Bookshops face Potter mania

The long wait is almost over. Hundreds of youngsters and grown-ups alike are counting the minutes to 1 a.m. tomorrow to get their hands on the sixth and highly-anticipated instalment of Harry Potter.

The 672-page book is expected to fly off the shelves ending months of hype to what is being touted as the publishing event of the year.

Capitalising on the build-up, some bookshops will be opening for business as soon as the deadline expires to sell Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth and penultimate instalment of the boy wizard's adventures.

To spice up the launch, animators dressed up in Harry Potter costumes, ventriloquists and illusionists will be present at the new Agenda bookshop at the Valletta Waterfront, starting at 9.30 tonight.

The event, organised by Miller Distributors, features a host of activities including storytelling, picture games, a stilt walker, a bouncy castle and other games.

Chris Gruppetta from Merlin Library said he could not recall such an outbreak of Potter mania. The Blata l-Bajda bookshop has ordered 1,000 books but half have already been pre-booked - an all-time record.

Merlin is planning to give out Harry Potter free gifts to all customers buying copies at that hour.

Th e Harry Potter series might not be the best children's books ever written, Mr Gruppetta said, but they are the ultimate page-turners. "Potter has reignited nationwide interest in books. It's the children's equivalent of The Da Vinci Code," he said.

Luca Caruana, 15, will be among those queuing up at 1 a.m. to buy the book. "I can't wait to get my hands on the new one. In the last book I even shed a tear. I've been waiting for this moment for a year now," he said in an excited tone. "The way J. K. Rowling manages to blend fantasy with real-life events is unbelievable."

Though he is staying up to be among the first to get the book, Mr Caruana said he intended to read it the next morning so he can be fully concentrated.

But Jeremy Azzopardi, 18, of Ghaxaq plans to have a very early night - and to wake up in time for the launch. "I can't contain the anticipation and I intend to read it throughout the night," he said.

Mr Azzopardi is the ultimate Potter fan and claims to have read each instalment "at least" eight times.

"The fascinating thing about Potter is that it's got something for people of all ages. In fact, Harry Potter grows up with each publication. I just can't wait to see what happens next. I've been searching the internet to try and dig out any details but to no avail."

In a carefully orchestrated opening, witching hour arrives at 1 a.m. Malta time, allowing readers to pour into shops at the same time around the world.

At the same time, author J. K. Rowling starts reading from the book in Edinburgh Castle, in Scotland, and will hold a press conference for 70 children on Sunday.

Attempts to protect the plot surrounding the escapades of the boy wizard and his pals have been outrageous to say the least.

"There is a huge amount of security around the book right until the last minute. People have been begging us to leak a copy beforehand but we even had to sign contracts promising not to open the boxes before the deadline is over," Mr Gruppetta said.

About 275 million copies of the five previous Potter books have been sold worldwide and speculation about what happens to the main characters in episode six is rife.

A website offering what it claimed was an electronic version of the book was closed down and two British men were charged last month accused of trying to sell a stolen copy of the Harry Potter book to a tabloid newspaper.

The adventures of Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft have won over a new generation of young readers and has been adapted to a film series.