Pinewood students celebrate Deathly Hallows with J.K. Rowling
photos provided Pinewood Public School News Release ************************* On October 23, in the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, J.K. Rowling read from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
On October 23, in the Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto, J.K. Rowling read from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was her only Canadian appearance on a major tour for this book.
The Ontario Library Association (OLA) in partnership with the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), Harbourfront Centre, and Vancouver-based publisher Raincoast Books were allocated a number of tickets for this landmark event and distributed thetickets in a random lottery of all eligible applications. As a member of the Ontario Library Association, North Bay school librarian Ms. Kate Shields entered all five of her schools in the random draw. On Monday October 15th Ms. Shields received an email from the OLA association stating that Pinewood Public School had won the tickets!!! It was exhilarating to have been chosen and also frantic to find students who could attend the event with under a week’s notice.
Four adventurers were found: fourth graders Evren Tuncali and Adam Grannary, with their respective parents Martha Gould and David Grannary. Martha relates how the adventure developed:
We four representatives of Pinewood left North Bay Monday night after Adam’s hockey game (which his team won 6-5 in the final minutes of play). We arrived in Toronto just before midnight and were up again just after dawn as the Trinity clock tower near Nathan Phillips Square tolled 7 am and woke the boys. At just after 9 we walked up to the Winter Garden Theatre where people were lined up hoping to get in. Those of us with tickets went on inside. Most of us looked like muggles, excited muggles to be sure, but some people were wearing wizard hats, and several people had pink or red hair, to look like Tonks.
The Winter Gardens Theatre is a very beautiful place, decorated like an enchanted forest with columns that look like trees, leaves hanging down in profusion from the ceiling, and a beautiful moon rising in a night sky above the orchestra seating. It was a perfect place for a reading of Harry Potter. The stage was very simply set with a chair for Ms. Rowling and a small table for her water glass.
Just after 10 am she was introduced and she said how glad she was to be there. Then she began to read from the end of Chapter 19 of the Deathly Hallows, the chapter called “The Silver Doe,” in which Harry and Hermione, who have been in hiding, meet up with Ron again. Ms. Rowling reads very well, with a lot of drama and enthusiasm. Her accent sounds a bit like Rupert Grint’s (he’s the boy who plays Ron in the movies).
After reading for 15 minutes, Ms. Rowling took questions from some people in the audience (see below for a summary of the questions and answers). Then the stage was set for the book signing. All 900 people got to line up row by row, go up on the stage, and see Ms. Rowling sign a copy for them. A special sticker was put into each book to prove that she had really signed it. Ms. Rowling looked up and greeted each person as she signed. She was very gracious and charming. We all admired her fortitude in signing so many copies!
And that was it – our adventure was almost over. We left the theatre with our books and headed back for North Bay. Evren and Adam will keep their copies, but the other two books have gone to Pinewood so that the adventure can be shared with all the students.
The questions Ms. Rowling was asked brought up many details about the books and her writing.
She was asked which was the hardest death to write about in the novels. She said she was attached to all the characters and it was hard to write about their deaths, but the story required it. She admitted it was very difficult to have Dobby die. She said she wanted readers to realize that Hedwig is only an owl, and that readers should feel more sorry about the death of people like Mad-Eye Moody than about Hedwig. She cried while writing chapter 34, in which Harry dies, the most emotional chapter for her because though the character Harry survives, she was coming to the end of the books about him.
Someone asked what animal she would turn into if she were an animagus. She said there was a difference between what she would like to turn into and what she probably would turn into. Her favorite animal is the otter which is why she gave it to Hermione for her patronus charm. But Ms. Rowling thinks she would probably be a dog – she admits she does not like cats very much, and that it shows in the books.
She was asked how she invented the rules for Quidditch, and she said that she had had a big row with an ex-boyfriend and that the bludgers come partly from that. She thinks only a woman could have invented Quidditch, because it is a multi-tasking game and men prefer games with only one ball at a time in motion!
She told how the publishers asked her to use her initials for her author name so that it wouldn’t be clear whether she was a woman or a man. The publishers thought boys might not be as interested in fantasy books by a woman. She doesn’t have a middle name, so she took the initial K. for Kathleen, which is the name of her favorite grandparent.
Which magical object is her favorite? She said that was easy to answer, for it is Dumbledore’s Pensieve, the most fantastic way to go back into the past and into other people’s memories. She would like to have one.
She was asked how George Weasley would be later on. She thinks he would never be whole again but he would be ok, and she thinks Ron would probably end up helping George in the jokes business.
She is hoping to write an encyclopedia of details and backstories for the books, with proceeds to charity.
She was asked how to maintain balance in your life when you become such a celebrity. She never dreamed she would have such success, but she really enjoys it. There are problems, but the benefits are great. She said, “If fame comes to you unexpectedly you should really just live your life the way you wanted,” and not get distracted from who you want to be.
Asked how she would like to be remembered 100 years from now, she said she hope people will still be reading Harry Potter and particularly that children will still be reading the books.
Would Malfoy be in Harry’s debt because Harry spares him? She thinks they would have an embarrassing connection and that Malfoy would resent Harry forever, but they wouldn’t see it as an obligation on Malfoy’s part to owe Harry a favor.
She enjoys writing and teaching and if the books hadn’t been a success she would still be writing and working. She is delighted that the books were published and that they have done so well, and she is really enjoying the life she has, and is glad people love her books the way they do.
