“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2”, co-authored by Rowling with Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, is a rehearsal script for a new play, which has its official premiere Saturday in London.
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The book, which is actually the script of the play of the same name that is scheduled to open in London on Saturday, picks up almost 20 years after the last book ends. That date is significant in the Potter universe as it is the birthday of the titular character. Married to sweetheart Ginny Weasley, Harry is now an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and father of three. It’s been a long wait for J.K. Rowling fans; the final book in the main series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published way back in 2009.
“I am so excited”.
“For me it’s the spitting image of Flourish and Blotts, where young sorcerers buy their magic manuals”, adds Nerea Moyeno, a 24-year-old Spanish tourist.
“So I’m asking you one more time to keep secrets and let audiences enjoy “Cursed Child” with all the surprises that we’ve built into the story”.
Like a number of other bookshops, it is planning a special in-store event to mark Sunday’s release of the book.
She said: “Hopefully more than America, hopefully many countries at some point will get to see it. But it’s a big piece of theatre, it’s a big endeavour, you can’t just turn it around overnight”. “No one can look at it, no one can break the box”. Formal ball attire or Harry Potter costumes are encouraged. Children are invited to attend the free event, decorate and munch on a cupcake in honor of the Boy Who Lived. “We’ll have a Sorting Hat that sorts people into their house when they come in the door, and then we’ll have tables for each of the four houses with different activities based on the house”.
“I think it is a great continuation of the story, even though it is not in the same format as the other properties”, Odom said.
Books-a-Million at Park City Center will also hold a release party Saturday.
Amazon Books said Cursed Child was already its top USA pre-order in print and on Kindle e-book of 2016.
US bookseller Barnes & Noble, which is also hosting parties, said the Potter books still top their best-selling lists.
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Smith, who was 10 when the series first came out, said Harry Potter fans have always wanted to know what happened to Harry and his kids and the rest of their magical world.
