Harry Potter - The magic and fantasy lives on
Harry Potter books are a popular series of fantasy novel written by J.K. Rowling. The first book was published in 1997 and six of the seven books have been published to date. The books are based on witches and wizards and one of the main characters is a young wizard named Harry Potter. The first four books have been made into films and the fifth movie is expected to be released in 2007.
All ages are attracted to these books and more recently, they have been released in two editions. One with the original children’s artwork cover and one with artwork that is more aimed at adult readers. The first book was published in the United Kingdom in 1997 and by the time the fourth book was published in 2000, the series had already become very high profile. The publicity was overwhelming and the launching of the new book was much larger than expected for a new book. Sales from the books as well as the royalties from not only the films but the merchandise as well have made J.K. Rowling a billionaire. She is currently listed as the 620th wealthiest person in the world.
Harry Potter attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns to use magic and brew special potions. Each book documents one year of his life. He also learns to overcome magical, social and emotional obstacles while he is in school as well as struggle through his adolescence.
The books that have been released to date are:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US) – released in the US in September 1998
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – released in the US in June 1999
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – released in the US in September 1999
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – released in the US in July 2000
Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix – released in the US in June 2003
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – released in the US in July 2005
There have been some religious groups that have pointed out that the books are promoting witchcraft and Satanism. Most of the controversy has happened mainly in the United States where religion is very important in public life. They claim that children who read the books may begin to think that the miracles of God are just another form of magic.
Still, the controversy hasn’t hurt the sales of books, games or tickets to the movies and it is certainly more popular than ever. It has a very strong fan base that isn’t going to end any time soon! To read more about it, check out the main site at www.harrypotter.com.