Scholastic and Award-Winning Illustrator Kazu Kibuishi Unveil New Cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in Celebration of Harry Potter 15th Anniversary

NEW YORK, July 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children's publishing, education and media company, today unveiled the new cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – the seventh and final trade paperback edition with new covers illustrated by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Kazu Kibuishi.  Kibuishi, along with Arthur Levine, Vice President and Publisher, Arthur A. Levine Books and David Saylor, Vice President, Creative Director, Scholastic, unveiled the new cover in New York, NY at a special event at The Scholastic Store.  The complete series of newly jacketed books and a new boxed set will be available on August 27, 2013, as part of Scholastic's celebration of the 15^th anniversary of the U.S. publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the original book in J.K. Rowling's best-selling Harry Potter series.

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The Scholastic Store hosted an exciting event to celebrate the unveiling of the new cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  The Scholastic Store party was packed with Harry Potter fans of all ages, a welcoming Hagrid and live snakes, toads and owls. Hundreds of fans, many of whom were dressed as their favorite Harry Potter characters, joined in a host of fun activities including potion and wand-making and thrilled at the chance to be the first to see the new book trailer that will appear in theaters this summer. Fifty lucky fans received lithographs of the seventh book cover signed by Kibuishi.   

Following today's unveiling, Scholastic will release the seven back covers of the new paperback trade editions illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi, one each day from August 1^st through 7^th.  Each day at 9 a.m. (EDT or eastern time), fans can see the amazing new Harry Potter art at www.oomscholasticblog.com.

In each of the new cover illustrations, Kibuishi perfectly captures a pivotal moment from that particular book. For Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the illustration shows Harry, Ron and Hermione clinging to the back of a gigantic dragon, as they are carried ever closer to the pivotal battle which will determine the fate of the entire wizarding world. 

The artwork on the box set portrays a sweeping panorama of Hogsmeade, the picturesque village near Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as well as Dumbledore and Hagrid, walk through town, past Honeydukes Sweetshop, and Zonko's Joke Shop. One special feature of the box set is the dramatic spine artwork which, as the volumes are placed in the order from one to seven, becomes a breathtaking view of Hogwarts at sunset. The entire box becomes an invitation to enter the enchanting world of the Harry Potter stories. 

Fifteen years after the first U.S. publication of J.K. Rowling's first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in September 1998, there are more than 150 million Harry Potter books in print in the United States alone and the series still hits bestseller lists regularly. The seven Harry Potter books are published in over 200 territories in 74 languages and have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide.

About Kazu Kibuishi Kazu Kibuishi is the Eisner-nominated creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling Amulet series of graphic novels, as well as the comic collection Copper, both published by Graphix/Scholastic. He is also the founder and editor of the Flight Anthologies, a critically acclaimed comic series; and the creator of Daisy Kutter: The Last Train, which was named a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. Kazu Kibuishi lives in Alhambra, California with his family. Visit him at www.boltcity.com and on Twitter at @BoltCity.

For more information about Scholastic visit our media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com

For more information about Harry Potter and the new paperback releases, visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/harrypotter where downloadable images/movie files of the new covers for all seven Harry Potter books, the box set image, and new book-trailer video are available.

Contact: Sara Sinek, [email protected] 212.343.6899

Kristen Joerger, [email protected] 212.389.3343

SOURCE Scholastic Inc.