Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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The first book in the Harry Potter series is The Sorcerer’s Stone. Published in 1997, this book is the beginning of Harry’s journey into the wizarding world. In this novel we start with Harry as a young boy living in a cupboard under the stairs with his Muggle aunt and Uncle Dursley. All this changes when he starts receiving letters from Hogwarts informing him that he has been accepted into the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Readers get their first real introduction to the magical world with Harry’s starting year at Hogwarts. This is also our first introduction to many of the main Harry Potter characters, such as Dumbledore, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron and many more.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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The second book in the series introduces a more confident Harry Potter. After spending some time away from Hogwarts during the summer holidays, he starts to get worried because he hasn’t received any letters from his friends. Even more complications arise in the Dursley’s house when he is visited by a house elf named Dobby, who tries to stop him from going back to school. Some magical accidents happen that lead to Harry being locked in his room. With some help from his friends, he is able to return to Hogwarts in a very unconventional (and almost fatal) way, only to learn more about the dangers Dobby warned him about. A mysterious diary becomes a possible clue to the events that unfold as Harry and his friends investigate why classmates have been petrified in the school hallways. The Chamber of Secrets is our first real introduction to Voldemort and delves into some of the bigger secrets in Hogwarts history.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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The Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the series, but it’s also the point where things get a little more serious. Now 13 years old, Harry is at the turning point where he is no longer just a child discovering a magical world. He encounters true darkness for the first time when the Dementors of Azkaban find him on the train to Hogwarts and feed on the little happiness he has experienced in life. Nevertheless, this is the first time we meet Sirius Black, who has a connection with Harry that he never expected. The Prisoner of Azkaban delves more into the past by giving us more insight into the lives of Harry’s parents through their old friends (Lupin, Sirius, Wormtail). Harry also begins to feel more mature and the weight of his situation begins to become more apparent in this book.

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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In The Goblet of Fire, the Harry Potter books seem to move beyond a simple young adult series and into something more. This is partly due to the jump in page length, with this book being almost double the length of The Prisoner of Azkaban. The fourth book in the series revolves largely around the Triwizard Tournament, a competition that takes place between the three lower wizarding schools in Europe. Although Harry is technically too young to participate in the tournament, his name somehow emerges and he is forced to survive the very dangerous competition. The Goblet of Fire introduces characters such as Mad-Eye Moody, Cedric Digory and Cho Chang. Not only do we delve into Harry’s bumbling love life, we also see the series’ first real death, which kicks off a series of much darker events in the books to come.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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The Order of the Phoenix is ​​the fifth book in the series and we start to see a very different side of Harry. He has now had to deal with Voldemort’s plans for four years straight and has witnessed a full-blown murder. At the age of 15, he begins his fifth year at Hogwarts and wants to join the adults in their fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Following the events of The Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts is also experiencing changes as we see the introduction of Dolores Umbridge, perhaps the most despicable character in the series. Harry is targeted by the Ministry of Magic for spreading lies, and he begins to feel like everyone is turning against him as his bond with Voldemort seemingly grows. The Order of the Phoenix represents a turning point as the events at Hogwarts permeate the wizarding world at large. It is also when Harry experiences his second major loss that will change him forever.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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The Half-Blood Prince is the sixth book in the series, and Harry enters his late teens at the age of 16. After an entire year of being largely ignored by Dumbledore, he starts the year by helping the headmaster of Hogwarts return old potions. professor. With Dolores Umbridge no longer a threat to the school, Professor Snape takes over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor and Professor Slugworth fills the position of Master of Potions. Dumbledore obviously has ulterior motives, and Harry spends a fair amount of the book delving into various memories of the past – including finding important information about Severus Snape. In The Half-Blood Prince we finally learn how Voldemort came back from the dead, and continuing the theme of the last two books, Harry once again experiences a major death from which he isn’t sure he can come back.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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The Deathly Hallows is the final Harry Potter book in the series (although it was split into two films). Harry, Ron and Hermione are now considered adults at the age of 17. This means that they can practice magic outside of Hogwarts without possible legal opposition from the Ministry of Magic. Now that they know the truth about Voldemort, the three of them decide to skip their last year at Hogwarts and complete the task left to Harry by Dumbledore. Alone, the three friends make their way to different locations while being pursued by Theaters and the Ministry itself. To conclude the story, we learn even more about the mysterious connection between Voldemort and Harry and what it really means. We also get our first introduction to the Deathly Hallows, elements of which were scattered throughout the series. The Deathly Hallows concludes the Harry Potter novels with a satisfying conclusion that ties up all the loose ends left hanging by the previous books.

Bonus: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Although not technically a book, it is worth including The Cursed Child in this reading order because of the time in which the story takes place. Written by Jack Thorne, JK Rowling and John Tiffany, The Cursed Child is set 19 years after the events of The Deathly Hallows. It follows Harry’s son, who takes a very different path at Hogwarts than his father by being sorted into Slytherin and forming a close friendship with Draco Malfoy’s son. This piece also gives a glimpse into an adult Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, which is nice to see.

Additional reading

Outside of the main series, there are three main texts worth including. These texts are considered the ‘Hogwarts Library’ and are in no way directly connected to the timeline of the Harry Potter book.

Fantastic creatures and where to find them

Fantastic creatures and where to find them

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This companion book is more of a compendium than an actual novel. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them describes all the magical creatures from the Harry Potter universe. It is essentially a textbook written by the fictional character Newt Scamander and describes the habitats and characteristics of each of these creatures. It has no direct relation to the Fantastic Beasts films other than the name itself.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

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Another companion book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, was first introduced in The Deathly Hallows as a collection of children’s stories from the wizarding world. This storybook contains ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’, as well as several other short stories that give us a new look at the world of Harry Potter.

Quidditch through the ages

Quidditch through the ages

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The third and final companion book in the Hogwarts Library, Quidditch through the Ages, is exactly what it sounds like: a detailed history of Quidditch. You can learn more about how the game came to be, including the history of the Golden Snitch and Bludgers.

Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has called the Northwest home his entire life. With a bachelor’s degree in communications and over 7 years of professional writing experience, his expertise spans a variety of different topics – from TV series to indie games and popular book series.