Harry Potter

Harry Potter is no ordinary boy. He's a wizard−in−training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and

Wizardry. Imagine taking classes in spells and potions, and learning to use a cauldron and wand instead of

spending time in math and reading class.

We first meet 11−year−old Harry in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, J.K. Rowling's

debut novel. So many people fell in love with this magical adventure that it won just about every children's

book prize in England (where it was first published) in 1997 and 1998 and won a ton of fans here in the United

States as well.

The second book about Harry, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, followed in the first

book's footsteps. It has been a smash success since it came out in June 1999.

As you probably guessed, Harry's third year at Hogwarts proved to be a charm, as well. Book 3, HARRY

POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, hit bookstores on September 8, 1999 and immediately

became a giant hit.

The fourth book about Harry, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, was released simultaneously

in Britain and the U.S. at exactly midnight on July 8th, 2000. The event made news around the globe, and here

in the U.S., the book's publisher, Scholastic, released 3.8 million copies of the book on that day, and quickly

decided to print 3 million.

As part of the July 8th hoopla, bookstores threw Harry Potter parties and kids and their parents stayed up late

to wait in line to purchase copies. Amazing stuff! And those of you who have read know that at 734 pages, Book

4 is the longest (and scariest) Harry book yet.

According to Scholastic, there are more than 48.6 million copies of the Harry Potter books in print here in the

U.S. (this includes all four hardcovers and the paperback editions of HARRY POTTER AND THE

SORCERER'S STONE and HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS). Even grown−ups love

Harry! With so many readers, the books have been on bestseller lists across the country for many months.Now,

THAT's really wild about Harry.

J.K. Rowling plans to write seven books in the series. She has begun work on Book 5, but there is no telling

when she will finish it. She has said in interviews that the new book, most likely called HARRY POTTER AND

THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, will be "done when it's done." While you're waiting, you can explore two

short companion books Rowling has written and illustrated: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND

THEM and QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES. You'll recognize these as books that Harry and his friends

talk about at Hogwarts. These special volumes were published on March 12, 2001 with the proceeds going to

the Harry's Books fund, a charity that helps children in need around the world.

A Harry Potter feature film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was also released on November 16, 2001.

The movie, produced by Warner Bros., was directed by Chris Columbus, who directed MRS. DOUBTFIRE.

With super book sales and a bigtime movie in the works, could licensed merchandise be far behind? Not a

chance. Starting in August 2000, Mattel began releasing a line of toys based on the Harry Potter books. Hasbro

produced Harry Potter trading cards, electronic toys and candy products.

All in all, Harry is continuing to work magic in ways no one could have ever imagined.