Recently, JK Rowling released a new website with her usual flare of mysteriousness and fanfare. It's called
Pottermore. It won't be fully functional until October except for a few lucky people that will be able to beta test it starting July 31st. I would highly recommend going to the site and watching the brief video as the graphics are amazing. More and more movies are using this paper cut out graphic technique in their opening credits and during back story. I love it.
Pottermore will essentially be the go to site for audio books and the exclusive site for ebooks. Rowling did not say what format the books would be in so I don't know if they will work on your ereader or if it is strictly for the computer, which is a drawback in my opinion. She's held out a long time, let's hope it's not going to be just about the money. I hope she considered the readers and their needs as well.
I remember when my dear daughter came home from second grade talking about a story they were reading about a little boy who was locked in a cupboard under the stairs with spiders. I thought what kind of stuff are they reading to these kids. Then she kept coming home day after day and all she could talk about was this book so we finally bought it and I read it aloud to her. Little did I know we had started a new tradition. From then on, we were in line on release day. Sometimes in costume. We would have marathon reading sessions, always with me reading aloud still, even when she was old enough to read it to herself. Now she is almost 20 and has moved on from Harry Potter but I haven't :)
My dear son who will be nine soon is hooked on the books and we read them aloud to him. He hasn't heard the later books as they are a bit scary and more grown up, but as he grows he can grow with Harry.
As I'm writing this, I'm planning to go to the midnight showing of the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - the final movie. It saddens me that it is all coming to an end for me. The excitement of the "next" installment will be over. But I can live the wonder with my son.
With Rowling's books, it's all about the wonder. I thank her for that.