NATCHEZ &045; By now, kids everywhere are eagerly turning the pages of &uot;Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,&uot; the long-awaited fifth installment in the wildly-popular children’s fantasy series.

Three years in the making, the 896-page volume by British author J. K. Rowling was released in bookstores across America on Saturday.

&uot;We had a little boy waiting on us to open at 7:30 this morning,&uot; said Rene Henderson, manager of Bookland in the Natchez Mall.

In her 14 years at the store, Henderson said nothing has rivaled the excitement of the Harry Potter series.

&uot;They (the children) are just so excited.

They just want to hold the book in their hands and go straight home to read it,&uot; she said.

At Bookland, about 30 customers bought vouchers to reserve copies of the book on Friday, and sales were still brisk Saturday afternoon.

&uot;Our sales have been really good.

We’ve sold at least 60 copies today, and we will be open until nine tonight,&uot; said Henderson.

In conjunction with the release, Bookland held a Saturday morning celebration that included refreshments and a Harry Potter look-alike contest.

Natchez youngster Jay Vaughn won a free copy for best-resembling the book’s bespectacled boy-wizard hero.

Henderson said the series has inspired readers of all ages.

&uot;We have adults who are excited over this.

But it’s great to see the kids reading, too,&uot; she said.

Two more books are expected in the series, and a third movie based on the magical adventure tales is due out next year.

The series continues to generate huge profits for Rowling, who struggled as a single mother before releasing the series.

Rowling’s wealth is now estimated to be greater than the Queen of England.