First Week Flashback

As hinted at last week in the Final Week Feature post, we'll also have a First Week Flashback post over the summertime. So...without further ado...we'll start things with flashback to Harry Potter Hump Day posts from this blog and Hunger Games posts since both series/franchises have new material!

In the summertime of 2014, the blog posts featured different Harry Potter-related content. Looking for information about the Pottermore website? Or Harry Potter World? Online Harry Potter quizzes? All of those and more were part of the summertime blog reading. You can even see how J.K. Rowling planned some of the storytelling on notebook paper with notes and tables.

Over the course of the Hunger Games series in both written and cinematic form, we celebrated read-alikes and the release of the movies themselves. 

Looking back on posts is all fine and good, but let's talk about the new material related to both series/authors! First, J.K. Rowling announced in late May that she was publishing online a new short story called The Ickabog.

“J.K. Rowling Introduces The Ickabog.” J.K. Rowling, 29 May 2020, www.jkrowling.com/j-k-rowling-introduces-the-ickabog/.

On her website, Rowling explains that the story was one she wrote between Harry Potter novels and would read to her two children. She intends to publish online at least one chapter every weekday between May 26 and July 10 on the Ickabog website. Rowling also announced that there is an illustration competition for the publication of the story in November 2020. You can find out more about the competition HERE. Finally, Rowling has said that all royalties from the sale of the book later this year will be donated to those who have been affected by the coronavirus.

The other big news is that a prequel to the Hunger Games series called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in mid-May.

“Suzanne Collins.” Suzanne Collins -, www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/.

This book is from President Snow's perspective as a young man who serves as a student mentor in the tenth Hunger Games. Click on the link below the image to watch the official trailer from Scholastic:

LINK FOR TRAILER

Sounds intriguing? Stop by the library when school resumes to check out The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes from Suzanne Collins.

Harry Potter Hump Day Online Games

Today's Harry Potter Hump Day post features all sorts of Harry Potter games from Surfing the Net with Kids' website. You can CLICK HERE to visit the site, and from there you can access any of the games shown below. Happy gaming!

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!

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.

Virtual Vacation to Universal Studios' Diagon Alley for Harry Potter Hump Day

Can't get to Orlando, FL, to visit Universal Studios' newest Harry Potter-themed attraction Diagon Alley? You can take a look around here!


According to Attractions Magazine, Diagon Alley will ". . . feature shops, dining experiences and the next generation thrill ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts."

These 4:20 not enough for you die-hard fans? Check out the full Diagon Alley Red Carpet Webcast broadcast in its entirety! Enjoy!

Harry Potter Jokes

Our friends at BuzzFeed.com have come through again for Harry Potter Hump Day! (Maybe they've got the market cornered on these great HP posts!) This week's post is 33 Harry Potter Jokes Even Muggles Will Appreciate, and like last week, spoilers ahead!

How about a quick, short preview? These two were among my favorites!

If these two leave you wanting for more, be sure to check out BuzzFeed's website! There are great visual puns, as well as pop culture references that will have you shaking your head and maybe even laughing out loud!

It's Hump Day! Are You Ready for Your Harry Potter Facts?

In this second Hump Day post, let's see how well you know your Harry Potter facts! Just like last week, the good folks at BuzzFeed.com have today's information on their website, and you can also access it on YouTube.

So. . . enough! How many of these Harry Potter facts do you REALLY know? (And be aware--spoilers ahead!)

Harry Potter Hump Day!

With school out of session for the summer, it's time to have a little fun with the library blog. The first step? Harry Potter Hump Days! Each Wednesday throughout the summer will feature a Harry Potter post of some kind.

Our first Harry Potter Hump Day post comes from BuzzFeed: 14 Charts That Only Harry Potter Geeks Will Understand. What can you expect? Take a look at a few charts below, then visit their website to find more!

Come back next Wednesday when another Harry Potter post will be featured! In the meantime, why not pick up one of the books in the series and spend your summer with an old friend--or make new ones if you haven't read the books!