J.K. Rowling launches ‘Harry Potter at Home’
The Wizarding World just got bigger.
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has launched an online Potter hub to keep children educated and entertained during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Harry Potter at Home” brings together a number of resources related to the international franchise, including free access to the audiobook version of the first installment in the series.
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” has been added to Audible’s library of free books as part of its partnership with the platform, making it immediately available in several languages for free, and without requiring a subscription to the Amazonowned audiobook service.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the languages are English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese.
Other features of the hub include articles, puzzles and videos, made available by publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic.
In a statement to ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Rowling said, “The teachers, parents and carers that are working to keep children’s lives as normal and as happy as possible while we’re all on lockdown deserve a bit of magic. I hope these initiatives will give children, and even adults, a happy distraction during their enforced stay at home time.”
“For over twenty years now, Hogwarts has been an escape for all — for readers and fans, young and old,” the website organizers added in a post introducing the platform.
“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.”
The coronavirus pandemic has closed schools and workplaces and confined hundreds of millions of people around the world to their homes, leading to a surge in internet use and increased interest in a number of online tools.
Rowling previously announced she was relaxing copyright permissions around the “Harry Potter” series, allowing teachers to post videos of themselves reading aloud from the books for their students.