parent nodes: 2001 | 2002 | Harry Potter | Lief Haven
Harry Potter is the lead character of a series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. The books are primarily aimed at children, but have fans of all ages.
Harry was orphaned shortly after his birth when the evil Lord Voldemort murdered his parents. His mother died trying to save him; her sacrificial love gave him a measure of power over further attacks by Voldemort (compare Ruby Slippers).
Harry was taken in by his Muggle relatives in Little Whinging, a suburb of London, and they carefully concealed from him any knowledge of his magical heritage, saying that his parents had been killed in a car accident. But when Harry was eleven years old, an owl brought him a letter inviting him to enroll at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry -- much to his Uncle Vernon's displeasure.
The Harry Potter novels center on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a castle in the middle of a ring of mountains, usually accessed by taking the Hogwarts Express from platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross station, London. It is in Scotland, according to a margin note in "Fantastic Beasts".
Each book in the series chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts. There are supposed to be seven books, each getting a little bit darker than the previous one as Harry gets older.
The books have been compared to Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea, the novels of Diana Wynne Jones, and the works of Philip Pullman; they also fit into a British genre of novels about boarding school life, and the sections involving Potter's relatives the Dursleys call to mind some of the works of Roald Dahl.
Certain aspects of the Harry Potter series have even entered the real world as products to be purchased by fans of the series. One example is Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
Novels and films
First book and film: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film released November, 2001)
Second book and film: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film released November, 2002)
Third book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Fourth book: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Fifth book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, expected in 2003.
Controversy
Some Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft or Satanism. "It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian-fundamentalist group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium -- witchcraft -- that is directly denounced in scripture." See Christian views on witchcraft.
Some groups have burned or attempted to burn (such burnings require permits in most locations) J.K. Rowling's books, often together with other books deemed to contradict Biblical teachings. See book burning.
In addition, some commentators criticize the books on the grounds that the stories are anti-family: Harry does not obey his abusive, vehemently anti-magic aunt and uncle, but idolizes his deceased parents, themselves a witch and wizard.