J.K. Rowling Reads to Hundreds LAUSD Students

HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 15, 2007 (KABC-TV) (KABC) -- Hundreds of students in L.A. Unified schools got a chance to sit down with famed author J.K. Rowling Monday as she starts her "Open Book Tour" at the Kodak Theatre.

Just the sight of J.K. Rowling was magical for her young fans. The wildly successful author who has released the final Harry Potter book kicked off her open book tour in the states at the famed Kodak Theatre. She says she just wanted the chance to meet her biggest fans up close.

"To be honest this has been an amazing treat for me. The last time that I was in the states was 2000. Things got a little bit unmanageable signing wise in terms of numbers who was turning up, but I really missed being able to interact directly with readers," says J.K. Rowling.

Rowling read an excerpt from her final book,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" to sixteen-hundred L.A. Unified students Monday morning selected from dozens of campus as cross the county.

Although cameras were not allowed inside of the Kodak to film the reading, it was obvious from the lobby that the kids were excited to be there.

"I can hear them. This has been a competition that has been going on for awhile and they are just so excited to meet J.K. Rowling today and you can hear it all over," says Ronni Ephraim, LAUSD.

The books U.S. publishers, Scholastic Books, made the reading possible and is donating 5,000 copies of Rowling's first Harry Potter book to L.A. Unified to encourage reading.

As Rowling finished up her stop in L.A. she held a book signing for the students.

So what's next for their literary hero that has brought magic to millions?

"I think probably I've done my fantasy. I think because Harry's world was so large and detailed and I've known it so well and I lived in it for 17 years it would be incredibly difficult to go out and create another world," says Rowling.

She is not sure what genre she will tackle next, but she is excited about the quick book tour that will wrap up at Carnegie Hall Friday night.

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