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'USA Today' picks 'Deathly Hallows' as book of the year 
DECEMBER 26, 2007 at 10:24 PM
Posted by GERI
Source: USA Today via Yahoo! News
With 2007 slowly coming to a close, the last book in the Harry Potter series, Deathly Hallows, has been chosen
by USA Today as their book of the year.
According to the newspaper:
This year's choice had to be the final Harry Potter book. The reasons are as varied as the different wizards' wands found in Diagon Alley. There were the numbers: Hallows sold a record-breaking 11.5 million copies in the USA during its first 10 days on sale in July. Then there was the pre-publication hysteria: Would Harry die? Could the world's children - and a lot of adults - handle it? Was an early version posted on the Web the real thing? (Yes.) Months after the book's publication, Rowling triggered controversy by revealing that Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore was gay. The blogosphere went wild. But none of that matters. Hallows is the book of the year because Rowling gave her story an ending that was as graceful, unpredictable and satisfying as the series itself. She reaffirmed that magic can exist when someone opens a great book and enters a world created from words on paper. She made us believe that the imagination - like her own little wizard, now all grown up - still lives.
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Order of Merlin, 1st Class
Points: 1820
loopy looney says:
This book deserves to be number one on every list. It was the last book, and, for me, it did not disappoint. Congrats to JK Rowling!!!!
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 7:49 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1720
Bright Eyes says:
It deserved to win - I mean what other book has sold so quickly and had such appeal worldwide to children (and adults!)
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 8:14 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2558
hbluvhp says:
Of course DH is the book of the year... no other book could have... and meet such high expectations! And I love the write up in USA today... just a little taste of how important this book release really was.
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 8:28 PM EST
Sirius's Veil Thrower
Points: 4479
SiriusBlacksGodDaughter says:
THAT'S AWESOME! I didn't know they had a Book of the Year. :D
~Drish~
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 8:53 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1547
Severus' Advocate says:
Madam Marsh, which fundamental themes did JKR not put in Deathly Hallows? You analyzed them and took notes and perhaps took things which you thought were meant to be fundamental themes but were really essential enough to make the cut. Correct me if I'm wrong and tell me what themes should have been there?
Gaggifying happily-ever-after ending? I certainly did not want a miserable and sad ending. The only thing I didn't like was how Harry and Ginny called their kids Lily and James. It was a brilliant book, and deserves being Book of the Year. It was graceful, unpredictable, and satisfying. She did make us believe that imagination still lives. Like all her other books, Deathly Hallows also had the majestic pull power to take you into the enchanted world. That is a feat in itself, how each book has this rare ability to make you laugh, cry, smile at the events that happen and to make the readers so drawn in you don't want to put the book down. She IS brave, she writes the stories for herself and her fans happen to like them. Some authors would write to please fans, but she can't please everybody...
Deathly Hallows wasn't predictable...most people didn't believe Harry was a Horcrux and me and others did and we were right, so for the majority, that was unexpected. I for one, found Fred, Lupin, Snape and Tonks' deaths unexpected, and when Harry sort of, 'died' - that was unexpected too, yet not, because we all feared he would die, so maybe the relief, and unexpected part was when he came back to life. Deathly Hallows had all the thrill, epic, humour, adventure, little romance, and action of a masterpiece and it was and will always be.
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 9:32 PM EST
Squib
Points: 182
cshorte says:
I'm not surprised at all. No other book had a chance against DH.
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 10:21 PM EST
Student
Points: 213
Ginny_Weasley_504 says:
They were right to choose Deathly Hallows as the book of the year... no other book stood a chance. Despite what some critics may say, it opened a whole new world for millions of children and adults... a world of imagination and adventure.
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 10:23 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2325
mad_eye muggle says:
Wicked cool!That is so amazing!It deserves to be the book of the year.Congrats to JK!
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 10:37 PM EST
Witch
Points: 962
PhoenixThestral says:
Is there anything one can say about this? Hehehe. I'm sure that everyone here is pretty happy about this. Congrats JK!!
Posted Dec 27, 2007 at 11:48 PM EST
Squib
Points: 186
Blondie900 says:
Congrats to JK she definately deserves it!! Where would we all be if she hadnt written one of the most beloved series books of all time??
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 12:43 AM EST
Friendly Deaf Angel
Points: 3994
Yolis says:
It cool..it also made it in the magazine Entertaiment weekly they made it first..out off everthing this year this is the best..i so love J.K.Rowling..she is the best..
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 1:03 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1758
snaily says:
A title very much deserved. It's my favourite book of the entire series. And frankly speaking, there haven't been any other books with such a grand plot line!
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 2:45 AM EST
Squib
Points: 130
RememberSnape says:
She ended the series perfectly, because if you think about it she could have written one of the dramatic books in literature history.
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 5:11 AM EST
Seer
Points: 15207
Brittany Radcliffe says:
well...DUH!
I mean THE biggest series ever with an ending that everyone was dying to know about!
I wanted more to the ending though...
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 9:44 AM EST
Vertigo Swinger
Points: 4006
Topher2707 says:
I'm excited that "Deathly Hallows" won the book of the year award, having been a huge Potter fan since 1999.
I keep seeing comments saying that no other book stood a chance against it, and I think that there are probably quite a few books out there that stand a chance against Harry Potter. While no other books out there have been able to sell as fast as Harry Potter, or bring so many people to love reading, there are many others that have great meaning, and really hold significance to society today.
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 1:55 PM EST
Auror
Points: 2101
phoenix_feathers says:
WHOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Book of the year, chaps? Try book of the century!
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 3:15 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1488
ALLI8 says:
That's really cool. It's a great book and deservers this honor. I also love what they say about JKR. That is really an awesome thing to say about her and it's all true.
alli8
Posted Dec 28, 2007 at 9:24 PM EST
Dragon Rider
Points: 4414
~MalfoyPotter~ says:
Deathly Hallows is hands down one of the best ending to a series I have ever read in my whole life. Its so magical and everything twined together in the end. Kudos to JK!!
~MP~
Posted Dec 29, 2007 at 5:01 AM EST
Prefect
Points: 343
sExyje@nz says:
well!
Harry Potter is one of the Best story I had
ever read.. It inspires a lot of people
It feels sad when you hear that it will end
very soon..
but then I still read it's books and It was moving
so fast.. It seems like it was only yesterday since
Harry don't know his real self and searching his self..
but still No wonder that It may be the Best book
of the year ever!
Posted Dec 29, 2007 at 11:32 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2312
SlytherinStarGazer says:
that is so cool!! but I can't exactly say I am surprised, I mean the book has broke records for how many copies it has sold and it seems that it is all anyone can talk about...That is still such an awesome thing though!!! WOO for Harry Potter!!
Posted Dec 29, 2007 at 4:47 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 1st Class
Points: 1834
Grayback'sVictim says:
WooHoo!!!!
The book of the year...
Well, it's not that suprising. I mean it's just the last part of one of the best sold series of books in the last 10 years (or so)...
*goes to hug her DH book*
Posted Dec 29, 2007 at 5:00 PM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1725
zues says:
Wow, I love it. Book of the year.
Posted Dec 29, 2007 at 7:26 PM EST
Muggle
Points: 84
MexicanWizard says:
heck yeah this is the book of 2007. I was at the midnight release party and there was this kid who knew every single thing about harry potter...
Posted Dec 30, 2007 at 12:07 AM EST
Auror
Points: 4021
RON's all up in heRmiONe says:
The end of the book definitely satisfied me. DH was my fave HP book of all time. The book was very unpredictable, loads of people I didn't expect to die actually did. US Weekly is right, the ending was smooth, graceful, and it gave me a very warm feeling in my heart after I read it, I'm very happy the series went out like that(well, hopefully it won't be the end of the series, I'm still clinging to hope that she's going to write another HP book, she did say it was a big IF, but it still is an IF).
I'm surprised US Weekly gave it a great review. EW Magazine has been mental in reviewing the book. 3 times they(their staff) have mentioned DH and gave it reviews, the first time it came out, they raved about it. The 2nd time they mentioned it, they blatently assumed it wasn't her best. The 3rd time, Steven King(who writes book reviews on the last page of the mag.) put it at #7 on his list of his fave books of 07', he said it wasn't her best at all, but still enjoyed it. I know its their opinion on the book, but still, it seems harsh to flat-out say that. Maybe I feel like that because in my opinion, it was her best book...
Posted Dec 30, 2007 at 6:51 AM EST
Witch
Points: 538
Dementor Hugger says:
well of course. it should actually be the book of the decade :D
Posted Dec 30, 2007 at 9:50 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2073
JAYSTARR says:
Brilliant...Book of the year. Now, We need the 8th Book for the New Year 2008.
Posted Dec 30, 2007 at 12:40 PM EST
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