96 pages • 3 hours read
J. K. RowlingA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
The first four novels in the Harry Potter series were released in rapid succession between 1997 and 2000. While the adventures of the boy wizard were already enormously successful leading up to the summer of 2000, Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire signaled a shift not only in the story of Harry but also in the commercial success of the series. As “Pottermania” swept across the world, book sales skyrocketed, and midnight book drop parties were staged worldwide as fans eagerly waited to discover what happened to Harry and his friends.
By the time The Goblet of Fire was released, the New York Times Best Seller List had been expanded to include a children’s best seller list to accommodate the record-breaking book sales of the Harry Potter series. In 2000, The Goblet of Fire broke the record for the largest initial print of a novel in history with a run of 3.8 million books. The record was broken again in 2003 when the fifth novel, The Order of the Phoenix, had an initial print run of 8.5 million books, and the last two novels in the series had even larger numbers. In 1999, fans’ dreams came true, and the film adaptation of the first novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was announced. As the novels and movies were released side-by-side throughout the 2010s, Harry Potter’s popularity continued to skyrocket, and the books and films still shatter records to this day. More than 450 million copies of the Harry Potter series have been sold worldwide to date, and the final installment in the 8-part film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two, is the highest-ever grossing film from Warner Bros. Pictures.
The Harry Potter series exists in two parts: the first three novels (and most of the fourth) take place in a world before the resurrection of the evil Lord Voldemort. The last three novels (books 5-7) take place in a world that has been changed by the rebirth of Voldemort. In this context, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the transition novel that results in this switch. After the publication of the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, some fans complained that the book series had become too dark, too moody, and too depressing. However, this never slowed the sales of the books. On the contrary, Rowling’s original fanbase—those who grew up with Harry—approached adulthood at the same time as the boy wizard, and as his problems grew heavier and more adult, his fanbase could relate to his struggles with identity, relationships, and standing up to evil, oppressive forces in their lives.
Harry Potter kickstarted childhood literacy, inspired a generation of readers and may have even taught lessons about acceptance along the way. According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology in 2015, children who read Harry Potter are more likely to have favorable or tolerant opinions of immigrants, refugees, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community because of the series’ emphasis on accepting all wizards, no matter where they might come from. Many fans have reported finding a sense of safety and community within the Harry Potter fanbase, and with the arrival of the interactive Harry Potter-themed theme parks in California and Florida, fans can now journey to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, purchase a wand at Ollivander’s, and sip butterbeer like their favorite boy wizard. The Harry Potter world is more immersive than ever, and as young adult literature continues to make a comeback in the publication space, many first-time authors cite Harry Potter as the reason they started writing in the first place. Harry Potter is considered one of the most successful franchises in modern history, and its cultural impact on children’s literature will be felt for generations to come.
By J. K. Rowling
Action & Adventure
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Children's & Teen Books Made into Movies
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Coming-of-Age Journeys
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Friendship
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Good & Evil
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Juvenile Literature
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Loyalty & Betrayal
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Mortality & Death
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Trust & Doubt
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