Harry Potter Hump Day--Quiz Time!

Feeling like you know it all about the Harry Potter series? Willing to test that knowledge? :) The website HowStuffWorks has a great (if a little long) quiz to see if you're wise about wizards and wands.

To access the quiz, CLICK HERE to move through the multiple choice questions. Good luck!

Harry Potter Hump Day--J.K. Rowling's Planning

Ever wonder how writers plan their books? Or in the case of a series, how the writer plans the plot and character development over several books? J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, chose to use a good old-fashioned handwritten "spreadsheet" of sorts to plan The Order of the Phoenix.

In a post on OpenCulture's website, their article "How J. K. Rowling Plotted Harry Potter with a Hand-Drawn Spreadsheet," we learn that Rowling used this chart to map the action for Chapters 13 - 24 in Phoenix. (More happened in these chapters than you remember, huh?!) Some of the notes in the spreadsheet refer to these things:

Want to know more about Rowling's approach to writing Phoenix or how she outlines her books? CLICK HERE to check out this blog post from Endpaper to learn more.

Harry Potter Hump Day--The Spells

Within the Harry Potter books are dozens of wizarding spells. Some are repeated throughout the books, which makes it easier to remember them. (Think "Expelliarmus!") Others? Not so much! (Remember "Fianto Duri?")

A list of the spells can be found on the Harry Potter Wiki, where you can search in broad spell categories or even alphabetically.

Don't feel like reading? :) Why not check out this YouTube video of all of the spells/wand use in all of the movies?

Feeling like you need more Harry Potter? Check out the entire Harry Potter Wikispace or grab one of the books!

Featuring Pottermore on Harry Potter Hump Day (Eve)

It's Harry Potter Hump Day eve, but as you'll read later in this post, today is an exciting day for Harry Potter fans and the website Pottermore.

How can we have a Harry Potter Hump Day series and not feature Pottermore.com? For fans of the series, this is THE place to continue your involvement in the stories and lives of the characters.

What is Pottermore? Check this out:



And Vox.com has this to say about Pottermore:

According to the Pottermore website, users can "experience the Harry Potter stories like never before. . . . Learn more about the wizarding world as you discover exclusive new writing from [J.K. Rowling] herself. Explore key scenes from Harry's journey and begin your own." The bottom of the site includes a scrolling feature that explores many aspects of the books:

The site also includes a Pottermore Shop...

…and Pottermore Insider, the official blog for the site.

To access all of these things and more, users need to create a free account:

So why feature Pottermore today? Rowling has posted a new short story to Pottermore. According to Vox.com, Harry is now 34 years old, and readers can catch up on the lives of the main characters, as well as a few of the secondary characters.

Eager to find out more? Head over to Pottermore.com and sign up for a free account today!

Game of Thrones Read-Alikes

So you're a fan of the television series Game of Thrones? You know it's a book series first, right?

Maybe you'd like to read other books similar to this series? (Or maybe you haven't read *any* of them but love the television series and want less imposing reading material?) :) The good folks at EpicReads.com have done the legwork for you!

A few of these are currently on Mrs. Ellis's "favorites" list--and Mrs. Howard's list, too! Stop by this fall, and we'll be happy to tell you about books like these:

Want to know more? You can visit EpicReads's post when you CLICK HERE.

Harry Potter, Pinterest, & Scholastic--A Great Combination!

Pinterest has become a great place to see and collect similar ideas, and Scholastic has several Pinterest boards related to specific books and authors.

One of Scholastic's boards is called Harry Potter Reading Club, and when you visit, you can click on various images to watch videos; see pictures; and look at different activities like crossword puzzles, anagrams, and mazes. 

Fun reading and activities await! Want to see what Scholastic has to offer? CLICK HERE to see their Harry Potter Reading Club Pinterest board.