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AROUND THE WORLD 1: Harry Potter in Canada

The release of J.K. Rowling’s newest edition to her Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” is causing quite a stir in Canada.

Before the release date, a number of copies of the book--which is the sixth in the series--were accidentally sold. In order to avoid any illegal activities (such as copying the book and selling it) or to spoil the excitement of the book for other fans, a gag order has been placed so that no other copies may be leaked. The publisher of the accidentally sold books, Raincoast Books, is offering an autograph from Rowling as well as a limited edition t-shirt as a reward for returning the books to the store. Those who return the book will be allowed to have it back one minute after the official sale date begins.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which will be released July 16, will also be released in Canada on recycled paper from Raincoast Books. The other publisher of the Harry Potter series, Scholastic, does not offer a version printed on recycled paper. Raincoast Books also offers a recycled paper version of “The Order of the Pheonix.”

On the first day of pre-sales in June, more than five million copies of this highly anticipated novel were sold. Fans around the world are waiting to see the antics of Harry, Hermione and Ron in this latest installment. There have been reports of other accidental sales in New York City, and the fourth Harry Potter Movie is scheduled for release this fall.

--Written by Wendy Owen

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