The Knight Bus

Harry Potter bus hits the road

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A lucky group of Muggles paid a visit to the Knight Bus when it stopped at the TODAY show in New York City, June 1, 2007. (Photo: Esther Chen)

June 6, 2007

A bright purple, triple-decker bus made its first official stop at the TODAY show in New York City last week. A big crowd gathered for a closer look at the Knight Bus, a mode of transportation made famous in the Harry Potter series. The event kicked off the start of a magical tour celebrating the world of Harry Potter. I was lucky enough to be there for the fun.

I had the opportunity, along with five other Muggles, to go inside the Knight Bus. Fans first read about the Knight Bus in the third Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry needed to get away from the Dursley home and try to get back to school. The bus is an amazing means of transportation for witches and wizards, taking them anywhere they need to go in a hurry.

The Knight Bus will travel across the country, visiting 37 lucky libraries in the next 7 weeks. All the excitement is building up to the July 21 release of the long-anticipated seventh (and final) book in the Harry Potter series—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Knight Bus Tour will stop at 37 lucky libraries this summer. (Photo: Esther Chen)

Visitors to the Knight Bus will discover beds where passengers can get a little sleep, as well as an upper deck. The most fun for me was a booth where you could look into a camera and talk about whatever thoughts, feelings or ideas that you had about Harry Potter.

My favorite character is Hermione because she is focused and studies hard. As a result, she knows all kinds of spells and helps Harry to get out of trouble. Hermione is also very brave. She is not afraid to take a stand against bullies like Draco Malfoy.

During my visit to the Knight Bus, I got a chance to talk with two kids—Remi and Danny. (They're both 10 years old like me.) They each named Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as their favorite book in the series. For Remi, it was because Harry finds out more about the mysterious prophecy. Danny picked the book because it was full of action. One of his favorite characters, he says, is Dobby, because although he gets Harry into trouble, Dobby is really trying to help him.

The Knight Bus Tour could be coming to a town near you! This week, the Knight Bus will be making stops in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. For a full list of dates, visit the official Web site for the Knight Bus Tour.

Get ready, all of you Muggles, to climb aboard! You are in store for a great experience.

Critical Thinking Question

Read today's news story, and then answer the following question.

If you paid a visit to the Knight Bus, what would you say in the video booth?

Join a discussion of this question on our bulletin board.

 

Samantha Group is a member of the Scholastic Kids Press Corps.

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