For Fans in a Hurry for Harry

Fans looking forward to the release of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just 100 days from now (on Saturday, July 16) are sure to find a title to please them on this list of great reads compiled from the recommendations of independent booksellers with Book Sense. The list includes 20 titles for readers of all ages, and it's a perfect complement to bookstores' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince marketing efforts.

To download the list, which can be easily reproduced, click here.

In related news, last week Scholastic announced details of a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign to mark the "100 Day Countdown to Harry." As part of the campaign, at www.scholastic.com/harrypotter/funstuff/countdown/, Scholastic is featuring a "100 Days Until Harry" downloadable countdown clock, interactive games, and information about Potter parties.

ABA is asking booksellers to forward information about their Harry Potter party plans to [email protected], so it can forwarded to Scholastic for posting on the publisher's website and for future coverage in Bookselling This Week.

To read more about Scholastic's marketing plans, go to news.bookweb.org/read/3376.

Check out these other great reads recommended by independent booksellers across the USA. These books are sure to please readers of all ages.

1) Eragon, by Christopher Paolini (Knopf Books for Young Readers, $9.95 paper, 0375826696)

2) Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, by Philip Kerr (Orchard, $16.95, 0439670195) First volume in the Akhenaten Adventure series

3) Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke (Scholastic, $7.99 paper, 0439709105)

4) Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk, by Angie Sage, Mark Zug (Illus.) (Katherine Tegen Books, $16.99, 0060577312) First volume in the Septimus Heap series

5) Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke, (Chicken House, $12.95, 0439456959)

6) The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud (Hyperon, $7.99 paper, 0786852550) First volume in the Bartimaeus Trilogy

7) Midnight for Charlie Bone, by Jenny Nimmo (Orchard, $9.95, 0439474299) First volume in the Red King quintet.

8) The Field Guide, by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (S&S Children's Publishing, $9.95, 0689859368) First volume in the The Spiderwick Chronicles

9) The Saint of Dragons, by Jason Hightman (Eos, $16.99, 0060540117)

10) Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer (Miramax, $5.99 paper, 0786817879) First volume in the Artemis Fowl series

11) Beyond the Deepwoods, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (David Fickling Books, $12.95, 0385750684) First volume in the Edge Chronicles.

12) The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum, $17.95, 0689867441)

13) The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke (Chicken House, $6.99, 043942089X)

14) Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $5.99 paper, 0439678137) First volume in the Underland Chronicles series

15) Lionboy, by Zizou Corder (Puffin, $6.99 paper, 0142402265) First volume in the Lionboy trilogy.

16) The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Houghton, $12 paper, 0618346252) First volume in the Lord of the Rings series

17) Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Disney Editions, $17.99, 0786854456)

18) So You Want to Be a Wizard, by Diane Duane (Magic Carpet Books, $6.95, 015216250X) First volume in the Young Wizards series

19) The Magician's Nephew, by C.S. Lewis (HarperCollins, $10.99, 0060764902) First volume in the The Chronicles of Narnia series

20) The Valley of Secrets, by Charmian Hussey (S&S Books for Young Readers, $16.95, 0689878621)