Born:
July  31, 1965
Chipping Sodbury
United Kingdom

J. K. Rowling

Biography

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“The idea that we could have a child who escapes from the confines of the adult world and goes somewhere where he has power, both literally and metaphorically, really appealed to me.”

Like that of her own character, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's life has the luster of a fairy tale. Divorced, living on public assistance in a tiny Edinburgh flat with her infant daughter, Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at a table in a cafe during her daughter's naps — and it was Harry Potter that rescued her. First, the Scottish Arts Council gave her a grant to finish the book. After its sale to Bloomsbury (UK) and Scholastic Books, the accolades began to pile up. Harry Potter won The British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year, and the Smarties Prize, and rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. In America, there are over 103 million books in print, and each title has been #1 on The New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The sixth title, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, set a new world record for a first printing, with 10.8 million copies hitting stores on July 16, 2005.

A graduate of Exeter University, a teacher, and then an unemployed single parent, Rowling wrote Harry Potter when “I was very low, and I had to achieve something. Without the challenge, I would have gone stark raving mad.” But Rowling has always written; her first book was called “Rabbit.” “I was about six, and I haven't stopped scribbling since.”

For Rowling, the change in her fortunes has been slightly bewildering. But her daughter has no doubt about her mother's new career: when asked what mommies do, she replies without hesitation, “Mommies write!”

Other books from the Harry Potter series include: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And for those who can't get enough Harry Potter, Rowling has also created two books straight from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry library. These books are designed to look like Harry Potter's actual, used textbooks: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages.

Harry Potter on Scholastic.com
J. K. Rowling's official Web site

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  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling Wizard-in-training Harry Potter has had his hands full as he grows up at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As if excelling on the Quidditch field isn't enough, Harry hears evil voices in the walls, saves lives, and fends off convicts. J.K. Rowling's magical, witty, exciting adventures are gripping fantasy novels on the road to becoming classics. $12.99 Paperback Book | Grades 6-9

  
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  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling An exciting caldron of danger and intrigue awaits your child in this installment of J. K. Rowling's now-classic series. Harry is only entering his third year at the Hogwarts School, but his magical powers will soon be put to the test. A notorious prisoner has escaped -- and all signs indicate he's headed for Hogwarts to settle an old score. Will Harry be up to the challenge? $18.36 You save: 20% books;hardcover;hardcovers | Ages 9 and Up

  
  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  Ages 9 and Up $18.36