'New York Times' best-sellers

Hey guys, we're gonna try something new!
Every week, maybe regulating out to the time it's released, we'll post highlights from the New York Times-bestseller list.
We'll give you direct links to the lists we use, but here's the highlights:
Topping the list of Children's Chapter Books is A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull. The story is described as 'A young boy is transported into a world ruled by an evil wizard'. Harry Potter anyone? Behind Mull's novel are I Am Number Four, The Lost Hero, Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever, and The Red Pyramid. I've read all of those except for the Brandon Mull book and Justin Bieber's "biography". To view the full Children's Chapter Books list, click here.
Topping Children's Paperback Books are Beastly, Witch and Wizard, Red Riding Hood, The Book Thief, and Marvelous Mother's Day Brunch. To view THAT list, click here.
Pulling up the lead in Children's Series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, Vampire Diaries, and Maximum Ride. Check out the full list.
Also on different Adult lists are Toys, Water for Elephants, and Sing You Home. To view the FULL lists of best-sellers, you can visit this website.
Congrats to any and all additions to the list, and to all you veterans...LET OTHERS WIN! Just kidding, but Rick Riordan has been on there for a long time.

--Riley

Potter News Round-Up

LIVE! From...Study Hall...
Here's a quick news update with some Potter STUFF!
-The Harry Potter Exhibition, moving to New York City, is holding its Red Carpet Event on April 4th, in Discovery Times Square.
-CinemaCon, a film promotion convention open only to executives and film press, will be screening footage from Deathly Hallows: Part II. More info once it hits.
-We did make a post about the first deleted scene from the Part I DVD, but along with more bonus features, a clip from the DVD was released entitled 'Designing Mad-Eye Moody'. You can check it out here.
-As of today, we are 100 days and a WEEK away from the release of the 8th Harry Potter film. Next Wednesday, I'll make an identical post similar to this one, commemorating 100 DAYS till the final movie.

Sorry for the lack of HP news recently, it's been kinda slow.
--Riley

Deathly Hallows: Part II Poster

Here's the official poster for DH, Part 2!! It was released today by WB on multiple sites.

'Eldest' Book Review

Eldest
Christopher Paolini
4.5/5 Stars
Knopf
669 pg., U.S. Paperback


One Star for Character Development
One Star for Flow
One Star for Conflict and Resolution
One Star for Ending

I started this book in September, put it down, was given the title and info on book four, picked it up 500 pages in(where I left off), and finished it in Study Hall this morning.
I really just despise the whole Roran storyline, though, and that is what kept me from giving the book the star for  plot.
Throughout the book, Roran and the residents of Carvahall rebel against the King Galbatorix while Eragon and Saphira are off living with the elves, similar to The Fellowship of the Ring.
The main conflict of this book is that Eragon needs to train to fight the army of Galbatorix with elves and discover his Rider abilities. In the end of the book, he fights with Murtagh and his dragon, Thorn.
The characters were a lot more developed after seeing them last in the first book. It was really nice to watch the characters mature and accept their new environments.
In the end of the book, we discover that Katrina, Roran's fiance has been kidnapped and at the end, Eragon and Roran set off to find her.
Now off to read Brisingr!

--Riley

First of many 'Deathly Hallows: Part II' deleted scenes released!

The very first deleted scene from DH1 has been released.
It's a video of Petunia and Harry in which Petunia discusses the circumstances of the world. She also says a great heart-breaking line, but you'll juat have to watch to see.

Click here

Fourth Inheritance Cycle Title Announced!

Hey Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr fans, Christopher Paolini has JUST announced the title AND cover of the fourth book in the series!
The novel will be called Inheritance, it has 704 pages, and will be released in November. The cover is:

WOW! I love the cover, but the title is a little disappointing. I hope it does prove itself to be fantastic.

--Riley

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Book Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
5/5 Stars
213 pg., U.S. Hardcover
MTV Books


One Star for Character Development
One Star for Plot
One Star for Conflict and Resolution
One Star for Flow
One Star for Ending

I. Love. This. Book. With. All. Of. My. Heart. And. Soul. And. Brain.
This is the greatest realistic fiction book ever written and is my favorite book if you took Harry Potter and GONE out of my life. This is seriously a fantastic novel, go read it now, you will love it. I guarantee it.
This book will make you smile, cry, scream, laugh, wonder, wander, pant, and ponder.
The book is about Charlie, who is starting his freshman year in high school. He meets Patrick and Sam; a brother and sister pair who help Charlie survive.
In the book, Charlie experiments with all the ingredients to the common teenager: drugs, alcohol and sex, along with introversion, homosexuality, and violence.
Charlie falls instantly in love with Sam, who he describes as the most beautiful girl in the world. Sam, however, expresses that she is older than Charlie, and the only relationship they would have would be as friends.
One night, though--and this was one of the most emotional scenes I've ever read, period--Sam asks Charlie if he's ever kissed a girl. Charlie replies no, and she tells Charlie that she wants the first person to kiss him to truly love him. Sam then kisses her, and Charlie is on cloud nine.
The book progresses with Charlie going to the prom with Sam's friend, Mary Elizabeth, and intervening in a fight between Patrick and his boyfriend, Brad.
In the end, Sam leaves for college, and it's a bittersweet, tearjerking goodbye. Read the book to find out more. I could go on about this book for ages, and how much I feel like I could be Charlie.
Thanks for checking out the review!
Read this gosh darn book
--Riley

Evanna Lynch Gets a Twitter!

Ah, finally! Evanna Lynch, the actress who plays Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films, set up a Twitter! You can follow her : @Evy_Lynch.
It's REAL. I swear.

--Riley

Questions for the Canon | Voldemort and Love

One thing I have always wondered was: What would the series be like if Merope and her family were not so voided from the love aspect, and Merope had survived the birthing of her son, and raised Tom? Would he actually experience love? Would he be afraid of love? Would he and Bellatrix ride off into the sunset on page 759 of Deathly Hallows?
Merope Gaunt is the daughter of Marvolo Gaunt, and the sister of Morfin Gaunt. Her family was a very incestuous family, even more than most pureblood families, who try to keep pureblood families dominant. Merope, however, was the odd one out. Marvolo thought that she was a Squib, and she was sentenced to working for the family. Often, a Muggle boy, Tom Riddle, Sr., would pass by the Gaunts' house. Merope fell in love with the man and fed him Amortentia. They had sex, she got pregnant, he found out about the potion, she was abandoned, she had the baby, she died.
For the past three generations, at least, Tom Riddle's family has not experienced true love.
If Merope weren't as ugly as stated, and she had spent actual time with Tom Riddle, Sr., maybe he could have fallen in legit love with Merope. If this was the case, Merope wouldn't have been as stressed out while giving birth to Tom Riddle, Jr.
If she would survive the birthing, and was loved by Tom, Sr., she would raise Jr. She and her husband would care for the child, and the idea of him being a wizard would be introduced probably earlier in life. There would be no negative, fearful life for Jr. that is formed in the actual Harry Potter canon. Therefore, Tom Riddle, Jr., would know love. He would most likely be more open to death, so he wouldn't form the Death Eaters. By not doing so, he realistically would not have met Bellatrix Lestrange, his "fangirl".
Let's say Tom meets this random Hufflepuff hottie named Polly. Polly and Voldemort fall in love, graduate, marry, have sex, get pregnant, have a baby, and live happily ever after. Without Bellatrix. Sad-face.
So there's my...thought on this QFTC. Thanks for reading!

--Riley

Questions for the Canon | "Who Killed Ariana Dumbledore"

So, one question that forms in your mind after finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is 'who killed Ariana Dumbledore?'
For those of you whose memories are a little clouded over, Ariana Dumbledore is the younger sister to Albus and Aberforth Dumbledore, and there is a mystery over who killed her(from a three-way duel): Albus, Aberforth, or Gellert Grindelwald.
I think that Albus Dumbledore is the one who killed Ariana Dumbledore.
One of the reasons I think this is because Albus was obviously a powerful wizard. He is the only one that Lord Voldemort ever feared. He is the master of the Elder Wand, and is the wisest Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Another reason I think this is because Albus was so worried about finding out who did kill Ariana. He was too caught up in his 'For the Greater Good' teenage world, that once Ariana was killed, he realized that it was completely possible that he could've killed her.
Ariana was trying to stop the duel between the three of the wizards. I think that Aberforth would be trying to hurt Grindelwald for basically tearing apart the Dumbledore family. Dumbledore would be trying to get Aberforth, to protect Grindelwald. Grindelwald would probably be shooting at Aberforth, just to defend himself. I think Ariana would jump in front of Albus, since Aberforth was her favorite brother, and she would try to help him, therefore Albus's curse would hit her instead of Aberforth.

'Crossed' Cover Revealed

A few days ago, I saw that the Crossed cover was revealed, so I'll make a post about it.
Here.
It.
Is.

New Book Review Format to Come

Hey, Potter People!
These past two days have been chock-full of news. While I was finding news, I noticed that other bloggers have cool ways of doing their book reviews. I decided that I'll update the format of mine.
I will still have the same method of rating the book(One Star for Character Development, plot, etc.), but I will divide the review up into specific points from the storyline.
Let us know what you think about the new formatting in a comment, e-mail, tweet, etc.

--Riley

Jennifer Lawrence Cast as Katniss Everdeen in the Film Adaption of 'The Hunger Games'

Jennifer Lawrence, OSCAR-nominated actress from Winter's Bone, has been cast as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, despite the constant information about Hailee Steinfeld playing the heroine.
Jennifer is 20-years-old, a four year difference from Katniss's age in the books.
Suzanne Collins, author of the Hunger Games Trilogy, said
"Jennifer's just an incredible actress. So powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, unforgiving, and brave. I never thought we'd find someone so perfect for the role. And I can't wait for everyone to see her play it."
Hmm...well, I'm still not persuaded, but I guess she's cast, so filming will start soon as the rest of the characters will be cast.
Don't forget, The Hunger Games will be released March 23rd, 2012.
--Riley

First of few 'Part 2' Clips RELEASED!!!!

Oh. My. Effing. Dumbledore. I'm gonna die.
Ginny Weasley is the STAR of the new Part 2 featurette!
That's right, ABC Family aired the special look at Part 2, and here are some things that you can see:
-The Forest Again bit(the one we saw on the trailer)
-Harry, Ron, and Hermione looking worriedly at something above them
-Gringotts cart w/ Griphook, Harry, Ron, Hermione/Bellatrix, and Travers
-Voldemort and Bellatrix(from the trailer)
-SWEAT-TAY Harry. lol
-Ron being BLOWN BACK(from the trailer)
-Bright white light(presumably Aberforth's Patronus...idk)
-Draco hiding behind a pillar
-Hogwarts protections failing(from trailer)
-Students running amok(from trailer)
-Ginny and Neville running up Hogwarts steps. I. Love. Them.
-Harry close-up(Nice glasses, Potter)
-OMGOMGOMGOMG SNAPE in front of the POTTERS' HOUSE OMGOMGOMG
-Roooom of Requiiiirement/Fiendfyre/Diadem scene
-Gringotts dragon
-Ginny looking worriedly at something above her. Wait a minute...the trio did that earlier on in the preview!
-Avada Kedavra/Expelliarmus(from trailer)
-Dobby's grave
-Death Eaters(from trailer)
-Harry crawling in the rubble(presumably to retrieve the Elder Wand after killing Voldemort...idk)
-Ron: "We can end this".
-The random bearded Death Eater who stops the Hogwarts Express, pointing his wand at someone! OOOH! I think it's Dolohov.
-Huggin' from the trio
-Fred...dead...whoa
-Snape against a wall(from trailer)
-H/G kiss(from trailer)
-Ginny shouting "NO!!" running from a small crowd(presumably after Harry returns from the forest)

So, yeah, here's a video link to watch it.

BRAND NEW Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II STILL RELEASED

A new still from Part 2 has been leaked, showing Harry in a Hogwarts tower.
To me, it sort of looks like the Owlery, but no owls are present. It could be the Astronomy Tower or the Clock Tower from the third movie.

Thanks to Leaky for the tip!



--Riley

'Deathly Hallows: Part II' Sneak Peeks to Air on the ABC Family Harry Potter Weekend Beginning Tonight

Earlier on in the week, we received word that sneak preview clips from the next, and final, Harry Potter film will be released on the exclusive ABC Family Harry Potter Weekend special, beginning tonight at 7:30, during the showing of Sorcerer's Stone.
WB and ABC Family released details about the clips to air with this press release:
"Faithful Potter fans will also be given a chance to go behind-the scenes with never-before-seen interview footage from the cast and filmmakers which give insights on key scenes from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 & 2,” as well as revisiting important moments from the previous films to prepare for the final battle that takes place in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.” The never-before-seen footage that will be airing throughout the weekend includes a look back at Harry and Ginny’s relationship, director David Yates’ take on Harry and Hermione’s relationship, the origins of The Marauder’s Map and a look into the very last shot of principal photography of the film franchise with producer David Baron. ABC Family will also be airing exclusive sneak peeks at some of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,” most exciting moments, including Harry & Draco’s fight in the Room of Requirement, the hair-raising dragon sequences and the final courtyard battle between good and evil."

It'll be nice to see a preview from the Gringotts scene, and the Room of Requirement one, which I've been anticipating a lot from about seven re-reads of that chapter. I'm kind of worried about getting a bit too spoiled with the final battle clips but...any clips are better than none.
So stay tuned to your ABC Family station for the clips from tonight all the way through Sunday.

--Riley

'Knightley Academy' Book Review

Knightley Academy
Violet Haberdasher
427 pg., U.S. Hardcover
Simon & Schuster


One Star for Character Development
One Star for Plot
One Star for Flow
One Star for Ending

Harry, it's great to see you again!
Wait...

This book is about a school where knights are trained. Henry Grim, an orphaned boy, is accepted into the school, Knightley Academy, and is welcomed with fairly open arms.
The main characters are Henry, Francesca "Frankie" Winter, Adam, Valmont, and Rohan.
I found a lot of similarities between Harry Potter and this book;
-wise old man (Dumbledore/man-I-forgot-name-of)
-hero with cool name(Harry Potter/Henry Grim)
-good friends(Hermione & Ron/Frankie & Adam)
-annoying school brat(Draco Malfoy & Valmont)
-"Lord"(Lord Voldemort & Lord Havelock)
I couldn't find a good conflict in the book, so I didn't award the book that star.
The ending is a sort of happy, giddy, Deathly Hallows-esque one; the friends sort of walk off into the sunset.
Overall, the book was a quick and easy read, and I recommend it for anyone wanting their post-Harry Potter fix.
The sequel, The Secret Prince, is released June 28th, 2011.

Potter People Podcast: Interview with Michael Grant is Now Available for ...

Potter People Podcast: Interview with Michael Grant is Now Available for ...: "Hello Potter Fans, Our interview with Michael Grant is now available for listening! During the interview we discuss a wide variety of topic..."

Interview with Michael Grant is Now Available for Listening

Hello Potter Fans,

Our interview with Michael Grant is now available for listening! During the interview we discuss a wide variety of topics, ranging from Michael's writing career to upcoming books in the Gone series. I would highly recommend listening to it.

Here is Part One of the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3r3R3ZgeOU

Here is Part Two of the interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMQc1qZHEXM

--Isaac

Charity Campaign Reminder

Hey Potter Fans,
Just a reminder, our Colloportkey charity business is open for donations at this time. If you have a book donation or other useful valuables, you can comment on this post, or e-mail us at potterpeoplepodcast@yahoo.com.

Thanks for your support.

Another reminder: Tomorrow Riley and I are planning to edit and upload our hour long interview with Michael Grant. Make sure to check our YouTube page later to see if it's up. I really would recommend watching it; the interview is very entertaining and Michael Grant reveals a lot of interesting things about his writing and some things about the upcoming books in the Gone series.

--Isaac

'Angel' Book Review

Angel
James Patterson
5/5 Stars
Little, Brown Company
291 pg., U.S. Hardcover



One Star for Character Development
One Star for Plot
One Star for Flow
One Star for Conflict and Resolution
One Star for Ending

This is the 7th book in the Maximum Ride series. After the ending of Fang, Fang has left the Flock to start his own, with the new characters of Ratchet, Max II(Maya), Star, Kate, and another whose name I cannot remember at the moment.
We actually don't see a whole lot of Gazzy and Nudge, which I'm fine with, but there was a little bit of overload with Fang's Gang, who were a little overused. I wanted them to be sketchy and have cooler names. Ratchet is a cool name but he's kind of the perv of the group.
We get away from the whole global warming crap in this book and start talking about an apocalypse, and what teens do to prevent it. There is a new generation of mutants who were designed to help with this.
The main conflict is kind of hard to figure out, but it's mostly that there is a group that is against the acts of the mutants and try to save the world themselves.
Overall, it's a great book, I read it in one sitting and devoured it, and cannot wait for the next, and final, book.

OMG Isaac, wtfbbq?

Hey, Potter People.
So, yes, we did interview the GOD Michael Grant, and he gave us a CRAPLOAD of spoilers, and we can post the hour-long interview on YouTube. So keep your eye on that.
Isaac, Michael is my favorite besides J.K. Rowling(number UN), but don't make it that public. Silly gosling...

I Have a New Favorite Author

Hello PotterPeeps,
Riley and I just interviewed Michael Grant. Yes, THE Michael Grant, author of the Gone series and about 1000 other things.
The interview left me quite the opposite of speechless; I was singing while jumping up and down with excitement. Yeah, so the interview was very enjoyable.
Audio of the interview will most likely be up on YouTube in the near future (we are getting permission from Mr. Grant to put the interview on YouTube; he gave us many spoilers that he may not want the public to hear). We will give you updates on this probably tomorrow.
So anyway, we want to give a HUGE thanks to Michael Grant for doing the interview with us. He is a truely awesome guy and author.
And sorry J.K. Rowling, but I now have a new favorite author.

--Isaac

Friday News Update

Hey Potter People,
Here is your Friday News Update:
-Recently Ron Weasly celebrated his birthday. Best of wishes to him! :)
-J.K. Rowling made a tweet a while back which said that she was working hard on writing at the moment. Hmm, any thoughts on this? Please comment below. For me, I think this is a very good thing and also very exciting.
-Andrea Cremer announced the companion novel's title to Nightshade. You can check out that interview on our YouTube page.
-Incase you haven't seen, Potterpeoplepodcast also interview S.A. Bodeen today. You can check that out, once again on our YouTube page.
-Tomorrow we are interviewing Michael Grant, author of the Gone series. That interview should be available for viewing in the upcoming week.

Have a great weekend and stay tuned on our blog, YouTube page, and Twitter for updates!

--Isaac

Interview with S.A. Bodeen

Hey Potter People,
It's Isaac here with a new interview available for listening on YouTube here
The interview is with S.A. Bodeen, author of The Compound and The Gardener. 
Enjoy.
There is an interview scheduled for us tomorrow with Michael Grant, author of the Gone series. We are very, very excited to have him on the show. So make sure you check our blog, YouTube, and Twitter for updates.

--Isaac

'The Compound' Book Review

The Compound
S.A. Bodeen
5/5 Stars


One Star for Character Development
One Star for Flow
One Star for Plot
One Star for Conflict and Resolution
One Star for Ending

This book is an amazing, absorbing novel about Eli Yanakakis, the son of a wealthy scientist, and his life in an underground "safehaven" called the Compound. It is split into layers.
Eli and his family have lived their for years, but have neglected attention from their father. When a secret is uncovered about life inside the Compound, Eli's life is twisted from rightside-up to upside-down in no time.
The characters were very well developed as the storyline went on. Eli became more of an open character, but remained sort of shy and anxious, living, for a while at least, without his twin, Eddy.
The plot, as described, was truly gripping and does increase throughout the book, going froom good, to great, to awesome, to amazing, to omgwtfbbq.
I don't wanna spoil the conflict resolution or ending, so go read the book for yourself to find it out. We are interviewing S.A. Bodeen, so stay tuned for that.
THANK YA.

'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: the Sea of Monsters' Needs Screenwriter

So...Omgwtfbbq, SEA OF MONSTERS IS going to be a film! I doubted it after some negative reviews from critics and the quietness coming from the set. But apparently, FOX is willing to start filming as early as this summer with a script! HOLY FREAKING DUMBLEDORE, YES!

'Beautiful Chaos' Cover and Release Date

Beautiful Chaos, the third book in the Caster Chronicles has a cover and a release date!
Here's the cover:

And it will be released October 18th, 2011!

Andrea Cremer Interview

Hey, Potter People, it's Riley!
Today, I did an interview with Andrea Cremer, New York Times bestselling author of Nightshade, and the upcoming Wolfsbane and Bloodrose. We talked about HP, her books, upcoming projects, and did a quick One-Minute-Potter-Spotter!
You can now watch it here

'The Caster Chronicles' Book Three Title Announced

The threequel in the CASTER CHRONICLES book series now has an official title! Beautiful Chaos is the title of the upcoming blockbuster and the release date and cover are to be announced March 3rd. Stay tuned for more news on this and other Beautiful Creatures information!

--Riley and Isaac