Emma Arden referred to talking centaurs, and not as we made it appear, to unicorns. The mistake was ours not hers.

-----------------------

Emma Arden, 11, was not among those queueing for a copy of the new Harry Potter

I definitely won't be rushing down to the bookshop for my copy and I will be trying my best to ignore all the excitement and hype.

I did try reading the first book. I actually finished it, but I knew early on I didn't like the whole idea of it. It was so unoriginal. There were all sorts of ideas copied from other books. Harry was an orphan and he had a horrid cousin who made his life difficult. That isn't so different from Cinderella.

The elf in the second book reminds me of Gollum, and the woods in the first book with the talking unicorns is something that could have come straight out of Narnia. The whole revenge plot between Harry and Voldemort is also a bit boring and has been done loads of times before.

The characters are a bit stereotyped and the way JK Rowling writes is flat and boring. It is like a grown-up talking to children. I find it quite patronising. I am surprised that adults read the books. They are children's fantasy stories. Maybe they want to read them to reconnect with their childhoods, maybe they want to see what the fuss is all about, or maybe they are bored.

When the first book came out there was so much hype. Since the other books, movies and merchandise have come out it has got a bit silly.

I think queueing up at midnight is a bit excessive. It isn't the end of the world if you don't get one book, or you get it a bit late. It is only a book about a boy who is a wizard. A book like that isn't going to change anything.

I also think that if they are releasing this for children then they should do it during the day, instead of in the middle of the night.

My friends know that I am not interested, so they talk to me about other stuff. I used to have to remind them all the time that I didn't want to chat about Harry Potter, but now it is fine. It is just my opinion and they accept that.

They do like the books, but they wouldn't go to get a copy in the middle of the night.

People have Harry Potter parties and I did feel left out at first. I was invited to a few when the first book became popular. I didn't go to the first fancy dress party because I just didn't like the idea of it and didn't want to pretend that I did.

The next one was to see the movie and I went because I wanted to see if they had made it better than the book. It was still a bit unrealistic for me. I can't believe in the fantasy world. That doesn't draw me into books. I prefer realistic stories that I can relate to. I like reading books about real problems and real lives by authors like Nina Bawden and Catherine MacPhail.

If it hadn't been for the publicity then I don't think Harry Potter would have become such a big thing. I don't think the hype will last forever. I don't believe it is something that has real staying power.