Meet Harry Potter - Fantasy - http://maxpages.com/hpnetwork/Meet_Harry

By now, much of the world has heard of Harry Potter, the talented boy wizard created by British author J.K. Rowling. The books about him have been selling like hotcakes and enchanting readers everywhere. Have you been caught up in the excitement over Book 4, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE? It's definitely been the publishing event of the year. If you're a fan, you'll want read on for information about the Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter toys and merchandise, the marvelous Harry Potter audiobooks from Listening Library, and much, much more.

Harry Potter is no ordinary boy. He's a wizard-in-training at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Imagine taking classes in spells and potions, and learning to use a cauldron and wand instead of spending time in math and reading class. Hmmm.

We first meet 11-year-old Harry in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, J.K. Rowling's debut novel. So many people fell in love with this magical adventure that it won just about every children's book prize in England (where it was first published) in 1997 and 1998 and won a ton of fans here in the United States as well. Even grown-ups love Harry! With so many readers, SORCERER'S STONE has been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than a year! It's now available in paperback, as well.

The second book about Harry (Rowling has planned seven books in all), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, followed in the first book's footsteps. It has been a smash success since it came out in June 1999, and is also on the New York Times bestseller list --- an amazing accomplishment for a children's book.

As you probably guessed, Harry's third year at Hogwarts proved to be a charm, as well. Book 3, HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN, hit bookstores on September 8, 1999 and immediately became a giant hit.

The fourth book about Harry, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, was released simultaneously in Britain and the U.S. at exactly midnight on July 8th, 2000. The event made news around the globe, and here in the States, the book’s U.S. publisher, Scholastic, released 3.8 million copies of the book on that day. The company has since decided to print 3 million more --- so you’re sure to be able to get a copy, if you don't have one already.

As part of the July 8th hoopla, bookstores threw Harry Potter parties and kids and their parents stayed up late to wait in line to purchase copies. Amazing stuff! And those of you who already have it know that at 734 pages, Book 4 is the longest (and scariest) Harry book yet.

According to Scholastic, there are more than 27 million copies of the Harry Potter books in print here in the States (this includes all four hardcovers and the paperback edition of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE). Now, THAT's really wild about Harry.

And for those of you looking to round out your Harry Potter collection, on August 15th, 2000, you'll be able to buy the paperback edition of Book 2, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. Are you ready to go back and re-read it? Some kids love the books so much, they have done this numerous times.

MORE, MORE, MORE! You'll be happy to know that Harry's reach has stretched beyond the bookshelf, too.

Whether you're already a big fan or just discovering Harry, you don't want to miss the fabulous audiobook adaptations of his adventures. Listening Library has released all four of the Harry Potter books --- performed brilliantly by British actor Jim Dale --- on both CD and cassette. Believe it or not, on GOBLET OF FIRE, Mr. Dale created 125 different character voices! Check them out --- and learn how to pronounce all the character and place names from the book! You can listen to excerpts from all four audiobooks on this website and see for yourself what a wonderful reader and actor Mr. Dale is.

A Harry Potter feature film is also in the works. The movie, produced by Warner Bros., will be directed by Chris Columbus (MRS. DOUBTFIRE) and is scheduled for release on November 16, 2001. It will be based on SORCERER’S STONE. J.K. Rowling will have lots of input on the production, and more than 60,000 kids have already answered the casting call for British children aged 9-11. Production on the movie will begin this fall.

Could licensed merchandise be far behind? Not a chance. Starting in August 2000, Mattel will begin releasing a line of toys based on the Harry Potter books. At first, the toys will be sold exclusively in Warner Bros. Studio Stores and on the Warner Bros. Website. They will reach other specialty retail outlets during the holiday season. Another wave of Mattel toys will appear when the movie is released. Hasbro and Hasbro-owned subsidiaries will produce Harry Potter trading cards, electronic toys and candy products. And a total of 46 licensing deals mean we'll see a ton of Harry Potter merchandise in the next two years.

All in all, Harry is working magic in ways no one could have ever imagined. So go ahead --- let him cast his spell on you! And don't miss all the fun, games, reviews and information in our super-cool special website.




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