Or more accurately… what is author J. K. Rowling up to?
The answer is: a mysterious new website called Pottermore.
A few weeks before the launch of the final Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2), Rowling put up an intriguing website at www.pottermore.com. She also began a Twitter account, twitter.com/pottermore, which has more than 75,000 followers.
It offers no clues as to what the website will be about. It merely has the word “Pottermore” and “Coming soon…” with J. K. Rowling’s signature.
The viewer can click on each of the two owls, which takes you to a YouTube website with a lot more owls, and a countdown letting you know how long you’ll have to wait to find out about Pottermore.
What exactly is Pottermore? The famous author isn’t saying yet, but her representatives have said that it definitely won’t be a new Harry Potter novel.
Also mysterious is the way Potter fans found out about the new website. The editors of 10 Harry Potter websites were given map addresses (“co-ordinates”) that lead each person to a single letter. When put together, the letters spelled out Pottermore.
Some people have made guesses about what the website will be about. Some say it might be an Internet-based game. Others suggest it’s a new Harry Potter encyclopedia.
An editor of a Harry Potter fansite HPANA said they had seen a sneak preview of the website and called it “breathtaking in scope, detail and sheer beauty.”
Whatever Pottermore is, it will be revealed this week. Here is the YouTube site that counts down the days, minutes and seconds until the big announcement.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Writing/Discussion Prompt
What do you think J.K. Rowling’s mysterious announcement will be? Brainstorm a list of suggestions with a friend and share them with the class. The more creative, the better!
Reading Prompt
J.K. Rowling chose to use the Internet to make her big announcement. She created her own website, posted information on the video sharing site YouTube, and “tweeted” messages on Twitter.
Why do you think she chose to make her announcement on the web instead of through television, radio, newspapers or magazines? What are the benefits and disadvantages of Rowling’s choice?
Primary
Identify and describe the characteristics of a few simple text forms, with a focus on literary texts such as a fairy tale, graphic texts such as a primary dictionary, and informational texts such as a “How to” book (OME, Reading: 2.1).
Junior
Analyse a variety of text forms and explain how their particular characteristics help communicate meaning, with a focus on literary texts such as short stories, graphic texts such as a logo, and informational texts such as a movie review (OME, Reading: 2.1).
Intermediate
Analyse a variety of text forms and explain how their particular characteristics help communicate meaning, with a focus on literary texts such as a novel, graphic texts such as a photo essay and informational texts such as a manual (OME, Reading: 2.1).
Grammar Feature: Ellipsis
An ellipsis is three periods in a row and looks like this: …
Some people call an ellipsis “dot dot dot.” It is used to show that some words are missing, or to show that an idea isn’t finished.
This article has two examples of ellipses:
1. This ellipsis shows that there is a pause between the first and second part of the sentence: “Or more accurately… what is author J. K. Rowling up to?”
2. This ellipsis shows that an idea isn’t finished, and it invites readers to guess what would be written next in the sentence: “Coming soon…”
Read the sentences below and imagine what information could be added in where the ellipses are.
1. Jacob opened up the haunted house and saw…
2. Mysteriously, the dog didn’t come home when it was called…
3. Sally picked up her math text and saw that she got…
4. As the boy dug deep in the sandbox, he realized that he had found some sort of treasure…
