Entertainment Weekly recently had a bracket to find the Best Young Adult Novel of All Tine and the Harry Potter series was voted the Best! The series was first pitted against Holes by Louis Sachar, next up was The Giver Quartet series by Lois Lowry followed by Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and it beat The Princess Bride by William Goldman (which happens to be a favorite of mine – because of the movie I read the book.) The final book it had to defeat was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

But after winning another decisive victory over Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower in the bracket’s Final Four, TFiOS hit a wall. In the end, there was really no contest: John Green’s book won just over a third of the final vote; the rest went to J.K. Rowling’s masterpiece.

Why? For that answer, we’ll have to turn to a rather unlikely source: John Green himself, who wrote on his Tumblr that his own final vote “obviously” went to Harry Potter. His explanation: “HP is the most important story for a generation of readers and is one of the central reasons that my career even exists, so it’s a bit silly even to be in the ring with it here at the end.”

With that, Green just about sums things up. The Fault in Our Stars is a great book. But to millions and millions of people — old, young, anywhere in between — Harry Potter is more than that: It’s a cultural beacon, a secular religion, a way of life. And a full six years after the final book in the series was published (and two years after the final film adaptation’s release), the saga’s impact has hardly diminished. There’s simply nothing else like Harry, and there may never be anything like him again — despite the best efforts of publishing houses and movie studios alike.

The Universal Orlando website has been updated with new information on the upcoming Celebration of Harry Potter from January 24th – 26th. VIP vacation packages are sold out for the event but you can still buy daily tickets to the park and attend special events on a first come, first serve basis (after the VIPs are seated.)

Come and celebrate all of Harry Potter’s adventures with interactive experiences, exciting demonstrations, and more. The celebration kicks off with a Harry Potter™ Tribute on Friday – a special evening event featuring select cast members and award-winning artist, Kazu Kibuishi, who recently reimagined the Harry Potter book covers.

Other special activities over the weekend include:

• A wand masterclass hosted by Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, featuring Wand Combat choreographer Paul Harris and a special guest
• Q&A sessions with members of the Harry Potter cast
• Panel discussions that cannot be missed with MinaLima – creators of the graphics seen in the movies
• Pottermore – an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Pottermore.com – the free interactive website from J.K. Rowling (Saturday & Sunday)
• Plus, guests can explore the one-of-a-kind Harry Potter Expo with interactive activities for fans including a vignette of movie props from Harry Potter: The Exhibition and The Sorting Hat™ experience.
• And More

Last month we reported that Harry Melling (along with another Potter alum, Isabellla Laughland) was staring in King Lear. Harry is playing Fool in the play while Isabella is Cordelia. Today we can announce that Harry will be doing a live Q&A on Twitter next Tuesday, 26th November, from 1:00-1:30pm.

To ask Harry your question just need to tweet them to @chichesterFT and us the hashtag #askharrym. You can also send your questions in advance and Harry will answer as many as he can when he takes over the Twitter feed.

The play is running until November 30th, ticket prices are as follows with full booking information available here.

Evenings/Matinees: £32

Aged 18-25? An allocation of tickets priced at just £8.50 for all performances in both theatres will be released one month before each production opens. Find out more.

Today Warner Bros. have sent over an exciting press release, just in time for the holidays! The Harry Potter Shop at Platfrom 9¾ at King’s Cross has opened an online store, shipping to the United Kingdom! Read the full press release below!

Following the successful opening of THE HARRY POTTER™ SHOP AT PLATFORM 9¾ at King’s Cross Station in December 2012, Platform 9¾ K1ngs Cross Ltd is pleased to announce the launch of the new THE HARRY POTTER™ SHOP AT PLATFORM 9¾ online shop.

All official Platform 9¾ K1ngs Cross Ltd merchandise and select official Harry Potter™ products are now available to purchase online via harrypotterplatform934.com, so those unable to visit the shop at King’s Cross Station can buy that special Harry Potter gift. For Christmas 2013, the online shop will deliver to UK residents with wider delivery options coming soon in early 2014. Available via the online store are items such as replica Hogwarts Express collectible train tickets, souvenirs, wands, t-shirts, stationery, books, Hogwarts robes and uniforms, as well as other collectibles in homage to the successful Harry Potter™ film series.

THE HARRY POTTER™ SHOP AT PLATFORM 9¾ has been produced by Jonathan Sands (Founder and Chief Executive of London Film Museum) and partners, and in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

“We are delighted that we can now bring The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾ to a wider audience,” says Jonathan Sands, founder of THE HARRY POTTER™ SHOP AT PLATFORM 9¾. “Since opening the shop, in association with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, at King’s Cross Station last December, we have been constantly asked how customers can buy our iconic range of Platform 9 ¾ merchandise without travelling to London, and here’s how.”

The Harry Potter USPS Forever stamps we posted about last week are now available at USPS locations and in their online store. Shop all the items on their Harry Potter page. They have numerous items available for purchase from your basic Stamp Book (20 stamps) to a First Day of Issue color postmark and press sheets. A description for the basic booklet is as follows:

The Harry Potter films brought J.K. Rowling’s magical world to the screen, giving physical shape to the characters, creatures, and places that had lived in readers’ imaginations since publication of the first book. The U.S. Postal Service celebrates that magic with a 20-stamp souvenir booklet featuring stills from the award-winning Warner Bros. movies.

The folded booklet has five pages. The front cover features the title Harry Potter, with an image of Harry playing Quidditch, the beloved wizarding sport. The back cover has a picture of a young Harry in class, taking notes with his quill; the title Harry Potter is centered under the picture. When the booklet is opened, an illustration of Hogwarts covers two pages on the back, and selvage text appears on the last page. Inside there are five groupings of four stamps, each grouping set on its own page. Each set of four stamps, featuring stills from the Warner Bros. movies, surrounds the red wax seal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry Potter’s story begins when he receives a letter and a visitor that change his life. He learns that he is the orphaned son of two wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. Invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry embarks on an adventure he never could have imagined.

The stamps capture the magic of Harry’s world, with photographs of a few of the brave heroes, fearsome villains, and extraordinary creatures that he encounters throughout his adventures.

[…]The art directors for the Harry Potter Stamp Collection were William J. Gicker and Greg Breeding. Breedingdesigned the souvenir booklet using images from the Warner Bros. Harry Potter movies.

The Harry Potter stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.

Paramount has released the first trailer for Emma Watson’s newest film, Noah. The film also stars Russel Crowe and Emma’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower co-star Logan Lerman. Below is what they are calling the International English trailer, and was posted a few minutes ago to their YouTube account.

Additionally, SnitchSeeker found this slightly different trailer: