JK Rowling
by Ms. Kono-Daly-Sandlin
Jo's Early Life
Rowling grew up surrounded by books because her parents loved reading. She says, "I loved for books... I was your basic bookworm, complete with freckles and glasses." From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer. She wrote her first book at the age of six - a story about a rabbit called Rabbit. When she was 11, she wrote a novel about seven cursed diamonds and the people who owned them.
Rowling went to school at Wyedean Comprehensive School and then went on to study French and Classics at the University of Exeter.
Jo becomes JK
As a single mother living in Edinburgh, Scotland, she got the idea for Harry Potter while delayed on a train in 1990. Over the next five years, she began to plan out the seven books of the series. She wrote almost the entire series by hand and collected a mountain of notes, many which were just on scraps of paper.
When Rowling finished her first manuscript, she sent the first three chapters to a number of literary agents. Only one wrote back. The book was soon published under the name Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and it quickly became a bestseller in 1997.
By the summer of 2000, the first three Harry Potter books had earned approximately $480 million, with over 35 million copies in 35 different languages.
Although her Harry Potter series is finished, J.K. Rowling continues to work on more written works. She is married now to anesthetist Dr. Neil Murray and has three children - Jessica (b. 1993), David (b. 2003), and Mackenzie (b. 2005).
J.K. Rowling with her book
Jo Rowling working on Harry Potter before the series was published
J.K. Rowling meeting with the Queen of England
Literature Spotlight: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Tales of Beedle the Bard played a crucial role in helping Harry and his friends to finally defeat Lord Voldemort. Now, you can read those stories yourself. There are five tales included: "The Tale of the Three Brothers", "The Fountain of Fair Fortune", "The Warlock's Hairy Heart", "The Wizard and Hopping Pot", and "Babbity Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump". Each has its own magical character and will definitely entertain you!