Seven ways to get ready for one Harry Potter summer

By Sharon Hoffmann, The Star

1. Laugh: Some creative Massachusetts teens have reduced the Potter characters to hand puppet silliness on potterpuppet pals.com. Start with “The Mysterious Ticking Noise.”

2. Play: With every movie comes a new video game. Explore Hogwarts in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” debuting June 25 for most platforms.

3. Meet up: The Kansas City Harry Potter Meetup Group gathers monthly for discussions, games, parties and more. The next meeting is June 23. Info at harrypotter .meetup.com/31/.

4. Browse: Explore fan sites (mug glenet.com, the-leaky-cauldron .org, sugarquill.net, hp-lexicon .org), the publisher’s Web site (scholastic.com/harrypotter), the movie (harrypotter.warner bros.com) or the great creator ( www.jkrowling.com).

5. Analyze: The books have spawned a cottage industry of Potter predictions and punditry. Try Mugglenet.Com’s What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 (Ulysses Press, $13.95).

6. Listen: The fundraiser CD “Wizards and Muggles Rock for Social Justice” is due out next month with bands such as Harry and the Potters (eskimolabs .com/hp) and Draco and the Malfoys (evilwiz ardrock.com).

7. Reread: The ambitious can dive into Books 1-6 again. Don’t have time? Get by with only Book 6 (Half-Blood Prince) and the “Phoenix” film. Or for your summer vacation, try the audio versions, masterfully told by Jim Dale.