Y-S readers rush to buy Potter tale

July 21, 2005 - Ten-year-old Travis Dodds arrived early at the Yuba Sutter Mall, wearing a blue "Harry Potter" T-shirt.

"I just wanted to get here to get my book," Travis said. "It's just exciting to read. You never know what's going to happen next, so you just want to find out."

His mother, Carol Dodds, was happy to wake up early to take her son to the bookstore.

"He's an avid reader now. All he does is read, (but) before he wouldn't touch a book," Carol said.

The Doddses were among about 25 eager Harry Potter fans who waited in line Saturday morning at B. Dalton Books to buy J.K. Rowling's newest book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

"These releases are always a lot of fun. You've got hundreds of kids coming through so it's exciting. This is pretty much the book of the year," Neil Marcubashi, the store's manager, said after opening the doors at 7 a.m.

Cashiers soon were busy ringing up books and stuffing bags with free lightning bolt stickers, Harry Potter glasses and limited edition bracelets that came with a book purchase.

"I've read all the books in the series at least once," 13-year-old Ashlee Estep said while sporting her new Harry Potter glasses. She likes the book because, "Harry goes through all these adventures, but he also has all the teenage problems."

Ashlee wanted to be surprised about the story's plot, so she avoided "spoilers" on the Internet, said Deanna Estep, Ashlee's mother.

Sheena Sharma, 19, picked up her copy after the morning rush before going to work. "I couldn't get out of bed (to come earlier), but I should have so I could have read some of it," Sharma said.

Sharma reserved her copy in December and couldn't wait to get off work to start reading. She said she didn't know what to expect but had a feeling someone was going to die.

"I think it's Dumbledore, but I'm not sure," she said.

Katie Lawrence, 20, also expects the sixth book to be dark. She said she was jealous of one of her friends who got to meet the author in England.

"She envies me for having a boyfriend, but I'd rather have met J.K. Rowling," Lawrence said.

Katie's mother, Margaret, likes the book because it captures the reader, she said.

"It's positive and the intrigue of having to deal with a challenge. You feel like you're helping Harry," she said.

Appeal-Democrat intern Olga Muñoz can be reached at 741-2400. You can e-mail her at omunoz@appeal-democrat.com.