The Harry Potter series includes a collection of literary works authored by J. K. Rowling, who is a British writer. The tales within the novels revolve around the protagonist, Harry Potter, a eleven-year-old who learns of his lineage as a descendant of renowned wizards. He subsequently enrols at the esteemed educational institution known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry meets an extensive community including people who possess magical abilities, commonly referred to as wizards and witches. Throughout the course of his journey, he develops friendships with other students and teachers at Hogwarts.
Each book in the series documents a single year in the life of the protagonist, Harry, as he embarks on various quests to uncover the circumstances surrounding the demise of his parents, who were allegedly killed by Lord Voldemort, a malevolent wizard presumed to have died long ago.
The novels enjoyed a significant rise in popularity, rapidly attaining a status within the cultural mainstream. The characters from the Harry Potter series have achieved widespread recognition, even among people who aren’t familiar with the books.
During the initial two decades, the series had a sales figure of approximately 500 million copies. The literary brilliance of the series has garnered recognition, with numerous comparisons drawn between it and other notable books such as His Dark Materials.
In this article, we’ll go through J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books in order of publication. Which is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
First Published – 1997
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason … HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
First Published – 1998
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girls’ bathroom. But then the real trouble begins – someone is turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects… Harry Potter himself!
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
First Published – 1999
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can’t wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
First Published – 2000
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful – there are unexpected dangers lurking.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
First Published – 2003
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: Harry Potter is about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unlike most schoolboys, Harry never enjoys his summer holidays, but this summer is even worse than usual. The Dursleys, of course, are making his life a misery, but even his best friends, Ron and Hermione, seem to be neglecting him.
Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
First Published – 2005
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
First Published – 2007
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him…
In this final, seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two
First Published – 2016
Type – Fiction
Genre- Fantasy Epic
Author: J.K Rowling
Synopsis: The eighth story, nineteen years later…
It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and a father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
So there we have it! The Harry Potter Book series in order of publication. Have you read any? Which are your favourites? Let us know in the comments below!