Thursday, June 23, 2011

Pottermore: Riding the Digital Broomstick

The dynasty of Harry Potter will live on at Pottermore, a new interactive website which hopes to keep fans engaged with new material.

According to Time, "the site immerses users in the boy wizard's world, combining elements of computer game, social network and online store. Rowling says it includes 'information I have been hoarding' about the books' characters and settings." Also, all seven novels will be available as audiobooks and ebooks in multiple languages.

It all began on these publication date(s) :

-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, June, 1997
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, June 1998
-Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, July 1999
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, July, 2000
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, June 2003
-Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince, July 2005
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, July 2007

As of June, 2011 the book series has sold 450 million copies and been translated into 67 languages. J. K. Rowling's personal net worth is estimated at $1 billion. The books are a series of many genres including fantasy and coming of age...

It's interesting that all the publication dates took place around the summer holiday when millions of avid readers, both young and old, salivated with the latest fantasy adventure.

Three cheers for advancing literacy among young readers! Pottermore, which goes live on July 31, is sure to keep readers engaged amidst the digital revolution.