Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd,
magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that
come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard
yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the
aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards,
small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar
on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether
different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We
are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon
yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry
finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
It's hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps
into terrible danger! And in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the much anticipated sequel to the award-winning
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it's not bad enough that after a long summer
with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
to begin his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying car, it is just his luck to crash into
a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens that
fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts.
Chilling, malevolent voices whisper from the walls only to Harry, and it seems certain that his classmate Draco Malfoy
is out to get him. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts.
The mysteriously gleaming, foot-high words on the wall proclaim, "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir,
Beware." But what exactly does it mean? Harry, Hermione, and Ron do everything that is wizardly possible--including risking
their own lives--to solve this 50-year-old, seemingly deadly mystery. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping,
imaginative, and creepy as the first; familiar student concerns--fierce rivalry, blush-inducing crushes, pedantic professors--seamlessly
intertwine with the bizarre, horrific, fantastical, or just plain funny. Once again, Rowling writes with a combination of
wit, whimsy, and a touch of the macabre that will leave readers young and old desperate for the next installment.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend
his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults
into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous
balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges
out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.
As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle
neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly
inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let
him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that,
but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart
when others are unaffected? Once again, Rowling has created a mystery that will have children and adults cheering, not to
mention standing in line for her next book. Fortunately, there are four more in the works.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons,
house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before
returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped
scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's
premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister
familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.
Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after
Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead,
Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament.
Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?
But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito
as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make
her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace,
complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes
rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures
of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly
different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including
Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their
own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude
sign indeed at the veela across the field."
Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration
is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the
way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting
paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist
has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close,
Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her
pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 5 takes the series to a darker, more serious level, as we see Harry's attitude and feelings change dramatically as
J.K. Rowling takes us deeper and deeper into the fight between good and evil. Normally safe at the Dursley's, Harry suffers
an almost fatal dementor attack before being taken to the secret headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a special
group of wizards united in their efforts to defeat Voldemort and his followers. At the headquarters, Harry runs into Kreacher,
a vile, horrible house elf and also Sirius' mother, who never misses an oppurtunity to scream the house down. Our hero
returns to Hogwarts, where things begin to get ever more perilous as he encouters terrifying dreams, a teacher with an attitude
like venom and corruption of the highest level and all the time, Harry still can't find out what exactly lies in the Department
of Mysteries.
Even more exciting things happen in Harry's fifth year, including a large revelation from Hagrid, and a new subject teacher
that tries to land on his four feet (no pun intended!). Harry has to partake in deadly detentions, secret meetings with fellow
students and he gets banned from one of the things he loves the most. But it's not all gloom and doom! Fred and George give
us a spectacular array of laughs gasps, Ron achieves something he's been wanting to for ages, we find out once and for all
what pulls the Hogwarts carriages and Harry gets his first moment of love! We see several new characters, some we
hate, some we love and some we suspect. We go to new magical places, see new magical spells and see what it is like to sit
Hogwarts OWL tests.
Harry's life becomes ever more perilous as the book goes on, when he finds himself in the Ministry of Magic under direct
threat from some of the most feared creatures in the magical world: Voldemort's death eaters. In a showing of bravery, skill
and courage, our hero and his friends fight and fight and Harry comes face to face with an extremely dangerous death eater.
And if you want to know more, read the book. It's filled with tragedy, happiness, suspense and creativity and should
not be missed by any Harry Potter fan.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was awaited by millions of fans for 3 years. When it came out, it created a worldwide
phenomenom and shattered previous pre-order records. Hundreds of thousands of people queued outside book stores on June 20th,
2003 until the clock struck midnight, and they were able to go inside and buy a copy of the book that they had been waiting
for. The first four books were a success, and it's obvious from the reviews and sales figures that book 5 is so
exception.
