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Fairfield Minuteman October 21, 1999 A27BOOK FANSContinued from Page ,41next video game or the next Poke mo nsaid Westport mom Jeannette Rosen of her 8-year-old son Adam. “It’s just wonderful to see.’’In love with HarryThe revelers at the first Pequot party and the book-signing obviously aren’t withering on the Potter wait lists. Most were preternaturally familiar with the books.“Hermione’s Secret is one of my favorite chapters,” said Westport 11-year-old Tim Moss, who came to the book-signing with his own typed thesis on what makes the novels so great. “I like the adventure.”Once past the Pequot’s version of Harry’s famed train platform at King’s Cross Station, the gaggle of young wizards-in-waiting at the Potter party sat patiently as library helpers — some of them oversized Potterheads themselves — tattooed their foreheads with Harry’s famous purple lightning bolt scar.From there, the outside world disappeared and “Professor Carolyn” ushered them into Hog-warts proper. First, it was off to the Sorting Hat, the peaked chapeau that would tell the world to which of the school’s four dormitories each “first year” student belonged.“Please, please, please. Gryffindor, please, Gryfnndor,” 8-year-old John McAndrew whispered to himself, gingerly picking a card near the hat that would seal his afternoon’s fate.“SJytherin!” bellowed a helper, sending the cloaked Fairfield lad over to a group of otherswho didn’t make the cut of Harry’s house.The chants of “Gryffindor’s the best!” from across the auditorium didn’t ease their pain.After a rousing rendition of the school song, Kost pitted Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff in a scavenger hunt that lead them giggling and screeching around the adult and children’s rooms, looking for such magical tomes as “The Invisible Man” and “TheSeeker.”“The Invisible Man?” asked one Hufflepuff typing on the computer catalog. Is that a kid’s book?”“Dude, it says it’s 581 pages long! Do you think that’s a children’s book?” said teammate Kelsey Baker, 11, of Fairfield.Baker said she likes Harry Potter books because they’re well-written and surprising. She figures anyone between 7 and 14 — male or female — would likethem.“Some grownups like to read them, but I don’t know why or anything,” she said, rolling hereyes.A breathless Sam Stone ran up the stairs — a practice Kost hoped would tire the tykes in time for bedtime — cheering on his team.“OK, you guys! To the computer!” yelled the 7-year-oldFairfielder.The trivia contest offered aplethora of Potter lore only a true fan could know from. “How many points is a quaftle worth?” (10 points) to “Who is the school nurse?” (Madame Pomfrey).“What is the name of the pub Harry and Hagrid visit?” Kost asked the Hufflepuffs.“What’s a pub?” said a stumped Michael Costello, 9, of Fairfield, as a teammate shouted out, “The Leaky Caldron! The Leaky Caldron!”The revelers crafted their own glittery wands and posed with a model of Harry’s own Nimbus 2000 broomstick before heading outside for a rousing game of Capture the Flag, the closest thing Kost could find to Hog-wart’s Quidditch, which, unfortunately, requires the ability to fly. A post-match feast included such wizard delicacies as Dragon Drops and Fried Newts.While Pottermania may be lost on the smug fash ion-conscious set, fans don’t care. For the moment, using your wits, imagining the impossible and — you may want to sit down for this one — reading is cool.“Her books are, like, amazing. They’re, like, really cool,” said 10-year-old Samantha Green-wald of Westport, who stood in line for about four hours to meetRowling. “Her characters are funny and the adventures are really fun.“I can’t wait for the next one!”
Newspaper Details
Fairfield Minuteman
Fairfield, Connecticut, US
Thu, Oct 21, 1999
Page 27
Full Page
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Anonymous
NY, USA 14 Jan 2022
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