PBS: The Great American Read - hosted by maggiescanlon

Harry Potter (Series)
Harry Potter may well be the most famous character in literature. Many of his friends and enemies—Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Snape, Voldemort—are likely not far behind. “The boy who lived” has, since Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997, become a household name in every corner of the world, as J.K. Rowling’s series of children’s novels grew to become one of the most outrageously popular book series of all time.

As an orphan with a scar on his forehead, Harry surprisingly finds out, on his eleventh birthday, that he is a wizard, and entitled to study at the famous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Combining fantasy and British boarding school fiction tropes, each of the books follows the course of a single school year, as Harry grows from a child into an adult, learning to work with his friends to defeat evil (and also going through the growing pains of teenagerdom).

J.K. Rowling’s world is a fantastical, charming, dramatic, and even upsetting one at times, but only because of how rich and believable it is. By the time of the seventh and final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, millions of people of all ages, around the world, queued up to buy the book at midnight on its release date and finally follow Harry to his journey’s end. Arguably only Tolkein’s Middle Earth, and C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, have captured as many hearts as Rowling’s world of muggles and mudbloods.
All books added
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter #3

J.K. Rowling

435 pages • first pub 1999 (editions)

fiction fantasy middle grade adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter #1

J.K. Rowling

309 pages • first pub 1997 (editions)

fiction fantasy middle grade adventurous lighthearted fast-paced
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter #6

J.K. Rowling

672 pages • first pub 2005 (editions)

fiction fantasy young adult adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter #2

J.K. Rowling

384 pages • first pub 1998 (editions)

fiction fantasy middle grade adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Harry Potter Box Set: The Complete Collection by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter Box Set: The Complete Collection

Harry Potter #1-7

J.K. Rowling

3872 pages • first pub 2007 (editions)

fiction fantasy young adult adventurous dark medium-paced
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter #4

J.K. Rowling

752 pages • first pub 2000 (editions)

fiction fantasy middle grade adventurous mysterious medium-paced
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter #5

J.K. Rowling

895 pages • first pub 2003 (editions)

fiction fantasy young adult adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter #7

J.K. Rowling

759 pages • first pub 2007 (editions)

fiction fantasy young adult adventurous dark emotional medium-paced
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