By Rifath Islam
Our journey begins on a street named Little Whinging, on number 4 Privet Drive, in a cupboard under the stairs. The ever thrilling tale of Harry Potter and his journey into the Wizarding world is one that’s known by many all over the world.
Harry Potter is a book (and movie) series written by J.K.Rowling. According to Bloomsbury’s Harry Potter page, this series has won many awards such as the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize in 1997, Carnegie Medal in 1998, Whitaker’s Platinum Book Award in 2001, and the Young Telegraph Paperback of the Year in 1998. However, those are just a few of the awards won by the first book “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” alone. The success and popularity is not only mind blowing, but it seems to be never ending.
Why is that, you ask? Not only has J.K. Rowling released the Harry Potter book series, but a countless amount of books follow after that. She has released three follow up books mentioned in the series: “Quidditch Through the Ages”, “Amazing Beasts and Where to Find Them”, and “Tales of Beedle the Bard”. However, according to Bloomsbury, the money made from each sale of these set of books will be donated to two of J.K.Rowling’s important charities; Comic Relief and Lumos. To go a little bit more into depth about these two charities, they help raise money and awareness for those in need. According to the Lumos official website, this charity is about helping 8 million children around the world find homes. Comic Relief (according to their official website) is based in the United Kingdom and helps raise money for those in poverty.
The Harry Potter book series is not the only success, though. The movies were a great hit, as well, attracting people of all ages since the first release of the movie rendition of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001. According to the-numbers.com, this movie made $90,294,621 in the opening weekend, alone! Now that’s what you call a hit movie. The success doesn’t stop there, however. With the release of each movie, the numbers have increased and the popularity has been ever growing.
Now, why are these numbers and statistics about a book (and movie) series such a big deal? Well, Potterheads, brace yourselves….Not only is a new movie being released, but so is a spin-off book! The movie, according to IMDB, will be released on November 18, 2016 in both the UK and the USA. It is based on the aforementioned Hogwarts Library Book, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”. As for the book, it’s called “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. It deals with the struggle that Harry faces with him and his son. According to CNN, the book will be released at midnight on July 31st. It is a two-part play written by J.K.Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne. It is going to be the first Harry Potter book installment to be performed on stage and has been a long time coming.
Why are fans all over the world freaking out about this, though? Well, this story has been around since the first installment of the series in 1997. It follows the journey of a young eleven year old and his gradual descent into adulthood. This gripping tale captivates the mind of almost all readers, young or old. It has kept the attention of both new and old fans who have all been waiting for closure and alas, here you have it, folks!
Now, nine years after the last installment of the series has been released, we are finally continuing our journey into the Wizarding world to discover new and more fascinating things!