NORTHFIELD — Northfield residents Juliette Potee, 9, Sarah LaRocque, 10, and Ella Dubin, 12, leaned close together, chatting quietly about a series of 10 Harry Potter trivia questions and conferring about what the answers might be.
After Juliette had scribbled down 10 responses, Ann Linge revealed the correct answers to such questions as “What does Harry Potter use to breathe underwater?” and “What does Hermione leave for the house-elves?”
The children and adults alike exclaimed “Oh!” with each curious reveal, making the round of trivia a learning experience for each of the devoted Harry Potter fans.
On the first Saturday each month, the Harry Potter book club meets in Dickinson Memorial Library to enjoy Harry Potter-themed snacks, crafts, music, discussion and, of course, trivia.
“The last three books we had people who got all 10 questions right, so I had to make it harder,” said Linge, of Northfield.
Linge started the club two years ago with her two mutual friends, Deb Potee of Northfield and Pauline Dean of Brattleboro, Vt.
“The three of us were all really big Harry Potter fans,” Deb Potee said.
At the start, Linge had planned for the club to be a book discussion for adults, but quickly found that a number of local children were interested, too. During its first year, about 12 children regularly attended the monthly meetings.
During the April meeting on Saturday, the book up for discussion was “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Potee explained that she, Linge and Dean mix up the decorations depending on the book, creating banners with the names of the four Hogwarts houses, hanging Harry Potter posters on the walls and playing the corresponding film’s soundtrack, with some funding from the Northfield Cultural Council.
At the start of each meeting, Linge sings one of seven sorting songs that she wrote herself, and the members are sorted into the four houses or — as was the case Saturday — into three Harry Potter schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute.
For Linge, launching the book club has been a rewarding project.
“I love the books so much that to share them and talk about them with other people is just awesome,” she said.
The club is as fun for children as it is for adults, allowing them all to interact with others who share their interests. Dubin explained she’s been able to “find other people who are Harry Potter addicts.”
“It’s just kind of a fun thing to do, especially when you’re doing it with your friends,” Sarah said. “And even if you don’t have friends here, you make friends.”
Potee enjoys how the club encourages reading while allowing children to explore different crafting activities, like making their own wands.
“I think it’s just really fun to give any kids a chance to talk about something that they’ve read,” Potee said. Plus, she added, the Harry Potter books teach readers a lot about human nature, such as how to overcome fears, how people can sometimes be excluded or how individuals aren’t as simple as being just good or evil.
“It’s such a teachable book,” Linge agreed. Often, Linge designs the discussion questions to encourage thinking about values.
Each Friday at 7 p.m. following a book discussion, the club reunites at the library to watch the corresponding Harry Potter movie. The next film screening, of “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” will be held April 7.
The club takes a break in the summer, allowing members to catch up on their reading, and will meet again in September, October and November to discuss the fifth, sixth and seventh books in the series. As part of the screening of the final two movies, the club holds a sleepover and treasure hunt in the library, which Linge described as being a “magical” time.
The Harry Potter series, Potee said, is something that can excite people of all ages.
“By writing this, (J.K. Rowling) really gave a gift to the people,” she said. “It gets people excited about reading, both boys and girls.”
To learn more about or to get involved in the book club, contact Linge at annlinge@gmail.com or Potee at dpotee@hotmail.com.
You can reach
Shelby Ashline at:
sashline@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 257