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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Jamison Kinnane

Aired June 21, 2003 - 07:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we head to London, where Harry- mania in complete full swing.
Our Diana Muriel is there. And Diana, I guess all the Muggles have their hands on this book now. What's been going on?

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the Muggles have been queuing up through the night to get hold of the latest in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at bookshops all over London, indeed, all over the country.

Children brought their grandparents and their parents to help them queue. And some of them were actually overcome with emotion when finally, long minutes after midnight, they were able to get their hands on the precious books.

Many of them got dressed up as witches and wizards and other characters from the book. They were having a great time, all sorts of fun celebrations and parties planned for today, of course, while people are busy buying the book.

And indeed, I should tell you that they are flying off the shelves faster than the Golden Snitch in the game of Quiddich. They are absolutely selling like hotcakes.

I should tell you also that as far as the adult cover of the book, which has also been brought out simultaneously for the first time along with the children's cover, the whole of London has sold out of the adult cover books, like this one here. They have completely sold out, and they're not sure when they're going to be able to get their hands on some more.

One thing I should point out, though, that all of the books, all those sort of books, are being sold at a discount by British bookstores. They should be selling for something in the vision of $27, but actually they're being sold for $19, and they're being used, if you like, as a loss leader, to encourage children to come into the stores and to buy other children's books.

And indeed, this particular bookshop in central London, which sold 600 of these books in the first hour of business last night, they're offering a 20 percent discount on all other books which are sold if you buy a copy of this particular book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

So it's very, very good for business, Thomas. ROBERTS: Diana, you point out the adult cover already sold out there in London. I guess they make a much smaller percentage of those books than they did the children's cover?

MURIEL: I think that's been the problem. I think they didn't realize just what demand there would be for the adult cover books, and they're going to have to perhaps come up with a very quick second print run on that particular cover.

It just shows you just how many people are fascinated, enchanted, by the story of Harry Potter.

ROBERTS: Diana, real quickly, before we let you go, I guess everybody in these long lines waiting to buy the book, are they standing there reading the book as they go?

MURIEL: That's right. There've been people all over the store. You can see them opening the book, and then standing there entranced for several minutes together, reading the book. A lot of people are rushing to the back of the book to try and find out which of the main characters is killed off in this latest in the Harry Potter series.

And it's more than my job's worth, Thomas, to tell you who that is.

ROBERTS: All right, you keep it to yourself for now, but that is one of the big twists in this book.

Diana Muriel, live for us in London. Diana, thanks very much.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It cracks me up that there's an adult cover. Is that so that the adults can pretend like the...

ROBERTS: Not so bad...

COLLINS: ... maybe they're not really reading Harry Potter?

ROBERTS: Yes, exactly, so when they're on the beach, they don't have to worry about it.

COLLINS: Right.

So just what is it about the Harry Potter books that makes kids go wild?

ROBERTS: Yes, we want to ask an expert on this. Jamison Kinnane is a 12-year-old Harry Potter fan from Atlanta. She is in London on summer vacation, got her hands on that book earlier than her friends back here at home across the pond.

Jamison, have you started to read it? I hear you're 40 pages in. What do you think?

JAMISON KINNANE, HARRY POTTER FAN: I like the book. It's really good. And it's sort of suspenseful, because she starts out not knowing what -- with you not knowing what's going on. You're -- he's upset about something, but she doesn't tell you what it is till later in the book.

COLLINS: Jamison, I know you waited in line for three hours, starting at about 11:30 last night, till 2:30 in the morning. Was it worth it? Are you so happy to have that big, fat book in your hands?

KINNANE: Yes. I'm glad I got it, and there's a lot of people there waiting. We had to wait for a long time to get it. And I got the book, and I'm glad I have it.

ROBERTS: Jamison, it's been about three years since the last book came out, so I guess when did you get hooked on the Harry Potter books? Was it, you know -- you're only 12 years old, so it couldn't have been that long ago, huh?

KINNANE: Well, when it first came out, I was -- I didn't really know about it. A bunch of people were reading it. And I heard about it, and I read the first book. And then I started till I -- I liked the first book, so I started reading them when they came out. And it was about two years ago, or three.

COLLINS: Jamison, are you normally a pretty good reader? And if you are, I'm wondering if you know about any friends of yours who normally don't read very much, but because of the Harry Potter books, because they're so good, everybody has kind of started to read more. Do you know anybody, if not yourself, that that's happened to?

KINNANE: Yes, a lot of people have started reading more since the Harry Potter books. There were so many people out at the bookstore last night. They have, like, security guards there, because a lot of people who don't normally read went out to get this book because they were so excited about Harry Potter.

ROBERTS: Jamison, real quickly, before we let you go, 870 pages for this Harry Potter book. How long is it going to take you to read through it?

KINNANE: It will take awhile. It's 756 pages, so it will take -- well, last night, I got to page 40, so...

COLLINS: Well, that's pretty good.

KINNANE: ... it'll take awhile.

ROBERTS: That's a good dent so far. Be proud of yourself.

COLLINS: That is. Thanks so much, Jamison Kinnane from New York -- or actually London. And getting her hands on the book...

ROBERTS: And I know her friends back...

COLLINS: ... before a lot of her American friends.

ROBERTS: ... her friends back here in Atlanta are going to be very jealous.

Jamison, thanks for joining us, and good luck with reading it, all right?

COLLINS: Bye, Jamison.

KINNANE: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired June 21, 2003 - 07:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now we head to London, where Harry- mania in complete full swing.
Our Diana Muriel is there. And Diana, I guess all the Muggles have their hands on this book now. What's been going on?

DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, the Muggles have been queuing up through the night to get hold of the latest in the Harry Potter series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" at bookshops all over London, indeed, all over the country.

Children brought their grandparents and their parents to help them queue. And some of them were actually overcome with emotion when finally, long minutes after midnight, they were able to get their hands on the precious books.

Many of them got dressed up as witches and wizards and other characters from the book. They were having a great time, all sorts of fun celebrations and parties planned for today, of course, while people are busy buying the book.

And indeed, I should tell you that they are flying off the shelves faster than the Golden Snitch in the game of Quiddich. They are absolutely selling like hotcakes.

I should tell you also that as far as the adult cover of the book, which has also been brought out simultaneously for the first time along with the children's cover, the whole of London has sold out of the adult cover books, like this one here. They have completely sold out, and they're not sure when they're going to be able to get their hands on some more.

One thing I should point out, though, that all of the books, all those sort of books, are being sold at a discount by British bookstores. They should be selling for something in the vision of $27, but actually they're being sold for $19, and they're being used, if you like, as a loss leader, to encourage children to come into the stores and to buy other children's books.

And indeed, this particular bookshop in central London, which sold 600 of these books in the first hour of business last night, they're offering a 20 percent discount on all other books which are sold if you buy a copy of this particular book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

So it's very, very good for business, Thomas. ROBERTS: Diana, you point out the adult cover already sold out there in London. I guess they make a much smaller percentage of those books than they did the children's cover?

MURIEL: I think that's been the problem. I think they didn't realize just what demand there would be for the adult cover books, and they're going to have to perhaps come up with a very quick second print run on that particular cover.

It just shows you just how many people are fascinated, enchanted, by the story of Harry Potter.

ROBERTS: Diana, real quickly, before we let you go, I guess everybody in these long lines waiting to buy the book, are they standing there reading the book as they go?

MURIEL: That's right. There've been people all over the store. You can see them opening the book, and then standing there entranced for several minutes together, reading the book. A lot of people are rushing to the back of the book to try and find out which of the main characters is killed off in this latest in the Harry Potter series.

And it's more than my job's worth, Thomas, to tell you who that is.

ROBERTS: All right, you keep it to yourself for now, but that is one of the big twists in this book.

Diana Muriel, live for us in London. Diana, thanks very much.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It cracks me up that there's an adult cover. Is that so that the adults can pretend like the...

ROBERTS: Not so bad...

COLLINS: ... maybe they're not really reading Harry Potter?

ROBERTS: Yes, exactly, so when they're on the beach, they don't have to worry about it.

COLLINS: Right.

So just what is it about the Harry Potter books that makes kids go wild?

ROBERTS: Yes, we want to ask an expert on this. Jamison Kinnane is a 12-year-old Harry Potter fan from Atlanta. She is in London on summer vacation, got her hands on that book earlier than her friends back here at home across the pond.

Jamison, have you started to read it? I hear you're 40 pages in. What do you think?

JAMISON KINNANE, HARRY POTTER FAN: I like the book. It's really good. And it's sort of suspenseful, because she starts out not knowing what -- with you not knowing what's going on. You're -- he's upset about something, but she doesn't tell you what it is till later in the book.

COLLINS: Jamison, I know you waited in line for three hours, starting at about 11:30 last night, till 2:30 in the morning. Was it worth it? Are you so happy to have that big, fat book in your hands?

KINNANE: Yes. I'm glad I got it, and there's a lot of people there waiting. We had to wait for a long time to get it. And I got the book, and I'm glad I have it.

ROBERTS: Jamison, it's been about three years since the last book came out, so I guess when did you get hooked on the Harry Potter books? Was it, you know -- you're only 12 years old, so it couldn't have been that long ago, huh?

KINNANE: Well, when it first came out, I was -- I didn't really know about it. A bunch of people were reading it. And I heard about it, and I read the first book. And then I started till I -- I liked the first book, so I started reading them when they came out. And it was about two years ago, or three.

COLLINS: Jamison, are you normally a pretty good reader? And if you are, I'm wondering if you know about any friends of yours who normally don't read very much, but because of the Harry Potter books, because they're so good, everybody has kind of started to read more. Do you know anybody, if not yourself, that that's happened to?

KINNANE: Yes, a lot of people have started reading more since the Harry Potter books. There were so many people out at the bookstore last night. They have, like, security guards there, because a lot of people who don't normally read went out to get this book because they were so excited about Harry Potter.

ROBERTS: Jamison, real quickly, before we let you go, 870 pages for this Harry Potter book. How long is it going to take you to read through it?

KINNANE: It will take awhile. It's 756 pages, so it will take -- well, last night, I got to page 40, so...

COLLINS: Well, that's pretty good.

KINNANE: ... it'll take awhile.

ROBERTS: That's a good dent so far. Be proud of yourself.

COLLINS: That is. Thanks so much, Jamison Kinnane from New York -- or actually London. And getting her hands on the book...

ROBERTS: And I know her friends back...

COLLINS: ... before a lot of her American friends.

ROBERTS: ... her friends back here in Atlanta are going to be very jealous.

Jamison, thanks for joining us, and good luck with reading it, all right?

COLLINS: Bye, Jamison.

KINNANE: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com