J.K. Rowling launched an online hub to entertain ‘Harry Potter’ fans while we’re all stuck at home
“Harry Potter” series author J.K. Rowling revealed a few tricks she has up her sleeve to help bring some much-needed magic into everyone’s lives. With a tweet on April 1 that was no April Fool’s joke, Rowling announced a new online hub called Harry Potter at Home for fans of all ages looking for new ways to immerse themselves in all things Harry Potter.
Rowling alluded to the coronavirus lockdowns around the world that are keeping everyone stuck at home as a motivation for creating Harry Potter at Home.
Parents, teachers and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we’re on lockdown might need a bit of magic, so I’m delighted to launch https://t.co/cPg0dZpexB pic.twitter.com/i0ZjTplVoU
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 1, 2020
You may have recently read about a fan-based website known as Hogwarts is Here where fans can enroll in a number of magical classes. However, Rowling’s new Harry Potter at Home online hub is part of the larger, official Harry Potter online community known as WizardingWorld.
“For over twenty years now, Hogwarts has been an escape for all — for readers and fans, young and old,” the new site’s introduction reads. “During the strange times we now find ourselves in, we want to welcome you back to Hogwarts, where you will find a friendly retreat for you, your family and those you are caring for.”
Harry Potter at Home is a collaborative effort between a number of publishers and content creators including Harry Potter U.K., U.S. publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic, Pottermore Publishing, Audible, OverDrive and the designers of WizardingWorld.
So, what kind of magic does Harry Potter at Home have in store for its fans?
- Audible is including a free copy of the first book in the magical series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (known in the U.S. as “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) for anyone to listen to as often as they’d like.
- For those that don’t have Audible, OverDrive (which provides audio content for public libraries) is also offering a free copy of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in either e-book format or audiobook format.
- Video tutorials of how to draw characters from the series. For example, you can learn how to draw a Niffler.
- Wordsearches and crossword puzzles
- Interactive quizzes for all levels of readers of the “Harry Potter” series
Some of the content on the site is free, but other content is for pay, Deadline reports.
We could all use some extra magic in our lives right now!