Area Book Buyers Wild About Latest ‘Harry’

On the first day of U.S. sales, the new Harry Potter book flew out of local bookstores Wednesday much like the story’s hero, a kid wizard on a swift broomstick.

“I don’t remember anything quite this wonderful before,” said Jody Shapiro, owner of Adventures for Kids in Ventura. The store sold 46 copies of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (Scholastic)--the third in a series--by late Wednesday morning, Shapiro said. (On Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon, the store will host an appearance of the books’ author, J.K. Rowling.)

The books, which are targeted at 9- to 11-year-olds, have sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide in 27 languages; the first two topped most national bestseller lists.

At Once Upon a Time bookstore in Montrose, more than 100 people are on a waiting list for the new one, said sales clerk Nikki Guza.

“There’s just been a lot of excitement about it, anticipation,” she said. (On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the store will host “Harry Potter Day,” with crafts and readings.)