DEMOPOLIS &8212; Harry Potter enthusiasts from around the world are anxiously anticipating the release of &8220;Deathly Hallows,&8221; the seventh and final book in the series of novels by J. K. Rowling, tonight at midnight, and the anxious fan-base does not exclude readers in Marengo County.

In the United States and Canada, the book is to be released for sale in each separate time zone at 12:01 a.m. local time, a few hours after other English-speaking countries.

Pearson said on past release dates the library has placed books on reserve for their patrons, but due to some individuals&8217; early knowledge of the release date they have decided to release the books on a first-come-first-serve basis for the new book.

The Demopolis Library has received 10 copies of the book, but will not be allowed to open the books until Saturday morning, after the release time.

The Marengo County Library will also release the book to its patrons.

Pearson said the series has become more popular after the release of each new installment. She said it has grown into a trend that is enjoyed by many of the library&8217;s patrons and is read by some families as a group.

The children of James and Sandra Dickey of Demopolis have taken to the series and have read each book in the series thus far.

Lauren Dickey said she wasn&8217;t into the series at first.

She said she has read all the books released in the series twice. She has been reading the sixth book in the series this week to freshen up on the series before Deathly Hallows release this weekend.

She said the series has become a family affair around the Dickey home with family game nights revolving around the series.

The Harry Potter series was originally published as a children&8217;s book by British publisher Bloomsbury, and American publisher Scholastic Press. It rapidly became a phenomenal success among children and adults. Each book chronicles one year at school for the central characters and follows a long tradition of children&8217;s series about life in schools.

Retail merchants are reporting that more orders have been placed for this book than any book in history.