From Harry Potter at Home to the National Shelf Service: bookish fun for the lockdown

An updating list of online treats from bibliophiles including JK Rowling, Simon Armitage and Lynda La Plante to entertain locked-down children and adults • The best arts and entertainment during self-isolationGruffalo artist Axel Scheffler has put out a free new picture book explaining the coronavirus to children, Marian Keyes has invited readers to sit down with her for a virtual cup of tea, and Cressida Cowell is reading How to Train Your Dragon aloud for confined children. For the book industry is pulling out all the stops to help keep Britain’s locked down masses entertained, whether that’s expert librarians – now unable to work at their branches – offering reading tips, JK Rowling launching Harry Potter at Home, or Kit de Waal putting together a Big Book Weekend bringing together the best of the British book festivals cancelled due to coronavirus.Here are some of the best free activities now available for the bookishly minded, which we’ll continue to update during the lockdown: Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-04-09 11:04:32 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "From Harry Potter at Home to the National Shelf Service: bookish fun for the lockdown"


National Poetry Day celebrated as sales rise 15%

National Poetry Day takes place today (28th September) with the launch of a new BBC poetry and performance festival featuring Kate Tempest, Hollie McNish and Simon Armitage among others. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


With No Potter, Sales Plunged at Scholastic in Q1

A 52% decline in Scholastic's children’s book publishing group was blamed on the absence of a major bestseller. In fiscal 2017, the publisher's sales were driven by 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which was released during the first quarter of last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Diversity discussions lead IPG autumn conference

Diversity in the book industry, Amazon and selling TV and film rights were some of the hot topics of the IPG's biggest ever autumn conference. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


With No Harry Potter Bump, July 2017 Bookstore Sales Slipped 1.9%

While July sales last year were mightily padded by the release of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which came out July 31, 2016, July 2017 saw no such blockbuster. Thanks in large part to this, July 2017 sales were down 1.9%, compared to the same time last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BBC programme will mark BL Harry Potter exhibition

The BBC will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter with “rarely seen documents from J K Rowling’s archives, revealing her magical inspirations” in the run up to the British Library’s exhibition next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A 'Hamilton' backlash? Why none of that matters with this history-making tour

Jumping on bandwagons is my least favorite activity. Don't force me to tell you all the must-see movies I've skipped ("Forrest Gump" is all you'll get out of me), the No. 1 best-sellers I've bypassed (I discovered the world of "Harry Potter" only after it became a play) or the platinum records... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-08-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


'Harry Potter' screenings break Durham Book Festival records

The screenings of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" at Durham Cathedral has broken all of the city’s book festival records with 1,500 tickets selling out in one day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Books Suffer from Potter Curse, Sales Tumble 17%

Unit sales of print books in the week ended Aug. 6, 2017, were down 17% from the similar week in 2016 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The decline was due entirely to the release last year at this time of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which sold about 2.5 million... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Potter playscript pips rivals to the post

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Sphere) has bewitched the UK Official Top 50 for a second week, holding the number one spot with 23,711 copies sold, according to Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


JK Rowling's return to Harry Potter makes her world's richest author in 2017

As her wizarding world returns to the stage and screen, Rowling’s $95m pushes James Patterson into second place with $87mJK Rowling will need to reserve a particularly large vault at Gringotts bank after a bumper year for the Harry Potter novelist magicked her back to the No 1 spot on Forbes’... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sock puppetry still 'rife' in book industry

Sock puppetry is still "widespread" today in spite of the trade's best efforts to stamp it out more than five years ago, a number of publishers have told The Bookseller, following the latest case to be brought to light. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Rowling conjures up 79th number one with Cursed Child paperback

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown) has Wingardium Levoisa’d straight into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Tennant to read Cowell's The Wizard of Once

David Tennant will read the audio version of Cressida Cowell’s The Wizard of Once (Hodder Children’s Books). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Former Paramount Pictures head sells Malibu Colony home for $18 million

Veteran Hollywood executive Jonathan Dolgen, who formerly headed Paramount Pictures, has sold his home in Malibu for $18 million. The buyer was Chris Columbus, director of such films as “Home Alone,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” The English traditional-style home... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone translated into Scots

The first book in the Harry Potter series is set to be translated into Scots for the first time, with "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stane", marking the 80th translation of the publishing phenomenon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Wizard opens new world to Jo Rowling

On 11th July 1997, The Bookseller interviewed Jo Rowling, then a little-known author, about her first novel - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. To mark 20 years since the release of the first Harry Potter novel, we republish that interview, conducted by The Bookseller's then children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bookshops weave some magic to mark Harry Potter’s 20th anniversary

Bookshops around the country are unveiling a host of magical events — including Quidditch Pong, Harry Potter Bingo and Horcrux hunts—to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


You're a legend Harry! The Harry Potter books turn 20

We dug into the archives to find the first Kiwi review of Harry Potter, but the earliest seems to be from 1999.  Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this