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I'm looking forward to Art and Max (for obvious reasons!), but while I admire Wiesner's work, I don't always love it. Maybe this will be Jule Paschkis's year? Hmmm...time to start thinking!

Anamaria-
I can definitely understand that feeling, and I think a lot of people feel that way about David Wiesner's books. But this one is completely different. It's funny, it's silly, it's endearing, it's got great characters... it even has words!

For me, it was like The Lion and the Mouse... after I read Art & Max, all the other books paled in comparison. Of course, nothing is ever certain and it could always be anyone's year. But... well, just read the book first (I have a copy) to see what I mean.

i'm sure "art and max" will be brilliant, but i LOVED "city dog" and "how rocket" OH, SO MUCH. (although its a little early for caldecott predictions susan... dontcha think??)

"City Dog Country Frog" was fantastic. But I predict "Dotty" will be the upset winner!

Tess- I love City Dog, Country Frog and How Rocket Learned to Read so much too. They're both brilliant books.

Yes, it's waaaay too early for Caldecott predictions... and there's more that will probably end up on my list. But I wanted to go on the record with some of my guesses now... particularly before Art & Max builds buzz. Plus, they're all wonderful books worth checking out... Caldecott sticker or not.

Anonymous- I love Dotty and so does my son. It's really a special book. The last page is the best!

Very good. I'm with you that the three won't die and that Snape will to save Harry. I think your other predictions make good sense, especially the Draco one. Like the one about Dumbledore's brother. While I'm not sure that is the answer I agree that he has a major role to play.

Thanks Monica !

Of course, JKR may well prove me hopelessly and foolishly wrong, but that's half the fun !

(Though if Harry does turn out to be a Horcrux, I'll eat my hat!)

I most certainly agree with you on harry not being a horcrux .
But i dont think voldemort will be killed by wormtail. An one sided battle dont u think so?

Interesting predictions. I wonder if they'll change much once you read the books. I doubt it - they seem quite sound. I haven't looked at any of the prediction books. I try to avoid that, but I'm thinking that I might just HAVE to have a peak seeing how it is the last book and all.

I have a friend who makes a very convincing argument for Dumbledore's brother. I hadn't thought about that, but when he laid out his arguments it seemed very clear. I'm re-reading with it in mind to see how I could have missed it first time around.

I with you completely about Snape and the deaths, but I'm not so sure about Malfoy. I think he might redeem himself without necessarily betraying the Malfoy we've come to know, but I find it difficult to believe he can really break free from his own past and his own lineage.

I think Harry will be directly involved in killing Voldemort because it fulfills his "destiny" and completes his story, albeit in a very expected fashion. The idea of Pettigrew having a part in it to clear the debt is fascinating.

If you have the time I'd love to read your further thoughts on that as well as on Malfoy.

Nivi wrote But i dont think voldemort will be killed by wormtail. An one sided battle dont u think so?

Please note that I did not say Wormtail would kill Voldemort - I said he would have a hand in defeating Voldemort, thus repaying his debt. I was very, very careful about how I phrased that particular part of the prediction !!

Mai - I do think that Harry will be directly involved in defeating Voldemort - I just don't believe he will kill Voldemort in the expected sense. Harry just doesn't have it in him - he couldn't even make the Crucio curse work properly on Bellatrix after she killed Sirius. Besides, I can't see JKR making her hero into a killer - otherwise how is he any better than Voldemort ? Plus which, Dumbledore kept insisting there were worse things than death - so I'm expecting something unexpected that isn't necessarily a traditional death by the Avada Kedavra curse.

Besides, I can't see JKR making her hero into a killer - otherwise how is he any better than Voldemort ? Excellent point! She's been setting up so many parallels between the two, that this would be a(nother) significant difference (and get back to her theme of choice). I don't know how Harry would deal with the guilt he'd feel if he killed V. (despite hating him) and that might make the end of the series feel incomplete. But part of me thinks it has to be Harry that kills V or at least is the one to 'send him' to a place worse than death. Don't you think it might feel cheap otherwise?

But you're right that Harry just might not have it in him. But whatever it is, it has to be a conscious decision/choice by Harry and not something that happens as a side effect of something else.

Me too I agree that Harry is no horcrux, and neither is his scar because that would be so predictable and lame.

I have another take on Wormtail's life debt towards Harry. I think Fenrir Greyback will die by the hand of Wormtail. In Norse mythology, Tyr, one of the Aesirs (Gods) volunteers to place his hand in Fenrir's chops so that Fenrir is willing to let himself be bound by some magical chain and attempt to break it as a challenge. Fenrir, who is a giant wolf, realises only too late that this chain was not an ordinary one and struggles in vain to break loose. He was at last subdued but in the bargain, Tyr loses his hand.

Now DD had his reasons to think that Wormtail is bound by a magical debt towards Harry for saving his life, a debt which he will have to repay in one form or another. As wormtail's hand is slivery, I think he'll save Harry's life by sacrificing it in Fenrir Greyback's jaw. Silver is the bane of werewolves, so Fenrir chokes to death, Wormtail loses his hand, and the debt is paid.

Mai wrote: But part of me thinks it has to be Harry that kills V or at least is the one to 'send him' to a place worse than death. Don't you think it might feel cheap otherwise?

Oh yes, absolutely ! It has to be Harry that finally defeats Voldemort, but I just can't see him physically killing Voldemort... Fans have suggested that Harry will take Voldemort through the Veil in the basement of the Ministry of Magic (through which Sirius fell), and that Voldemort will then be trapped there, deathless and defeated, but Harry will somehow survive and return...

Aardash - interesting theory - I wouldn't be at all surprised if that proves to be the case...

I had a thought, what if it's Neville that's responsible for finally seeing off Voldemorte,as far as I can recall,there isn't anything that precludes him from being the one in the prediction, just because Voldemorte thinks it's Harry doesn't necessarily make it so, as Neville in his way has been marked by the Dark Lord,when his Death Eaters tortured his parents making him the way he is, Of course I could be talking cobblers, but I always had a soft spot for Neville, and his courage despite his total geekness.

Hence my suggestion, Abbott, that Neville may die. I really don't fancy his chances of surviving the end of the book. But I don't think he'll be the one to stop Voldemort - it's got to be Harry from a purely narrative point of view, I'd have said...

Abbott: my son and I have also speculated that there's more to Neville than meets the eye, and wondered if he could, indeed, be the one in the prophecy. We're reading back through the books and it's clear, if you look carefully, that even in the first book, Neville isn't the total incompetent that he's presented as. If you read the flying lesson scene in the first book, Neville's broom goes up 20 feet or more before he falls off, and then continues to rise by itself. I don't think it would rise that high if he didn't have a lot of power, albeit uncontrolled. We were speculating that Neville is actually a pretty powerful wizard, but that lack of confidence is holding him back and causing his mishaps. And he certainly has grown in confidence over the course of the series.

Michele, you're right that from a narrative perspective it would seem to have to be Harry that defeats Voldemort, but I think that Neville will certainly be one to watch in this book. I think you may be right that he will die, in a most courageous way.

aardash: very interesting theory! I don't know much about Norse mythology, but you're right, there's too many parallels to be a coincidence.

Michele: For the most part I think you are right about the deaths. I agree, as I think most people do, that Snape will die saving Harry. And sadly, I do think that one or both of the Weasley twins will die. I agree that she won't kill Harry, Ron, or Hermione, but someone beloved has to die, and I think the Weasley twins fit the bill perfectly. They are much beloved but not primary characters, and they've risen from being harmless pranksters to playing a fairly heroic role (with the turning point being their departure from Hogwarts in book 5).

I don't know about Draco. I think the jury is still out on him. It would be good to see him redeemed, but with Snape being redeemed and Wormtail possibly doing something noble in the end, it may be narratively necessary for someone to fall.

Sheila - you're right about Neville having more power than maybe most people realise. I've thought that myself, especially in The Order of the Phoenix where he's mastering the spells that Harry's teaching the DA almost as fast as Hermione. I suspect his gran has affected his abilities - too high expectations and the knowledge that he's not his father have probably had a negative effect on Neville. He's definitely going to have a big role to play - which is why I think that Harry will not only be accompanied by Ron and Hermione but also Ginny, Luna and Neville - the inner "core" of the DA, when he goes off to the final showdown.

You could be right about Draco - I hadn't thought of that...

I don't know...I don't know...I've reached the point I'm too excited to speculate anymore :)

Bring it on!

Oh go on Kelly, a little light-hearted speculation is fun !

see my view different harry is a horacrux and hes going to have to kill himself in order for voldimort to die

But that makes no sense - why would JKR kill off her hero when that would just discourage future readers from investing in the story. And if you think future generations won't know in advance that he dies in the final book, think again. I've never seen an entire Star Wars film all the way through, but I still know that Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's father. In the same way, knowledge of Harry's fate will become part of the cultural consciousness even for those who've not read the series, therefore if Harry dies in book 7, future generations are going to be less likely to invest time or emotion in reading the series knowing he's dead before the end...

Michele,

Your last comment on why Harry can't die is spot on. I absolutely never believed he would (although I did think he could end up living a Frodo-like existence, say Master of the Dark Arts). You could argue she isn't considering those future readers, but I still think it makes no sense for even current ones who are so, so, so invested in Harry's survival. On the most basic level --- the books are all called "Harry Potter and..." To kill off the title character doesn't make sense to me whatever anyone says.

I rather hope that Harry doesn't end up Frodo-like - as far as I'm concerned he's already Frodo-like ! There are already a great many LotR references in the HP series - I don't want more !

It's really hard to tell. Part of me thinks that it's going to be Hermy who sacrifices herself for Harry. Her loyalty to Harry and Ron is immense and i think she has the intellect and talent to be able to fight a fight against the death eaters and/or voldemort long enough to actually save harry and/or Ron from harm. The relationship between Ron and Hermione is also a lovely one, but I think she will be the one to fall. unfortunately. :(

Oh dear ! Personally I can't see JKR killing off Hermione whom everyone knows is her "Mary Sue"-ish character !

I haven't read all the comments.. but here are some interesting facts.. harrys dad james potter is rich and pure blood and we do not know anything about his lineage. All pure bloods are interlinked still that harrys lineage is still a secret, what job did harrys parents do ...we do not know!!! why did voldemort ask lilly to move away to get to harry.. the man cud just have killed her to get to him?? I believe we do not know how harry survived when he was a kid...still mysterious as per dumbledore so i think harry somehow goes back in time to save harry as a kid and in the ensuing fight they both die. Thus just like phoenix rising from ashes harry rises from his death as the kid harry who survived and killed voldemort.
PS: Not completly fool proof...but do fill in. basic core is the same ...harry+voldemort dies!!!

Interesting theory, but rather complicated, I think. Besides which, we do know that Harry's life was saved because of the old magic involving his mother's love for him - we've not that fact for AGES !

i've read the spoiler of book seven and it says there that voldemort, wormtail, and percy will die. fred and george weasley, neville longbottom, and snape will be alive. snape will not die protecting harry. neither will he die protecting draco. the locket will not be found in aberforth dumbledore's hands but in mundungus fletcher's belongings in azkaban. and lastly, harry IS the seventh horcrux. that's all:)

Where did you read this, Trixie ?