‘Potter’ reviews miff Rowling

Author J.K. Rowling said Thursday that she was “staggered” that U.S. newspapers published reviews of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” before the book officially goes on sale at midnight Friday.

The “purported spoilers” are “in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry’s final destination by themselves,” Rowling said in a statement released by her United Kingdom publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing.

Bloomsbury said it was “disappointed” after reviews appeared in the New York Times and Baltimore Sun. Neither review gave details about the ending, though the Times characterized it as “good old-fashioned closure.”