Harry Potter's final ride

The release of a new Harry Potter book is a good reason to celebrate for many families, and knowing it’s likely to be the last party of its kind can only make that reason even better.

Luckily, the three book stores serving Ahwatukee Foothills are ready to rock.

The boy wizard who’s moved 325 million books across the first six installments of his wildly popular series will fly into town one last time for the seventh, and ostensibly final, book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The book goes on sale at midnight tonight, and bookstores have treated the late-night book unveilings as Times-Square-style shindigs since 2000’s release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, book four in the series. The events keep growing in size, and with this possibly being fans’ final chance to celebrate, turn-out could be bigger than in the past.

“We’re going to be chaotic!” laughed Yvette Roeder, spokeswoman for Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe.

Changing Hands will host a party for the release, starting at 9 p.m., featuring fire-breathers, belly dancers, live music by local alternative act Seconds to Breathe and more.

“Until midnight that’s what we’re having, because for the rest of the time we’re going to have, like, 1,000 people just wandering around looking at each others’ costumes,” Roeder said.

Costume contests are a standard of Harry Potter soirees, and all three bookstores will host them.

“We’re having a whole little ball,” said Nikki Harriger, manager of Borders Books and Music, at 870 N. 54th St., Chandler. “We have a spelling bee, and both employees and customers are dressing up.”

Plenty of other unique activities will compete against each other tonight. Barnes & Noble, at 4847 E. Ray Road, will have a human checkerboard and palm-readers. Changing Hands, aside from its pyrotechnics and live music, will have tea-leaf readings and craft booths. Borders, as always, will host its Great Snape Debate to determine whether one of the series’ central characters is above the board.

“We’re having people debate whether Snape is friend or foe,” Harriger said. “He’s portrayed as a really mean, nasty guy, but we don’t know where his loyalties lie. Most people think he’s probably a good guy, but he’s an easily-hateable character.”

The cultural phenomenon that has sprang up around Harry Potter is a powerful force, especially if you hold the keys to its continuation. All three bookstores will be fully staffed for the book’s release, and are bracing to handle even the oddest requests.

“There’s a huge demand for the boxes (the books are shipped in),” Roeder said. “Huge demand. Last time we had a waiting list for the boxes.”

Indeed, an eBay auction on Wednesday resulted in one lucky buyer paying $6 for empty boxes that had the new books’ title on their sides.

Strangeness aside, the parties are fun for everyone, including store staff, said all three stores. For the readers, young and old alike get excited.

“You have to remember, these books came out about 10 years ago aimed at 10- to 11-year-olds,” Roeder said. “Well, those kids are hitting bars now. They’re legal now. Those are the adults I’m talking about.”

And no excitement, she added, can compete with the actual roll-out of the books.

“The best part is actually bringing out the box and getting the box cutter,” Roeder laughed. “Clouds part, we hold up the Holy Grail - the book - and there’s a gasp.”

All three stores will host events from about 8 p.m. tonight until after midnight. At Changing Hands, a day party will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. as well.

When and where the magic happens

Changing Hands

Where: 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe (Guadalupe Road and McClintock Drive)

When: Friday, 9 p.m. until past midnight. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

What: Friday: Fire performance troupe Fyrae, local rock act Seconds to Breath. Saturday: Tea leaf reading, free lightning bolt tattoos, magic-wand making, scavenger hunt, Phoenix Zoo animals, 2 p.m. reading of the book’s first chapter by local actor Gene Ganssle.

Book cost: $34.99, with $7 of each purchase going toward one of four literacy-promoting charity of the buyer’s choice.

Barnes & Noble

Where: 4847 E. Ray Road (48th Street and Ray Road)

When: Friday, 8 p.m. until past midnight.

What: Human checker board, costume contest, palm readings, crafts.

Book cost: $20.99

Borders Books and Music

Where: 870 N. 54th St., Chandler (Ray Road and Interstate 10)

When: Friday, 8:30 p.m. until past midnight.

What: Spelling bee, costume contest, Great Snape Debate, face painting, children’s area

Book cost: $20.99

Potter Trivia

• Author J.K. Rowling’s name is Joanne Rowling. She has no middle name. When her first book was published, she was encouraged to adopt a pseudonym, since her publishers feared boys wouldn’t give a chance to a book written by a woman. She chose 'K’ because her grandmother’s middle name was Kathleen.

• The six books to date have been published into more than 63 languages. In addition to the usual translations into tongues like American English, French and German, the books have also been translated into Ukrainian, Hindi, Welsh and Vietnamese.

• Perhaps the strangest translations of the first book are those into two dead languages, one of them Latin. The other was a version translated into Ancient Greek, making Harry Potter the subject of the longest writing in Ancient Greek since around since the third century AD.

• Harry Potters’ success has made his creator, J.K. Rowling, the highest-earning novelist in literary history. The British Broadcasting Corporation estimates her total net worth as being higher than that of Queen Elizabeth II.

• Those who say Harry Potter promotes juvenile literacy have a study backing them up. The Kids and Family Reading Report, released July 2006 by Connecticut-based research firm Yankelovich, found that 51 percent of Harry Potter readers ages 5 to 17 years did not read books for fun before they started reading Harry Potter, but did afterwards. Sixty-five percent say they have been doing better in school since they started reading the series.

• The books may also promote safety. Doctors with a hospital in England looked at the 2003 and 2006 weekend launch dates of the last two books. They found that only 36 children needed treatment, compared with an average of 67 children on other weekends.

Jason Ludwig can be reached at (480) 898-7916 or jludwig@aztrib.com.