Harry Potter writer's magic treat for 4,000 pupils

JK Rowling was giving a magical treat to 4,000 Harry Potter fans today in a special event at London's Royal Albert Hall.

She will read extracts from the new book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which broke records when it went on sale last week.

The author will also answer questions about her creation and chat on stage with host Stephen Fry.

The venue in Kensington, west central London, has been transformed for the day into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Tickets were distributed through a special schools ballot for groups of up to 50 children at a time. The reading is also being broadcast on the internet at www.msn.co.uk/harrypotter.

Many in the young audience will already have finished the 766-page book, which is the fifth in the series.

Since its publication on Saturday, The Order of the Phoenix has broken publishing records. It conjured up UK sales of almost 1.8 million in its first day, making it the fastest selling book of all time.