The first Harry Potter book was published on the 30th of June 1997 and the series has since become one of the most popular book franchises of all time.

The main character, Harry Potter had his parents killed by an evil wizard, Lord Voldemort when he was very young. However, when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as well, he failed and vanishes without trace, leaving Harry with just a scar on his forehead.

Harry is raised with his non-magical Aunt and Uncle, but on his eleventh birthday he receives an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His uncle makes every effort to prevent Harry from finding out, but eventually he finds himself attending, with the help of a half giant named Hagrid.

While at Hogwarts, he gains two close friends- the highly intelligent witch Hermione Granger and the more laid back Ron Weasley. There are seven books in the series, each telling the story of Harry’s life at Hogwarts and his regular confrontations with Lord Voldemort.

I can’t put my finger on any one factor that has made Harry Potter books so very popular as there are just so many factors that make them addictive- JK Rowling’s descriptions of the various characters, the fierce sense of loyalty that you feel towards the good characters in the book and her brilliant imagination in creating Harry’s magical world all have something to do with the incredible popularity that the books have.

Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone
In the US, this book was entitled “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone” and it tis the first in the series, covering Harry’s childhood and his first year at Hogwarts. However in his first year he ends up fighting trolls and preventing Lord Voldemort from coming back to full strength.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The second book covers Harry’s second year of school, but with attacks upon students occurring at Hogwarts, Harry is desperate to find out what or who is causing them.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Dangerous dark wizard Sirius Black is on the loose and Harry is believed to be a target. However as events unfold, Harry discovers that Sirius isn’t quite what he first appears to be.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The famous Tri-wizard tournament comes to Hogwarts, a competition between three wizarding schools. Harry is too young to be selected, but when the goblet of fire spits out his name, he enters the tournament and faces plenty of dangers.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry has to struggle against an obstructive Ministry of Magic, which is interfering at Hogwarts. However this is the least of his worries, as he has to fight his way out of a trap set by Lord Voldemort, uncovering the fate that links them both.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By the sixth book, things have begun to become more serious. Voldemort has returned and the non-magic community is being attacked. Harry and his headmaster, Dumbledore begin to destroy Voldemort’s Horcruxes- pieces of his soul that he has split to make him harder to kill.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The final book sees Harry, Ron and Hermione leave Hogwarts to continue destroying Voldemort’s Horcruxes, which ends up with a showdown between Harry and Voldemort himself.