by Jamie Elizabeth

Created on: September 11, 2009   Last Updated: April 04, 2010

As the author of the wildly popular Harry Potter series, JK Rowling is one of the world's best known contemporary authors. She has managed to craft a story that has drawn in readers both young and old for nearly a decade, and which is attracting new readers daily. The Harry Potter series is carefully crafted, with an intricately created world and intricate plot. For this, and for the millions of children that have been inspired to read because of Harry Potter, Rowling certainly deserves acclaim.

The Harry Potter series focuses on Harry Potter's quest to rid the wizarding world of Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard who terrorized the world until Harry inexplicably survived a curse cast by Lord Voldemort. Rowling stretches this quest out over seven books, during which time readers are able to not only follow the exciting adventures of Harry and his friends, but also to watch their extraordinary growth as characters. Following them through their teen years, readers are able to feel as though they know each of the three main characters, as well as many of the more minor ones such as Seamus and Dean. Rowling does a spectacular job in creating these inhabitants of the wizarding world and making them appear as real people who readers are able to relate to on some level.

The physical world that Rowling creates in the book also takes a certain level of sophistication and dedication to literary artistry. From Diagon Alley, to Knockturn Alley, to the Burrow, to Hogwarts, to Hogsmeade, and even beyond, readers are able to picture the world that Harry and his friends inhabit. Describing the wizarding world in such vivid detail, from its cities and towns to its public buildings and its private homes, Rowling not only created a setting in which her intricate plot can take place, but actually created a world. That takes talent.

There are also many subtleties in the Harry Potter books, many details that may be overlooked on first reading and that do not pop out to the reader until the seventh book has been finished and the first book again picked up. Details such as Hepzibah Smith, the elderly hoarder who sells Tom Riddle the Hufflepuff Cup, being undeniably related to Zacharias Smith, the Hufflepuff who makes consistent appearances in the latter books of the series. Such small connections are just that, small, but in crafting the masterpiece that Harry Potter is, they do matter, and are evidence of the massive literary achievement of JK Rowling.

The acclaim deserved by JK Rowling is truly earned. She has created a world with relatable characters, exciting adventures, a plentiful new vocabulary, and it is all fun and relatively easy to read. The Harry Potter book series is a literary achievement, and for that JK Rowling does deserve acclaim.

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