J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series has become a critically acclaimed literary phenomenon. Nearly seven million copies of The Half Blood Prince were sold within the first 24 hours of the book's release in the U.S. alone. Five million copies of its predecessor were sold within the first day of its release. The popularity of the series is increasing with each new installment. Adults and children alike have become enchanted by the bracing tales of …showed first 75 words of 527 total…

…showed last 75 words of 527 total…of the previous Harry Potter books. Now that I have read The Half Blood Prince, I have gone back to the beginning of the story and have read the first and second books. I would have never imagined myself reading Harry Potter for my own pleasure rather than an academic assignment. The truth is that there is just something special about Harry Potter that convinces even the nonreaders, like me, to want to read it.