I would be remiss, in light of the movie debut on November 16, if I didn't write something in recognition of that great phenomenon. To date, over 100 million books have been sold @ an average of $15.00 per hard cover, (the paperback version seems to be way out into the future) which equals one and one half billion dollars, not to mention the $200 million dollar movie deal that was made with the author last year. (I don't dare write these quotes in number form, as that would destroy my concentration!) Next summer will come the onslaught of the publication of the fifth novel in the Harry Potter Series of seven books, "Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix". It's anybody's guess what numbers that will bring to add to the coffers.

The "Harry Potter" series, John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", have become among the most 'challenged' books in our U.S. schools. They are included in the list that coincides with the 20th annual Banned Books Week, which ends this Sunday, November 4. "Banned Books Week serves to raise awareness about censorship and reminds Americans that our freedoms can be fragile if we are not vigilant in protecting them," Judith Krug, director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said on Wednesday. The ALA defines a "challenge" as a formal, written complaint filed with a school library about a book's content and/or its appropriateness. Criticisms, usually by parents, include Satanism (the Potter series), offensive language and racism (Of Mice and Men), and violence (the Potter series, Of Mice and Men) and sexual content (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings).

The ALA reports 646 challenges in 2000, up from 472 in 1999, and believes that those figures represent just a fraction of the actual complaints. But no matter the complaints those books were rarely pulled, Krug said. The American Society of Journalists and Authors and the Association of American Publishers also sponsor the list. Included are Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War, cited for violence and offensive language, and Caroline Cooney's The Terrorist, already controversial well before the Sept. 11 hijackings.

The Terrorist is a young adult novel. It's about a boy killed after being handed an explosive package on a London train. "The complaints are because the alleged terrorist is an Arab," Krug said.

A short comment on the film: Chris Columbus, the director of "Mrs. Doubtfire" and the first two "Home Alone" films, tells Vanity Fair it only made sense that his film version of "Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone" would adhere to Rowling's version. "It was a very simple, logical theory: if the books are so popular with people, why would you change them."

EDITOR'S NOTE:
The movie runs two and a half long, long hours so be sure to backpack some extra food and a sleeping bag.