JK Rowling to read from Beedle the Bard at party

BBC News is reporting this morning that our favorite author will be reading from Tales of Beedle the Bard at a 'Beedle' tea party in Scotland on the same day the book is released in the US and UK:

She will read extracts from one of them at the Beedle tea party at the National Library of Scotland (NLS), hosted by The Children's High Level Group (CHLG).

The party will take place in Edinburgh on Thursday 4 December, the same day as the tale goes on sale in shops.

The National Library of Scotland has borrowed an original copy of the tales from Barry Cunningham, JK Rowling's first editor.

The Scotsman has a quote from Jo where she describes the importance of the Beedle proceeds:

“Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children in eastern Europe are living in appalling conditions in large, residential institutions,” she said. “Contrary to popular belief, fewer than 4% of them are orphans, but are in care because they are considered disabled or their families are poor or from ethnic minorities. The charity is publishing The Tales of Beedle the Bard to raise money to fund our work in helping these children out of institutions and in to loving families or community care homes.

“I hope that The Tales of Beedle the Bard will not only be a welcome present to Harry Potter fans, but an opportunity to give these abandoned children a voice. It will encourage young people across the world to think about those who are less fortunate and help change many young lives for the better.”