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This weekend, ABC Family is running a marathon of the Harry Potter films.

The first four films ran earlier today, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is on tonight.  Part of the marathon will rerun starting Sunday morning, beginning with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  The rest of the films will run consecutively, with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts I and II.

Consider it a nice way to relax and chase away the holiday blues.  Picking up in the middle shouldn’t be a problem:  just pretend you are playing through LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7.

Check your local listings or the ABC Family schedule for exact times.

On November 18, 2005, mere months after the second-to-last Harry Potter book (Half-Blood Prince) was published and the end seemed to be drawing to scarily near, Warner Bros brought us back a few steps with the release of their adaption of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

They really did take us back a few steps. On this 10th anniversary of one of our beloved films, we will honor it, but we also want to be honest about it. It would be hard pressed to find a fan whose first reaction to seeing Goblet of Fire was at least tainted a little by confusion.

As fans of the books, we tend to be huge critics of the theatrical adaptions: “Wait a sec, they cut out what? But that is important!” or “Wait a sec, I don’t remember that happening in the books.” This started occurring with fan reactions to Goblet of Fire. In fact, it set president for such critical reactions for the rest of the films. In away, that is a pretty monumental moment to mention on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the film.

Here are our top 6 “Wait a sec…” moments from Goblet of Fire:

1. The very distinct difference between “Book Dumbledore” and “Movie Dumbledore” (aka, the difference between Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and Michael Gambon as Dumbledore), becoming too apparent for the first time:

2. Wait a sec…where is Dobby? (And Charlie Weasley for that matter.)

3. Remember when the Weasley’s used Floo Powder to try and get to the Dursley’s and it went so terribly that it was absolutely hysterical….haha, nope?

4. Wait a sec…if Rita Skeeter never turns into a beetle as her Animagus, how does she find out all that gossip?

5. What’s up with the maze? Where’s all of the obstacles? The Sphinx and Aragog’s offspring?

6. Need we even mention that all men in Goblet of Fire seemed to forget what a haircut was.

But besides our criticisms, and the hard time we give Harry Potter directors (especially since Mike Newell only did Goblet of Fire) we are Harry Potter fans. We love pretty much anything Harry Potter, and we are as protective of the Harry Potter films as we are critical of them. Because we love them we are the only ones allowed to criticize them, no one else is allowed to be that mean.

Here are the top 6 things we loved about Goblet of Fire:

1. Hermione’s and Ron’s perfect Yule Ball outfits (Hermione’s gown and entrance!)

2. The Yule Ball….ah, so beautiful.

3. McGonagall using Ron as a dance partner when teaching the Gryffindors how to dance properly. LOL, that’s awkward in the best way possible:

3. The Quidditch World Cup (that scene was pretty well executed, we must admit!)

4. Cedric Diggory…Hufflepuff’s first moment of glory…

5. Watching Malfoy being turned into a ferret…ah!

6. David Tennant…’nough said.

 (Wait a sec…)  (There it is!)

Happy 10th Anniversary Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! It’s been a wonderful love-hate relationship, and we plan to continue it for 10 more years to come. We can’t believe it’s been 10 years already.

There had never been anything like it before, for a book.  The New York Times called it a “frenzy.” BBC said we’d gone “Potty for Potter.”  By the end of the weekend, The New York Times reported that stores had sold out and publishers were rushing additional printings.

It was the release of the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Just days before its publication, adults were complaining about the length of Goblet of Fire.  Gail Collins of The New York Times, called its 752 pages, “Moby Dick on a Broom.”

The first three Harry novels taught kids the joys of reading. The new one may teach them the important adult skill of carrying around large and trendy volumes of literature so you can say “I just started it” whenever the topic comes up in conversation.

Oh, really?  Fifteen years later, we know that it actually proved that children can read any length of book, as long as it is good.  (Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for breaking the children’s book length ceiling.)  Ms. Collins also bemoans the sale of the Harry Potter book rights to the film creators, which happened at about the same time… and we all know how that turned out!

While the Goblet of Fire release was the first time most of us had to wait for a particular day to come to get a book, one little girl in Virginia didn’t have to wait.  We reported here at Leaky that Laura Cantwell of Fairfax, Virginia got a mistakenly released copy one week early.  It’s hard to blame the bookstore, though.  The idea of keeping a book hidden away until an “official” publication date was outrageous at the time.

Finally, July 8, 2000 came.  The anticipation had been building for months.  For the first time in history, stores in the UK and the USA held midnight release parties and released the books simultaneously.  J.K. Rowling did a promotional tour for the book aboard the Hogwarts Express.  Sales the first weekend were so successful that most of the 3.8 million books in Scholastic’s first printing were already gone.   The New York Times reported that reprinting started just two days later.

According to BBC News, even Rowling was shocked by the pandemonium surrounding Goblet of Fire‘s release.

“I wrote the book for me, this is all a bit of a shock and I’m amazed – think of a stronger word and double it,” she said.

Little did we know what amazing things were still yet to come.

To read what the press had to say about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000, see Gail Collins’ editorial here, the BBC News report here, and The New York Times articles here and here.

#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (1997)
287 points

Oh, our family got hours and hours and hours of enjoyment out of these books. We read all of the first five out loud as a family, with no reading ahead. (Or as little reading ahead as we could stand.) Her imaginative details are unsurpassed, and she’s knows how to leaven her writing with plenty of humor. – Sondra Eklund

Sometimes hype is just hype, but when it came to the anticipation surrounding the release of each Harry, the substance of what was hoped for met the expectation. Beyond Block-buster movies and Lego sets, beat the heart of true heroism. By the end of the seven book saga every character on the side of right had a moment to shine. From Mrs. Weasley, to Neville, all the way down to Dudley and his cup of tea. Rowling stands alongside Jane Austen in her ability to allow her characters to open their mouths and prove themselves a fool. Rowling also created, hands down, the most evil villain in all of Children’s lit. No, I’m not looking at you Tom Riddle. Delores Umbridge wears that vile crown. Voldemort never put on airs that he was anything other than a power mad megalomaniac, whereas Umbridge coated her pious bigotry in pink virtue and creepy kittens. There lies a cautionary tale. – DaNae Leu

There’s a boy who lives in a cupboard under the stair, and he has an unusual scar on his forehead… Harry Potter is no doubt the most famous wizard since Gandalf, but what makes him and his friends at Hogwarts so compelling that half the world seemed to be reading the series at some point? I would say that Rowling showed us the power of writing about friendship and writing with originality. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are easy to root for, and things like quidditch and every-flavor jelly beans are the freshest details in children’s fiction since Cinderella showed up in a pumpkin coach wearing glass slippers. – Kate Coombs

Although not necessarily the best in the series, this was really a ground-breaking book. I love the way that the reader is drawn into the story. Harry is an “everyman” character, not knowing any more about magic and the wizarding world than we do, and so we learn along with him. I think Rowling is very respectful of the young reader in this book, not over-explaining things like the Cerberus and the “mirror of erised,” but rather giving the reader the opportunity to make discoveries. – Sarah Flowers

The first book is one of the most generic in a series that becomes increasingly (and rewardingly) complex in it’s study of human nature, but it’s an essential beginning, and still a great one. Seeing Hogwarts for the first time is as satisfying in rereads as it was the first time around. Harry Potter is a pleasure that, once having, you never want to give up. – Nicole Johnston Wroblewski

I love this series not only for its fantasy, imagination, love, courage, and loyalty shown in the book; there are also a lot of situations, characters, that can be used as discussion materials with students from third grade up. This series will become a new classic. – Dudee Chiang

Turned the tide of children’s literature. – Cheryl Phillips

The description from the publisher reads, “Orphaned as a baby, Harry Potter has spent 11 awful years living with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley. But everything changes for Harry when an owl delivers a mysterious letter inviting him to attend a school for wizards. At this special school, Harry finds friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, a

According to BBC News, a group of more than 60 scholars have congregated at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland to discuss the literary merits of the Harry Potter series over the next two days.

The conference, entitled "A Brand of Fictional Magic: Reading Harry Potter as Literature," will feature over 50 lectures about the series with topics ranging from the role of paganism, British national identity and how death is dealt with in the books. A complete anthology based on this conference is expected to be published in 2013.

Conference organizer, Professor John Patrick Pazdziora, had this to say about putting together such a conference:

"We can't avoid the fact that Harry Potter is the main narrative experience of an entire generation - the children who literally grew up with Harry Potter.

"The Harry Potter novels are simply the most important and influential children's books of the late-20th and early 21st Centuries."

"For very many people, this is their first experience of literature, and of literary art. So they want to think about it, and analyse it, and talk about it."

#98 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (2000)
20 points

I joined the Hogwarts Express at about this time, and though I saw the darkness beginning to become more apparent in the series, I was not prepared for this.  This book marked the turning point in the series, and everyone had to begin to grow up.  Even though I had seen it in other stories, it was now confirmed that ANYONE CAN DIE. – Kyle Wheeler

I like the whole series, but if forced to choose, this volume shows the characters and the world in sharp focus. – Laurie Zaepfel

It was #35 two years ago on the last Top 100 Children’s Novels poll.  Now it sinks all the way down to #98, clinging to this list by its very fingernails.  I did ask folks to vote for the first book in a given series when possible, but exceptions would be made for those books they felt were overwhelmingly good.  As you can see, Harry strikes again.  Interesting that it should be #4 considering that this is sometimes considered a rather divisive book.  Some feel that it’s the moment that Rowling became so important that her editors stopped editing her (hence the page length).  Others feel that it’s when the series found its footing and began introducing darker, more realistic elements.  Either way, it’s a book that inspires passion.

The plot according to the publisher reads, “Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that’s supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal – even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.”

When Goblet of Fire was released, Rowling’s books were acknowledged to be a full-fledged phenomenon. By this point in the proceedings the books had sold a mere 30 million copies in 33 languages. The Washington Post called this book “the biggest publishing event in history.” It was also, without a doubt, the longest. HP4 was probably the fantasy title that single-handedly convinced the publishing industry that fantasy novels of 500 or more pages (734 to be precise) could sell and sell well. By now Ms. Rowling had also partnered with Warner Brothers, so the marketing of the books went through the roof. In a way, it all kind of started here.

In a September 2000 Entertainment Weekly interview with Ms. Rowling, she said that in this book she discovered a huge gaping hole in the plot while writing it. The consequence? “I had to pull a character. There you go: ‘the phantom character of ‘Harry Potter.’ She was a Weasley cousin [related to Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend]. She served the same function that Rita Skeeter [a sleazy investigative journalist] now serves. Rita was always going to be in the book, but I built her up, because I needed a kind of conduit for information outside the school. Originally, this girl fulfilled this purpose.” It’s a good interview if you haven’t seen it. I particularly like the part where she says, “American kids have no need to see a token American character.”

There was a relatively amusing controversy connected with this book. As you might recall, dead people start emerging out of Harry’s wand in the order in

J.K. Rowling will receive the Freedom of the City of London on Tuesday, May 8 for her services to children's literature, according to a press release from the City of London.

The ceremony will take place at the Mansion House, the official residence of London's Lord Mayor. She will read aloud the Declaration of a Freeman and be presented with a framed parchment certificate.

In a statement, Ms. Rowling spoke of what the award means to her and some special perks:

“Both my parents were Londoners.  They met on a train departing from King’s Cross Station in 1964, and while neither of them ever lived in London again, both their daughters headed straight for the capital the moment that they were independent.  To me, London is packed with personal memories, but it has never lost the aura of excitement and mystery that it had during trips to see family as a child.

“I am prouder than I can say to be given the Freedom of the City, which, on top of all the known benefits (and few people realize this), entitles me to a free pint in The Leaky Cauldron and a ten Galleon voucher to spend in Diagon Alley.”

The Freedom of the City of London can be traced back to 1237. Today, people are presented with the award because it offers them a link with the historic City of London and one of its ancient traditions.

The official Pottermore shop was launched this morning, marking the first time that the Harry Potter books are available to buy in an eBook and digital audio book format.

This will be the only place to purchase digital copies of the Harry Potter series, which will be available in all formats for eReaders, tablets, smartphones and mp3 players.

The eBooks for Years 1-3 are available for $7.99, while Years 4-7 are priced at $9.99. Or, the complete series can be purchased for $57.54.

Digital audio books for Years 1-3 will cost $29.99, and Years 4-7 is priced at $44.99. The complete Harry Potter audio collection can be purchased for $ 242.94.

Even though the Pottermore shop is now open, Pottermore remains in beta. It's expected to open to everyone in April.

As the year draws to an end, Scholastic, US publishers of the Harry Potter novels, have a reminder for us today of the remarkable decade that was, and the amazing impact of the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The sales figures are staggering, but as publisher Arthur A. Levine and VP of Scholastic reminds us, the true magic has been in the reading:

"What the numbers leave out is the singular

Next month, there will be a very large auction for a number of rare and valuable collection of children's literature including several Harry Potter novels by author J.K. Rowling. With the auction to take place on December 16th, items of note will include a rare uncorrected proof of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, uncorrected proof copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, plus ... Read the rest of this post

Gallimard, publishers of the French editions of the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling will be releasing two new versions of the books on June 25. Readers in France will now be able to purchase Deluxe editions of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, with the new cover art seen here via the publishers site. Later in November of this year, Gallimard w... Read the rest of this post

Two of our Book Clubs hosted over on the Leaky Lounge forums have opened up readings of two new books starting today.  First up, our Harry Potter Book Club has now started their reading of the forth novel in author J. K. Rowling's series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Secondly, Jo's Book Nook, home of our Non-Harry Potter book club, has chosen the Charles Dickens classic David Copperfie... Read the rest of this post

Scholastic, the US publishers of the Harry Potter novels, will be releasing a new box set of the series this summer. This new collection, which you can see here in our galleries, is available for pre-order via Barnes and Noble, as well as Walmart.  Included in the collection are the set of US paperback editions of books one through seven, with the box to feature the Deluxe cover from Harry Pott... Read the rest of this post

As reported previously, an exhibition of works by artist Mary GrandPre has now opened at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Iowa, and contains highlights of her work done for the US editions of the Harry Potter book series. Today, thanks to TLC staffer Jeff, we can now show you a sample of the many pieces of art in this display, including a first look at an alternative cover for Harry Potter and... Read the rest of this post