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J. K. Rowling Author Study

J. K. Rowling, the world-famous author of the Harry Potter series, was born on July 31, 1965. Use these activities and lessons to extend students' love of Harry Potter into other areas of the curriculum.

Click here to watch a video of J.K. Rowling reading from The Tales of Beedle the Bard — a collection of classic Wizarding fairy tales that give insight into the magical world of Harry Potter. 

Watch the live virtual author visit with J.K. Rowling from Edinburgh, Scotland, on Thursday, October 11, 2012, at 12:00 p.m. ET.

J. K. Rowling, the world-famous author of the Harry Potter series, was born on July 31, 1965. The star of her wizarding series shares her birth date!

In addition to giving life to the world of Hogwarts in the seven Harry Potter books, this celebrated author is also the force behind the whimsical companions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Readers young and old the world around have been enchanted by Rowling's writing and an author study is a wonderful way to translate that passion into in-depth learning. Start your author study by reading a short biography of J. K. Rowling and reading selections from or the entire Harry Potter series.

Then use the activities and lessons below to take students' love of Harry Potter into other areas of the curriculum.

Websites to Explore

• Visit J.K. Rowling's Web site to learn more about the author and her work, read her answers on book F.A.Qs, and more.
• Students should visit Scholastic's Official Harry Potter Site to stretch their imaginations and have fun testing their knowledge about the book series.

Parents of your Potter fans may be interested in some Harry-related reading of their own:

• An Expert Talks About Harry Potter — A psychologist and child development expert shares her opinion on the series.
• Parent Guide to Book Genres: Fantasy — A writer and parent discusses why this genre is worthwhile and gives tips on books to try.

Related Book Lists — Keep them reading! Build on your student's enthusiasm by directing them to titles on these Book Lists:

• Beyond Harry Potter — Silly, sad, medieval, contemporary . . . alternate worlds come in all different shapes and sizes. The books on this book list have the same imaginative gusto as Harry Potter, but with their own distinctive flair.
• When You're Not Ready for Harry Potter — Too young for Hogwarts? The fantasy read-alone and read-alouds on this book list are just the thing for wizards-in-waiting.
• All About J.K. Rowling and Her Books — The complete collection of Rowling's work, as well as several informational books about the author.
• Steampunk — Older readers may be interested in this sub-genre of fantasy, featuring books like The Golden Compass and The Keys to the Kingdom.

Additional Author Resources

• Enrich your future author studies by taking advantage of our collection of biographies and interviews with the best-loved authors in children's literature.
• Meet one of our featured authors — new each month.
• Turn interest in any author into a study with this collection of Author Study tips and resources.