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Willy Wonka and the Potter Factory

© Erica Davis

The hype for the new Harry Potter book has reminded me many times this last two weeks of the movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." When a delivery truck was stolen in England carrying thousands of books, the media said the publishers were worried that someone would leak critical points of the story line before it was released on Saturday. I thought of Willy Wonka's recipes and his guarded candy factory and suddenly imagined J.K. Rowling somewhere in Scotland hoping no one knew the secret to her everlasting gobstopper. Then as the world became crazy for the release and pre-order numbers were going through the roof, I remembered the insanity of the search for the "Golden Ticket." Finally, as I stood in the bookstore at midnight on Friday and watched children grab the new book like I lifesaver the image of those five chosen children at the beginning of the movie when Willy Wonka lets them in to tour his factory and they race to the door to be first inside. It was every bit a craze and a fairy tale June 21st 2003, with parents and children alike consumed by a bespectacled kid who fights a guy named Voldemort and spends his summers dreaming about brooms. In the midst of all of it, there I was. As excited and anxious as anyone in that store. I could have bought it online, but I'd have missed all of the fun. Why have it shipped to your door when you can enjoy the frenzy of opening night. Here is a peek at my evening waiting for Harry.

All of this last week I have been sick with the head cold from hell and struggled to make it to work. The very thought Friday morning of trying to brave the crowds at the local Barnes and Noble for my, yes I'm making it personal, new Harry Potter book seemed impossible. As the day wore on however my symptoms eased a little and my excitement grew, as if I were 8 years old, about the arrival of the "Order of the Phoenix." Since I work in an afterschool program, I was the envy of my students who wanted to know how many books I was going to buy and why I couldn't take one of them with me and pretend they were mine. They have known how big a fan I am for a while now. They get a particular kick out of my Harry Potter watch with the light up snitch.

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