the first decade of Harry Potter’s magical influence on books and reading, right here at Scholastic headquarters,” says Ellie Berger, Scholastic’s president of trade books. “What makes this anniversary special is seeing readers who have grown up with Harry celebrating alongside a new generation of readers who will just be beginning their Hogwarts journey.”
In addition, a special anniversary edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Scholastic) will be available to all fans in stores nationwide on September 23. The special edition features exclusive bonus material from Rowling, as well as new cover art and a four-color frontispiece by Mary GrandPré. The special anniversary cover of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone(Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine; $30.00) depicts 11-year-old Harry looking into the Mirror of Erised, which Harry comes across in his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and learns that the mirror shows you what you most desire.
Those who can’t make it to New York can join in the excitement by viewing the all day read-a-thon through a live Webcast at www.scholastic.com/readharry.
For more information about “Harry Potter Cover to Cover Day,” visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/readharry.
