Bobby Espinosa was first in line. The 11-year-old and his mother, Liz Goodly, arrived at a quarter to 5 a.m. behind Hicklebee's Children's Bookstore, where storeowner Valerie Lewis, her staff and volunteers had transformed the back parking lot into a meandering maze in an imitation of Diagon Alley.

At 7 a.m. on June 21 the store opened unusually early to begin handing out pre-ordered copies of the fifth —and at 896 pages, the longest— installment of British author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The first print run of the book released in the U.S. by American book publisher Scholastic is an astounding 8.5 million copies.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," said a wide-awake Espinosa, eager to begin reading his book, after also speaking to a television crew from NBC channel 11 at the store to cover the event. "I've been reading the Unfortunate Series of Events books," he said referring to the children's book series by author Lemony Snicket.

Snicket's unfortunate series books have helped tide youth readers over during the last three years when the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, was published with similar fanfare.

Because Lewis was concerned about any unforeseen incidents at her downtown Willow Glen bookstore—with an overwhelming number of young customers and parents—she chose not to stay open through the "midnight madness" hour like other local chain stores.

"I had to think of the safety of my customers," Lewis said. "I could have opened at midnight but I would have had a large crowd that could have spilled out into the streets."

Besides, it would have been too dark for anyone to enjoy the mock-cobblestone maze of the Daigon Alley. Pink and purple bricks were painted on the pavement and trivia questions were posted on pedestals to keep patrons occupied as they lined up to pick up their copies of the distinctive fifth book with the blue dust cover.

And Lewis took full advantage of the book's popularity to turn the release into an event. Volunteers dressed up as wizards and witches to keep things organized, with one member dressed as an intimidating dementor—a soul sucking prison guard from an earlier Potter book.

Photograph by Dustin Cohen More Potter: Hicklebee's bookstore co-owner Valerie Lewis took extra care to redesign her store and parking lot like Hogwarts School and Diagon Alley.

In the front display window, Lewis also arranged to have the first chapter read aloud by her store's frequent customers, adding to the day's excitement on the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. And it was all timely planning by the U.S. publisher, Scholastic, giving anxious readers more than 14-hours of light to sit down and read Rowling's latest epic.

Customers appeared to be grateful for Lewis' efforts, which also included a percentage of book proceeds set aside for various designated libraries and schools.

Customers could choose a public or private school or a library to receive either 20 percent of a book's sale in cash or 25 percent in bookstore credit. Wizgird chose the Christa McAuliffe School in Cupertino.

Five-year Willow Glen resident Katherine Doar, chose proceeds from her two copies to go toward Hammer Montessori School and the San Jose Parent Participatory School. She chose Hicklebee's because, "I'm committed to independent bookstores." Doar said she used to work summers during her college years at the Clean Well-lighted Place for Books, formerly in The Oaks Shopping Center in Cupertino.

Her daughter, six-year-old Elizabeth, began reading the Potter books when she was four. Having finished them, she isn't the least bit daunted to take on an almost 900-page book.

The buzz surrounding this latest story is that a major character will die, and Doar said she and her husband are ready to discuss realities of life and death with Elizabeth.

"The plan is to wait until she's a chapter or so away from when it happens," Daor said, feeling apprehensive yet confident. "Her father will then read ahead so he'll know what to expect. Children need to learn and understand about death."

Other customers in the store also emphasized the importance of supporting the few remaining independent bookstores in the area.

"I really like the personal touch that Hicklebee's does at all its events," which include author signings and community reading activities, said Lynne Hoffman of San Jose. Hoffman and her husband, Tim, dropped by to pick up their pre-ordered copy with their 10-year-old daughter, Katie. They could have gone to a Barnes and Noble bookstore hours earlier at midnight but said, "It would have been too impersonal. They would have just corralled us in and out. And besides, the staff here actually reads the books they sell."

Also grateful for the early morning festivities rather than a midnight mob rush was Sunnyvale resident Diane Wizgird.

"Hicklebee's is such a wonderful place to bring children," she said, "and it's so much safer to do something like this in the morning."

Photograph by Dustin Cohen Little Wizard: Kathleen Langlais, 6, is the proud owner of J.K. Rowling's newest Harry Potter book.

That morning, however, was a long awaited chance for Potter fans to choose fantasy over reality.

Helping provide that fantasy was store manager Carol Muller's family. Fifteen-year-old daughter Meredith dressed as a fortune-telling gypsy and her brother, 18-year-old Greg, dressed as the faceless, cloaked dementor, who entertained antsy children by juggling.

Inside, five-year Willow Glen resident Randy Leberknight was reading aloud the book's first chapter. The father of four replied to Lewis' invitation, sent out via the store's e-mail newsletter, for volunteers to read.

Though it was a cold reading, Leberknight's oration appeared practiced and smooth. He said he had lots of practice reading the other Potter books as bedtime stories to his children. And as the latest installment quickly left the store, Leberknight and thousands of other parents will get a lot more practice reading to their children as they dig into book five.