LISNews: Librarian News

For Syracuse Online, Jerry Rosen writes...

\"From the halls of Hogwarts to the Quidditch fields, the wizardry of J.K. Rowling\'s Harry Potter books have cast a spell over young and old alike. The first four books of a planned seven-book series describing the coming of age and education of Potter, a young wizard, have sold well over 24 million copies. While the worldwide reception of the books has been generally spectacular, some groups, primarily fundamental Christians, have protested against their use in schools. They claim the books promote witchcraft and the occult over Christian values. Madeline Loiacono, religious educator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Clay, doesn\'t see that side of the books. What she sees are parallels between Harry Potter and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.\" more...

For The Union Tribune, Jennifer Dobner writes...

\"It was a birthday party like any other. There were games, prizes and a giant sheet cake covered in creamy, sweet frosting. But not one guest brought a gift. Instead, they brought brooms. The right broom is essential to a good game of Quidditch. And there is no better way to celebrate the 15th birthday of the world\'s most popular boy, than with a scrimmage of his favorite high-speed, high-flying game. It doesn\'t matter that Harry Potter is a fictional literary character, or that Quidditch is an imaginary game. It doesn\'t matter, because Harry\'s adventures as a wizard-in-training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have won the affection of kids worldwide.\" more...

The folks at Top Five have identified 15 mistakes in the upcoming movie other than that backwards-broomstick thing. They begin with #15, \"Harry is never once shown with owl poop on his shoulder.\"

This story from Ananova reports that the original artwork from the first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher\'s Stone, is to be auctioned at Sotheby\'s of London and is expected to fetch about 25,000 pounds sterling (just under $40,000). It is a 1977 watercolor by Thomas Taylor, though the editions I have seen of Harry Potter and the Sorceror\'s Stone (as it was called in the US) had a different cover, I think.
Sotheby\'s will also be auctioning a letter in which JRR Tolkien apparently accuses Walt Disney of being a business cheat.