We made the Harry Potter Party at the Borders in Lawrence, Kansas. Some people were dressed in costumes, but most of us were waiting impatiently for midnight. It was a good reminder that Harry Potter was first a phenomenon among children because the store was packed with little people. Harry Potter has long outgrown the elementary school crowd, however, as the NYT calls this new volume "the darkest and most unsettling installment yet."

The folks in Lawrence had rearranged the bookshelves and stored the comfy chairs. I felt fortunate to snag a footstool at 10 pm -- most people just sat on the floor -- which served as home base. I spent most of my time people watching and reading the Grokster opinion. (That's right. I took a printout of a Supreme Court opinion to the Harry Potter Party, and now you understand the title of this post.) My two oldest children accompanied me to the party, but the store was so packed that it was impossible to do any enjoyable browsing.

When we finally reached the register at 12:17 am, we purchased two books and one book on CD. It didn't occur to me to think about the price until I was out of the front door. Did she say $100? All told, that was the charge. The book on CD is normally $75, but I was fortunate enough to get a 30% discount, so it was only $50. We may end up returning those.

Despite all of my efforts, I haven't read or heard a single word of the book. My teens have been reading in the car, and they won't let me play the CDs. (And from what I read, it may not be the type of book I want my youngest children to hear.) My daughter is about two-thirds of the way through it, and she is totally engrossed. My son is more ambivalent, but the early reviews look good.

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