Harry Potter is Alive and Well in Gwinnett County, Georgia

Despite repeated unsuccessful attempts by local mother of four, Laura Mallory, to have the Harry Potter series of books removed from the shelves of the county's public schools, Harry Potter continues to be a source of delight for the area's children. The Gwinnett County Library system has announced its Harry Potter Festival to be held July 23-27, 2007 at several branches throughout the county.

The events include screenings of the first four Harry Potter movies, as well as live performances by the Atlanta Celtic theater group, Theatre Gael. Trivia and other contests are planned. A schedule of events can be found in an article by Ben Smith in the Gwinnett Insider published on July 15 called "Harry Potter Triumphs." To read Smith's article, go to http://www.ajc.com. The festival is being held to celebrate the July 21 release of the final installment of the seven book series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The film adaptation of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, was recently released and has proven to be a box office hit.

Gwinnett County found itself in the national and international media spotlight over the past two years due to a lawsuit filed by Mallory, whose children attend county public schools. According to information provided by the Georgia Board of Education, the activist mother claimed that the Potter books exposed impressionable children to evil themes, demonic activity, murder and blood sacrifices. Mallory petitioned to have the books removed from the shelves of the Gwinnett County Public Schools; however, she lost her case when a county judge ruled against her in May.

In addition to claims that the books promote witchcraft and encourage children to cast spells on their classmates, Mallory predicted that the books might lead to an increase in school shootings, as reported by the Daily Mail, on October 4, 2006. Mallory, who resides in Loganville, Georgia, has been at odds with other parents who have embraced the popular series because of their children's heightened interest in reading since Scholastic Books published Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 1998.

According to Infoplease.com, British author and mother, J.K. Rowling first thought of the idea for the series while riding on a train to London in 1990. She finished the lengthy manuscript of the first installment five years later. After several publishers rejected it, Bloomsbury Press accepted it and released it in the U.K. under its original name, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in 1997. According to the site, in 1995 Rowland's agent had asked her if she realized that she would "never make a fortune writing children's books." As they say, the rest is history.

The Saturday, July 21 release of the final book in the series will be celebrated at several Gwinnett County bookstores, including Borders, Barnes and Nobles, and Books-A-Million. Gwinnett Place Mall, on Pleasant Hill Road in Duluth, will also hold a party on the upper level near Waldenbooks.

According to an article, entitled "Final Chapter" by Anna Ferguson, in the July 15 issue of the Gwinnett Daily Post, none of the Christian bookstores in the area are expected to sell the book. When asked by Ferguson about the library festival, Gwinnett County Public Library spokesman, Eddie Suttles, replied, "We all love Harry." Wikipedia.com reports that the publishers expect to release an unprecedented 12 million copies of the book.