What is the first book in the harry potter series

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, published in 1997, is the first book in the Harry Potter series and introduces the character of Harry Potter. It’s no secret that this is the book that got a whole generation of children reading, and the book doesn’t disappoint. We learn about Harry’s miserable life living in a cupboard under the stairs in the house of his ghastly aunt and uncle followed by the liberating news that he is a famous wizard and will not remain the downtrodden orphan forever. Leaving the direness of suburbia behind, he goes off to boarding school at Hogwarts.

Stories of English children going to boarding school have been popular fare for generations, and the combination of clever wizarding/magical touches with the boarding school format are a fun backdrop to the various adventures that take place. Also, unlike later books in the series, it’s not an overly long book.

Note: In the US, the book was published as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which isn’t as good a title. At the time, J.K. Rowling was an unknown writer, and probably not in a position to point out it didn’t make as much sense.

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Having kept to a schedule of one book a year for the first four books in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix took JK Rowling a little longer to get out, with the book finally appearing in 2003. At nearly 900 pages, it would end up being the longest book in the series, following the lives of the three friends, Harry, Hermione and Ron, as they experience their 5th year at Hogwarts.

Despite the centrality to the plot of magic/wizards and the battle between good and evil, the deeper appeal of the book is that it's a boarding school novel: about wonderful teachers you love and horrible ones who treat you unfairly; about the ups and downs of relationships with friends and with kids who don't seem to like you—or those who you don't yet know how they feel about you. Age 15/16 is also the year kids in the UK have to deal with the stress of sitting important exams: GCSEs or 'General Certificate of Secondary Education,' known as O or Ordinary Levels in JK Rowling's day. It's no surprise that teenage wizards aren't off the hook and have to sit stressful OWLs or 'Ordinary Wizarding Level' exams in the summer term at Hogwarts.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series, was published in 2007 and, in principle, is about the final year at school for the three friends. Their relationship with teachers, especially Harry's relationship with headmaster Dumbledore, is front and centre and underlines how this is still very much a children's book, where adults are looked to for a guiding hand as practical and moral decisions are made.

More than 600 pages in length, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a pageturner. J.K. Rowling keeps a number of plotlines in the air, gradually tying everything together. She maintains complexity and interest—like the introduction of "The Tale of the Three Brothers," a story inspired by one of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales—while also giving the satisfaction that everything across the series makes sense and culminates in the book's final pages.

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Get all the Harry Potter books in order to read them, plus brief summaries of each book in the Harry Potter series about the bestselling, beloved wizarding world.

The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling are the best-selling book series of all time, having been translated into over 80 languages, won countless awards, and sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

This post includes all the seven Harry Potter books in the original book series in chronological order plus the stage play that continues the story of Harry Potter decades later. It does not include any of J.K. Rowling's related short stories or the Fantastic Beasts series.

If you're going to read Harry Potter, you should do so in the order below. Both the storyline and the publication dates follow the same chronological order. First, I share a quick list of all Harry Potter books in order, followed by quick summaries of each Harry Potter book.

All Harry Potter Books in Order

NOTE: THERE ARE SOME CONTENT SPOILERS BELOW; HOWEVER, I TRIED MY BEST TO CONVEY THE PLOTS GENERALLY, WITHOUT GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH.

Book #1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone introduces the reader to the young 11-year-old orphan Harry Potter, as he is whisked away from his unloving aunt's and uncle's home to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The large and loveable giant Hagrid explains that Harry's a wizard, who dispelled the evil Lord Voldemort when he was just a baby.

Aboard the magical train to Hogwarts, Harry meets new friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and, luckily, they are all sorted into the same house at Hogwarts -- Gryffindor.

However, not everyone is a friend to Harry, and it's clear he has enemies in the Slytherin house, including student Draco Malfoy and the potions Professor Snape.

Harry's first year at Hogwarts is marked by both fun and fighting, from playing the sport Quidditch to battling Voldemort once again, as Voldemort attempts to gain the power of everlasting life and re-gaining a body from the Sorcerer's Stone.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Book #2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron return to Hogwarts in a flying car. At Hogwarts, word spreads that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened to release a deadly monster, petrifying both the caretaker's pet cat and the students as well.

Harry and his friends take on the challenge themselves and, by way of Polyjuice potion and a visit to a giant spider called Aragog, Harry ultimately enters the Chamber of Secrets to try to save Ron's sister, Ginny. There, Voldemort sets a giant serpent on Harry, and another battle with evil ensues.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Book #3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns that the mass murderer Sirius Black has escaped. The prison guards, otherwise known as Dementors (dark flying creatures) surround Hogwarts to look for him, as Harry is slated to be his next victim.

What's worse is that the Dementors also have a bad impact on Harry's health and well-being. A friend of Harry's father, Professor Remus Lupin, teaches Harry the Patronus Charm to fend off the dementors.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione squabble over their pets.

Without giving away too much, both the Patronus Charm and the pets of Harry's friends become critical to the plot of this novel, its ultimate battle, and the truth about Sirius Black.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Book #4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts is marked by change in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, as Harry becomes more mature and his quest darker.

The novel begins at the Quidditch world cup, then it sets into the Triwizard Tournament hosted by Hogwarts, in which students from multiple wizard schools will compete. With the help of professor Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Harry is set to compete on behalf of Hogwarts with student Cedric Diggory.

While there's teenage fun in this novel by way of the Yule Ball, which also shows that Harry and his friends are growing up, this novel also shifts the tone of Harry's quest from magical and adventurous to violent and dark. After all, this is a battle of good versus evil.

In competing, Harry is transported to a graveyard where Voldemort's supporters convene, where Harry learns a devastating truth and must fight for his life. The novel ends in a somber tone, as the battle brings tragedy and new challenges from Voldemort.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Book #5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, an underground vigilante group called the Order of the Phoenix bands together to fight Lord Voldemort and, when Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge lies about Voldemort's return, Harry and his classmates establish their own secret defense organization called “Dumbledore’s Army.”

Meanwhile, Harry has repeated dreams about Voldemort and takes Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape to prevent these dreams. In working with Harry, Snape uncovers Harry's most painful memories; however, Harry also learns of a pivotal fight between his father and Snape.

After Harry dreams that Sirius is being tortured, he races to the Ministry of Magic and faces Death Eaters. It's another battle that ends in a very painful tragedy for Harry and reveals that, ultimately, either Harry or Voldemort must die at the hands of the other.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Book #6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort's origin story is revealed in order to further prepare Harry for his ultimate battle. Importantly, Harry learns that Voldemort divided his soul into pieces, creating a series of Horcruxes that must be destroyed. 

Harry also used the magical Marauder's Map to track Draco Malfoy, suspecting that he is colluding with Voldemort.

However, the crux of this novel is the Half-Blood Prince, from whom Harry learns tricks in an old textbook. Hermione is determined to learn his identity and reveal him as a fraud.

When Death Eaters attack the school, the identity of the Half-Blood Prince is revealed and another devastating tragedy occurs, as it becomes increasingly more clear how singular Harry will be in his battle against Voldemort.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Book #7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the final book in the original Harry Potter series and, naturally, it serves as the stage for the ultimate battle between Harry and Voldemort.

Harry is determined to destroy all of Voldemort's Horcruxes for a chance to fight him face to face. And it's an incredibly epic battle, with a series of challenges and tragedies along the way, to culminate the original Harry Potter books.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Book #8: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Reading Level for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is not exactly part of the original Harry Potter book series, but rather a stage play, that does continue Harry's journey decades later, as he and his friends send their children off to Hogwarts.

Harry's son, Albus, and Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius, become friends in the Slytherin house and attempt to travel in time to save Harry's old classmate, Cedric Diggory.

Read more: Quotes from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

That concludes this comprehensive guide to all Harry Potter books in order.

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