How to Get Ready for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

There is probably not a more eagerly anticipated book of the summer than Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series, which will be out on July 21. Book stores everywhere - from big box stores like Barnes & Noble to small community book stores - are planning Harry Potter parties culminating at midnight when they can officially deliver the book. And in the weeks leading up to the book's release, fans are getting into the Harry Potter spirit. Here are a few ideas.

1. Look through "The Pottersaurus" (Pinewood Press, 2007, $9.95)
Author J.K. Rowling has not shied away from using her broad vocabulary in the Harry Potter books. As such, the newly released Pottersaurus is a dictionary of 1,500 Words Harry Potter Readers Need to Know. Compiled by Eric D. Randall, a father and Harry Potter fan, the Pottersaurus defines words that appear throughout the Harry Potter series; all words are English, not wizardry. After the definition, each work is used in context from an example taken from Book 1 through 6. Words like marauder, concussed and comeuppance may not originally be a part of Harry Potter's vocabulary, but after referring to The Pottersaurus, readers will have a greater understanding of the book's underlying humor while simultaneously expanding their knowledge. Brilliant!

2. Host a Muggles & Wizards Party
Children and adults alike are getting into the Harry Potter spirit, re-reading the previous books, watching the movies, and debating Harry Potter related questions like will Harry die and is Snape truly evil? Make it official with a Muggles Party where together attendees can prepare to embark on the last journey with Harry Potter. Rowling has revealed that two characters will die in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and her previous books have shown unexpected twists and turns to be commonplace, so let her imagination inspire debates about who is next and why. Attendees can be Muggles or Wizards, and the host can kick off the event with a Sorting Hat Ceremony. Activities are endless: a faux Quidditch game, hands-on Hogwarts lessons, and book trivia for starters.

3. Write a copy of "The Daily Prophet" or "The Quibbler"
Channel the spirit of Rita Skeeter or Luna Lovegood's father and write a few stories to fill in the details about what Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Draco Malfoy are thinking after Harry Potter walked out of Hogwarts at the end of the year. Print an expose about how Aunt Petunia is a magic school drop out. Write a review of the shops in Diagon Alley. Place a Help Wanted ad for Hagrid. See which, if any, outlandish predictions come true when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out on July 21.

After any of these activities and a refresher read (or two or three) of Books 1 through 6, fans will be ready for the final showdown between Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter. No matter how fans pass the time until the final installment in the Harry Potter series arrives, they'll be sure to enjoy the final trip into the magical world of Harry Potter.