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Grades 2-3

That's All She Wrote

Joanne Rowling is a mom of three and a hardworking writer. She also seems to have magical powers. With a wave of her pen, she made Harry Potter appear! The author invented Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, 17 years ago on a train ride in England. Rowling (rhymes with bowling) had a hard time getting the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, published. Now, 400 million copies of her books have been sold. They have been translated into 65 languages. Harry and Rowling have fans around the globe.

Fame and Fortune

"It happened very, very quickly," Rowling said of her fame and fortune, brought about by the first book's wild popularity. "I had written a book that I was told was...overlong, wouldn't sell. So when it happened, it really was a profound shock."

Mostly, it was a nice shock. Rowling has made more money than she ever imagined. Her fans love her almost as much as they love Harry. But the pressure to produce each new book was stressful. And with fame came a loss of privacy for her and her family.

Back to Hogwarts?

Rowling hints that she may write another wizard book. "There have been times since finishing, weak moments," she told TIME, "when I've said, 'Yeah, all right,' to the eighth novel. I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel like I've already told his story. But these are big ifs. Let's give it 10 years and see how we feel then." For now, Potter fans can simply enjoy the magical spell she has already cast.

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