Ah, and you thought we were done with our Harry Potter entries. Well, my friend, you were wrong. The final book might have already come out (we have a great review here), but the boy wizard is still making headlines.

A 16-year-old in France posted his own translation of The Deathly Hallows on Monday. Problem is, the French version of the book won't be out until October 26. So the boy was arrested.

I'm all for taking action against those who transgress against laws. And we all know that plagiarism is bad. And immoral. And not cool. But was this boy really doing something so bad? OK, he did take J. K. Rowling's words without her permission. If he was trying to make money off of this, than that's even worse. Was he trying to make money? I don't know. Probably.

But if you take it at face value, he is just a fan of Harry Potter who wanted his French peers to be able to enjoy the book right now. That's not so bad. It's kind of noble actually, if you ignore the breaking the law part. (Please note, Weekly Reader does not endorse breaking the law, even if it is in the name of literature.)

Well the boy's translation was removed. But it's clear that even after so many books, people still have a fever for Harry. And what's the cure for that fever? More cowbell! Just kidding. Keep on reading Harry Potter!

The following book review was written by Miss Erin, Grade 11.

 - by Gary D. Schmidt

Taking place during the 1960's, The Wednesday Wars tells the story of Holling Hoodhood, an average teenage boy dealing with school, family, friends, and Shakespeare. Mrs. Baker, his teacher, has assigned him a play to read. And the surprising thing is, Holling finds himself enjoying the work of the bard!

Mix Shakespeare and wonderful writing and absolutely great characters, and the result is something to fall in love with. I had fun catching certain Shakespeare allusions and reading Holling's interpretations and reactions to different plays. The author brings the schoolboy's day-to-day life alive in a brilliant style. All-in-all, an extremely delightful read. Very highly recommended.

Visit Miss Erin at her literary blog.

It was a dark and stormy night ...

Clichéd? Yes. Hackneyed? You betcha! Bad writing? Well now, that's the point!

That famous line is the inspiration for an annual contest that salutes bad writing. The contestants must come up with a really bad first line to a non-existent novel. This year's winner combined awkward syntax and bathroom humor, among other things.

This is the winning entry: "Gerald began -- but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them 'permanently' meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash -- to pee," Gleeson wrote.

What a novel idea! (Get it? Oh, and on that same note, contestants can get awards in several categories, one of which is "vile puns." I could totally win that!)

No, seriously, I think this is a really cool contest. There are so many bad writers out there, but to do it purposely, that takes some finesse! And it's definitely harder than it looks.

Here's my attempt:

"Mike looked into Sally's bright blue glowing orbs, her eyes, the windows to her soul (streak-free, no less!), which were as deep and mysterious as the ocean and brought back memories of when he was a lifeguard that summer five years ago and that little girl--why hadn't she listened to him?--had gone out too far and was carried away by a massive riptide; suddenly, Mike no longer wanted to swim in Sally's waters."

Go on, give it a try!

J.K. Rowling once had an idea about a boy who grew up not knowing who he really was. Strange things would happen around Harry from time to time and he wouldn't understand them. One time, while visiting the zoo with his wicked aunt, uncle, and cousin, he even talked to a snake... and the snake talked back.

Fast forward 7 years...

Death Eaters run Hogwarts. Severus Snape (murderer of Albus Dumbledore) is the school's headmaster. The evil Lord Voldemort seems to be in control of everything and everyone. There is no escape.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron are in hiding. There is nothing they can do about the malicious and torturous punishments students are receiving at their beloved school. In this, their 7th year, they have dropped out of Hogwarts so that they can follow Dumbledore's orders and destroy the remaining Horcruxes that contain the shattered pieces of Voldemort's soul.

Sounds difficult, right? Oh man... you don't know the half of it.

Deathly Hallows is a novel that does not ignore its title. This is not your carefree Sorcerer's Stone. In fact, it doesn't even come close. The body count in Deathly Hallows is extraordinary. Just when you think you're through mourning one character, something, from seemingly out of nowhere, destroys another and you are again left with the awful realization that absolutely no one is safe.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione are losing faith. Harry doesn't have a plan and they seem to be wandering clueless into danger wherever they go. There are Death Eaters around every corner. Voldemort's bone chilling reach is everywhere. Is it any wonder that the strain and the incredible weight of their unknowable mission is causing the trio's once unbreakable friendship to weaken? Each turn of every page seems to be heavier and heavier as you fall head-first and weepy into this non-stop, unrelenting fantasy of heroes, villains, and death.

But wait... look at Harry. He is a man now. In fact, he is more than a man. He is an accomplished wizard who has defeated Voldemort more times than he will even admit to himself. Harry sees people for who they are and he respects the good in everyone. Harry stands up for friends, he fights for love, and he is constantly learning and striving to be better.

It took me a long time to accept the Harry Potter craze. I've commented on this before. However now, having read the entire series, I can honestly say that before coming on board, I was, as Ron would say, a "git." These books are magic. They embody all the facets of what makes a story a classic: good, evil, love, hate, quests, journeys, soul-searching, you name it--it's all there.

And the writing ... Rowling has outdone herself in this final book. The writing in Deathly Hallows is so good that I actually had to re-read sentences, paragraphs, and yes, even entire chapters just so I could re-live the joy and suffering of her words as they brushed one another gracefully, carefully, and ever-so-passionately. Harry Potter's final adventure is a sheer masterpiece. It will make any reluctant reader an enthused one and it will remind every enthused reader why they first fell in love with literature in the first place.

True dat.

Oh, and one final note, today is J.K. Rowling's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY J.K.!!

She has said time and time again that she will never return to the Harry Potter series. I believe her. The way it is now, these seven books that form one, complete epic saga could not and should not be tampered with. It's perfect the way it is. However, I do eagerly anticipate J.K.'s next book. Whatever it will be, it will inevitably be unfairly judged against Harry Potter. I only hope I will be able to separate the two.

Now that we no longer have Harry to look forward to, whatever will we do? Read on, my dear Muggle friends.

Read on.