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Certainly thought of as the most famous author today, J.K. Rowling has done amazing things with her wit and talent.
I have always been a huge fan of children’s literature well after surpassing the years of childhood. I read my first
Harry Potter book the summer after eigth grade. I remember my mother giving me a paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the morning we left for a summer trip to Denver, Colorado. We were driving the whole way so I was grateful for the entertainment. After the
first three hours, my sister was very irritated at me. She felt this way because I was ignoring her and everything else around
me. I was hooked. Immersed in a new world of excitement and magic, I would be a Harry Potter fan from this moment on.
About J.K. Rowling
Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in 1965 in England. She enjoyed writing at an early
age. She attended college at Exeter University.
She earned a degree in French and Classics. Her writing career began on a train ride back to London. Rowling has said that “the idea for Harry Potter simply
fell into my head.” The train was stopped and delayed for the next four hours. Rowling spent this time deep in
thought, creating Harry Potter and his world. In 1990 her mother died. This had profound effect on her. She then spent the
next stage of her life in Portugal as
a teacher who taught English as a foreign language. During this time she worked on completing the first Harry Potter manuscript
which she called Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. She also began
outlining each book that would become the Harry Potter series. After her divorce, she moved back to the United Kingdom where she lived in Edinburgh in 1994.
After she finished
writing the book, Rowling found a literary agent. Through her agent, she found a publisher. In August 1996, Bloomsbury made an offer to publish the book.
FUN FACTS
J.K. Rowling is enjoying
outstanding success and the Harry Potter series is distributed in over 200 territories and is translated
into 65 languages.
8.3 million copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold in the first 24 hours.
Artist Mary Grandpre illustrated the books.
J.K. Rowling's nextdoor neighbors while growing up had the last name of Potter
The Complete Harry Potter Series
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret's
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Biographical Information Provided By:
The J.K. Rowling Official Site
Scholastic Official Site
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