The Magickal World of Harry Potter

J.K. Rowling's book series based on her character Harry Potter changed the world of children's publishing forever. Popular with adults and kids, these books grew steadily in escalating popularity since the first release. The release of the final book in the summer of 2007 was unparalleled in the world of children's publishing.

The saga of Harry Potter follows a young English boy, orphaned as a baby and raised by as nasty a bunch of relatives as ever was conceived, who learns he has magical abilities and is part of a second world of magic folk who live alongside the non-magical world, aka Muggles.

Starting at the age of ten, Harry is accepted to and attends Hogwart's, a special school just for Wizarding folk. Each year, after another horrible summer at home, Harry goes back to Hogwart's where he studies how to cast spells, make potions and learns about magical creatures. However, Harry must also face challenges and attacks from the evil Lord Voldemort, the wizard who murdered Harry's parents when he was a baby, and who has been working to return to power throughout Harry's childhood.

In the movie world, we've gotten through Harry's sixth year at school with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The sixth movie opened on July 15, 2009, and a two-movie adaptation of the final book is currently in production, and will be released in two parts in 2010 and 2011. In the book world, the odyssey has come to an end but J.K. Rowling has delighted Potter-lovers everywhere with the proper release of THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, the book Harry and Hermione use to track down the Deathly Hallows in the last Potter book.

Harry couldn't be more excited when Dumbledore asks him to travel with him to talk to a wizard about a teaching job at Hogwarts, but while Harry thinks he's helping to recruit the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he finds out the new hire is the new Potions master.

Harry up against his nemesis Snape for his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, but someone is watching his back in Potions class. The mysterious "half-blood Prince" has left notes all through the old text that Harry is using, and his advice is eerily accurate.

Dumbledore confesses to Harry that he's going to have to face Voldemort and shares with Harry a series of collected memories about the evil wizard. And as if all that wasn't enough, Harry and his friends are all beset by puberty and all the confusing feelings and emotions that go with it.

Harry's usual miserable summer with the Dursley's end on a particularly bad note this year: he's attacked by Dementors in their surburban neighborhood. Whisked to London for better protection, Harry learns of the Order of the Phoenix, a group Dumbledore is gathering to oppose Lord Voldemort.

Back at Hogwart's, Harry, Ron and Hermione learn the Minisitry of Magic is trying very hard to meddle in the affairs of the school. Dolores Umbridge is installed as Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and make it promptly clear that absolutely no magic against the dark arts shall ever be performed as part of her teachings. As she passes decree after decree, slowly trying to take control of every aspect of Hogwart's life, Harry and his friends come to realize they will be working against multiple foes this year.

In the fourth installment, we catch up with Harry as he and his friends are about to attend the World Quidditch Cup, the magic world's biggest sporting event. Sadly the athletic festivities are disrupted by the appearance of the Deatheaters, followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Arriving at school, Harry learns he has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, auror Alistar Moody, and that Hogwart's is hosting a competition that year, with two other magical schools coming to join in. Although too young to compete in the Tri-Wizard tournament, Harry's name is produced by the Goblet of Fire and he's forced into a competition with older students with skills more developed than his own.

Is this an act of fate, or are there more sinister forces at work?

Back for his third year at Hogwart's, Harry learns some distressing news. Convicted murderer Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison, the magickal world's strongest jail. Not only was Black found guilty of working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he's the one that everyone says told Voldemort where to find Harry's parents. As if that wasn't enough, Harry soon learns that Sirius was his father's best friend and is his own godfather!

Can Harry get his magickal skills strong enough to confront Black if it comes to that? Harry's new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin seems to think so. And, as if Harry hasn't got enough on his plate already, Draco Malfoy has also become Harry's nemesis on the Quidditch field.

After another nasty summer at home with his relatives, Harry is back at Hogwart's for his second year. Having learn about Quidditch, and the evil Lord Voldemort who murdered his parents last year, Harry has his hands full with school and trying to figure out who is waging a campaign of terror against the students of mixed magical and non-magical heritage.

There are more wonderful adventures in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and more experiences in Magickal Creatures class too. Harry still butts head with Draco Malfoy and continues to spare with Professor Snape while being supported and helped by his mentor Albus Dumbledore.

Interestingly, in the entire rest of the world, this book was called HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSPHER'S STONE. That particular stone is part of the history of Alchemy and is supposedly a magical substance made from gold, and which a man named Flamel was actually purported to be able to create.

In this book, we meet Harry Potter for the first time. When he was a year old, he parents were killed and he's been living in a broom cupboard beneath the stairs with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and cousin Dudley for nine years. They are the classically nasty in-laws and treat Harry with utter disrespect.

Depsite all this mistreatment, he's still grown up to be a bright and kind child.

An owl arrives one day, bearing a most curious invitation. Harry has been accpeted to Hogwart's Academy, where boys and girls who have magical talents are schooled. Harry's life will never be the same from this time on.