Bring magic to your Harry Potter Book Night!

With less than four weeks before we take part in Bloomsbury’s Harry Potter Book Night, we thought we’d offer some tips on how you can make your own Harry Potter Book Night a magical one!

Chances are, if you’re visiting our site, you’ve read the books. Why not share the wonder of Harry’s universe by introducing your children, nieces, nephews, or even a neighbor to the series with these awesome party favors and treats?

First, set out some magical refreshments for your little readers – what better way to help them feel like they’re at Hogwarts than brewing up your very own pumpkin juice? Here’s what you’ll need:

• 3/4 cups pumpkin pie filling
• 2 cups Sprite (or another lemon/lime-flavored soda)      
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup apple cider

Place your pumpkin pie filling and 2 cups of Sprite into a blender. Blend together until the mixture is smooth and no longer has lumps. Add in the tablespoon of honey, and blend for 30 seconds. Add the apple cider, and blend again for another 30 seconds. All that’s left to do is serve it over ice with your favorite Harry Potter treats!

Speaking of treats, we should start by getting our wands – you can’t go to Hogwarts without one! Help your readers make their own edible wands! Our friends over at Cinema & Spice sent us their delicious recipe and a tutorial video, which you can see here, and then check out the rest of Rosmerta’s Recipes for more delightful concoctions!

Now that libations are taken care of, let’s talk about the party favors! There are so many great things from Harry’s world that you can choose to make for your Harry Potter Book Night, but perhaps one of the most well-known images from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone is that of the Golden Snitch. With a few simple items that you can get at your local dollar or craft store, you can catch a Snitch! Take a look at our DIY: Golden Snitch page to see how to craft one of your very own!

We hope these ideas for fun crafts and sweet treats have gotten your creative minds going. Let us know how you’ll be participating in Bloomsbury’s Harry Potter Book Night – we’d love to hear from you! Share with our readers how you plan to introduce new readers to the Potter series, or tell us your favorite memory from reading the first book in the series. Don’t forget to use the special hashtag #HarryPotterBookNight on Twitter and Facebook to join in the fun! Happy reading!