Magical! JK Rowling Rescues Harry Potter Fans From Coronavirus Crisis With THIS
Thankfully, J.K Rowling's update on April Fools' Day was not a joke after all.
J.K Rowling just rescued Potterheads by launching an exclusive hub for them, and it is magical!
Through her Twitter page, the British author wrote, "Parents, teachers, and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we're on lockdown might need a bit of magic, so I'm delighted to launch harrypotterathome.com."
This gift was made after schools around the world were forced to close because of the worsening situation brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Virtual Wizarding World -- through the help of Audible, Bloomsbury, OverDrive, Pottermore Publishing, and Scholastic -- aims to help Harry Potter fans make their home-schooling more magical and enjoyable amid the ongoing crisis.
In addition, the launching of the Harry Potter at Home came after the 54-year-old writer collaborated with The Blair Partnership. They issued an open license so teachers can interact with their students through the site virtually by recording themselves while reading Harry Potter books.
Aside from it being an interactive site, it also offers educational games to kids, as well as puzzles and more activities they will surely love.
"I hope these initiatives will give children, and even adults, a happy distraction during their enforced stay-at-home time," Rowling said.
Parents, teachers and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we’re on lockdown might need a bit of magic, so I’m delighted to launch https://t.co/cPg0dZpexB pic.twitter.com/i0ZjTplVoU — J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 1, 2020
What's Special About The Site
The new site truly has several activities for the old and young Potterheads.
For example, the first book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," is now made available for free on audio so that kids can have their storytime with Harry Potter and his pals.
The aforementioned feature can be used for free worldwide, both as an e-book and audiobook, throughout April 2019.
What makes it more people-friendly is the fact that they made the audiobook available in different languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese -- with the English version voiced by Stephen Fry.
Also, they have this so-called "Wizarding Wednesdays." It is an e-mail newsletter that is sent out to the site's subscribers to offer them a long list of creative activities, tests, and other ideas for kids and parents.
Rowling's idea to launch this is beneficial for everyone, considering that the "Harry Potter" series is one of the most beloved books in the history of children's literature.
As of this writing, Rowling's books have sold more than 500 million copies in 80 languages and has bagged a $7 billion movie franchise.
Fans Say "Thanks!"
After Rowling announced the good news, her tweet gained over 18,100 retweets and 55,800 likes, reaching many Potterheads around the globe.
Since this will help not only the students but teachers as well, everyone online applauded her for this project and sent her kind messages.
One fan wrote, "I worked on an extract from Philosophers Stone with my pupils. After a thorough explanation and analysis, reaction was: « does this woman even exist ? » ... Face with tears of joy you're a genius, Jo ! Thank you so much ! I became an English teacher as I learnt English thanks to your books! [sic]."
"I think this is great, all people having a way to entertain themselves. Making sure that people from all backgrounds regardless of race gender identity and religion is important," another one said.
