Harry Potter has created a national frenzy, clinching the one, two and three spots on the New York Times bestseller list for weeks, and even being featured on the cover of Time magazine.

Who is the boy who some parents are accusing of corrupting their children and promoting magic and the occult? He is the creation of J.K. Rowling, a British author with a child of her own.

The stories of the young wizard and his exploits with enchanted mirrors, huge snakes and a baby dragon have enchanted millions of readers, adults and children alike.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter had been unwanted all 10 years of his life. His Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia made him live in the cupboard under the stairs, and his fat cousin, Dudley, had a favorite pastime, which was “Harry hunting.”

But, Harry Potter is soon to discover that he is no ordinary boy.

Several weeks before his eleventh birthday, a letter arrives for Harry, addressed to his cupboard. This is the first letter Harry has ever received, and it’s a very strange letter, written on parchment paper with sparkling green ink.

Uncle Vernon takes the letter and burns it, terrified at what the contents might be. Soon after, the house is bombarded with hundreds of letters for Harry, each of which Uncle Vernon destroys.

After a frantic drive through England trying to avoid the strange letters, Harry, Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley find themselves in a rickety old cabin on an island.

But even this seemingly isolated location doesn’t discourage the sender of the mysterious letters. At midnight of Harry’s eleventh birthday, the door to the cabin bursts open, and in comes Rubeus Hagrid, who has something to tell Harry.

Harry learns that he is a wizard. He goes off to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns about Charms and Transfiguration, plays Quidditch (the wizard equivalent of football, played on broomsticks) and, with his new friends Ron and Hermione, he saves Hogwarts from the evil Lord Voldemort.

The Harry Potter novels are written for the young adult reading level, but they can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

With her first novel, J.K. Rowling creates a hero who is famous throughout his world, but has no pretensions. Growing up with “Muggles” (the term used in the magic world for non-magic people), Harry is the underdog. He is a character all people can relate to.

We have all been put down at some point in our lives, and we all wish, like Harry, that some miraculous event would make us known and loved by all. Harry Potter is every child’s dream and every adult’s fantasy.

Harry has the same fears that we all have experienced at one point or another. He is famous at Hogwarts, but he is afraid that he won’t live up to everyone’s expectations. For this reason, Harry is an enchanting character who captures hearts from the beginning.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is over and he’s back at Privet Drive with the Dursleys for the summer holidays.

On Harry’s 12th birthday, he is sitting in his room (he has since been moved into Dudley’s “second bedroom” thanks to Uncle Vernon’s fear that he’s going to turn them all into toads) “pretending that he doesn’t exist.” While the Dursleys entertain guests, Harry receives an interesting visitor.

Dobby is a house-elf, sent to persuade Harry not to return to school. But, despite Dobby’s best efforts, Harry ends up back at Hogwarts for his second year.

An evil force is at work at Hogwarts this year that threatens to close the school. The Heir of Slytherin has opened the Chamber of Secrets, a legendary chamber hidden in Hogwarts by Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the school. The Chamber is said to contain a deadly monster, which can be controlled by Slytherin’s heir and used to kill all the Muggle-born students at Hogwarts.

While the school is under strict supervision, Harry begins hearing strange voices all over the school. As more and more Muggle-born students are struck down, the students decide that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin!

When Harry’s friend, Hermione, falls victim to the Heir’s monster, Harry and Ron decide that it’s time to find the real Heir of Slytherin.

In the “Chamber of Secrets,” Rowling draws parallels to the universal problem of racism that older readers will immediately appreciate. The Heir of Slytherin is trying to rid the school of Muggle-born students, whom he thinks are unworthy to study magic.

The fear and panic that result are not unlike the atmosphere in the U.S. during the Civil Rights Movement of the ’60s. Rowling even introduces the word “Mudblood,” a derogatory term for Muggle-borns, much like the racial slurs that exist today.

Although “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” is fun and entertaining, its deeper themes will be appreciated by more mature readers.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

It’s summer vacation again, and Harry finds himself in a tough position. He has done serious magic outside of school and is facing expulsion from Hogwarts, but amazingly enough, he is not expelled.

Harry soon learns that Sirius Black, the most famous and feared prisoner of the Azkaban wizard prison, is after him. He isn’t expelled because everyone was afraid he was dead.

Harry’s third year at Hogwarts doesn’t start nearly as well as his first two. He’s not allowed to join his class at Hogsmeade, the wizard village near Hogwarts, and he lives in constant fear that Sirius Black has found him at Hogwarts.

Finally, in a suspenseful meeting with Sirius Black, Harry learns the truth about his parents’ death 12 years ago and discovers the strength of his own father still alive within him.

“The Prisoner of Azkaban” follows in the footsteps of the first two Harry Potter books with Quidditch matches, narrow escapes from prying teachers and the colorful escapades of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

But unlike the first two books, “The Prisoner of Azkaban” has a darker side. Harry finds himself to be the target of a dangerous murderer and lives with a fear that no 13-year-old should ever be exposed to.

But Harry overcomes his fears and conquers his enemies in spite of himself. In the process, he finds an inner strength that can inspire children to overcome their own fears and find their own inner strength.

Harry Potter has received criticism from parents who say it promotes the occult. But it is clear that the distinctions between good and bad are so defined that they present no danger to children. As in most novels of this genre, we love the good guys and hate the bad guys.

The magic world allows Rowling to create a story in which anything might happen. It is impossible not to be drawn in by a school in which there are ghosts roaming the hall and food magically appears for huge banquets. In the tradition of the “Chronicles of Narnia,” Rowling uses magic to draw parallels to modern society. And like the “Chronicles of Narnia,” Harry Potter can be enjoyed and appreciated by all ages.

With Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling has captured the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. That leaves us with just one question. When do we get number four?