Bring the Magical World of Harry Potter Home

Staying home can now be more fun with the "Harry Potter At Home," an initiative launched by J.K. Rowling and her Wizarding World partners!

The "Harry Potter At Home" hub will be an online space for young children to discover the magic of Harry Potter – either on their own or reading and listening with others.  

"The teachers, parents, and carers working to keep children's lives as normal and happy as possible while we’re all on lockdown deserve a bit of magic," said Rowling. "I hope these initiatives will give children and even adults a happy distraction during their enforced stay-at-home time."

First Harry Potter audiobook free for everyone 

Partnerships with Audible will allow families to access the free audiobook of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," performed by Stephen Fry, as part of its newly launched Audible Stories. The book will be available in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese. Listeners will be able to access the audiobook on their desktop, laptop, phone or tablet, without joining or logging into Audible. 

Current Audible listeners can also listen, for free, to the newly released audiobook of Rowling's "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," narrated by stars of the Wizarding World from Noma Dumezweni to Jude Law. 

Harry Potter ebook made free for all 

Thanks to a "Harry Potter At Home" collaboration with digital library supplier OverDrive, library members worldwide are also able to borrow the first book in the series free of charge during the month of April. During this period, patrons of OverDrive's network of public and school libraries worldwide will have unlimited access to the eBook and audiobook in a selection of over 20 different languages.

Hogwarts' doors are open for teachers everywhere 

Rowling and her team have announced a special, temporary open license for teachers to read the seven Harry Potter books aloud to their students in virtual read-a-long sessions on video. This means if you’re a teacher you’ll be able to record yourself reading Harry's Hogwarts adventures and share these with your students online.  Learn how to get involved here. 

The Open License has already been taken up widely by teachers in the USA, UK and further afield, and is running until July 30th or the end of the school year, whichever is sooner. 

Wizarding Wednesdays 

Adults can check out the "Harry Potter At Home" hub and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to get Wizarding updates on Wednesdays! Each week, a wealth of creative and craft activities, quizzes and fun things to do. 

Additionally, a regular email newsletter will bring fresh news, ideas, and activities to your inbox each Friday. To opt-in, don't forget to click the checkbox when asked during registration. No owls required!

Additional reading resources 

Bloomsbury and Scholastic, print publishers of Harry Potter in the UK and USA, are also supporting "Harry Potter At Home" by offering a range of resources for children, parents, and educators online both on www.harrypotterathome.com and on their own websites.