Whether you are young or old and you haven't yet read any of J.K. Rowling's wonderful series of books about a young wizard named Harry Potter, then this set of the first six books would be a wonderful way to begin your own journey.
Harry Potter's story begins with the 1997 book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". At age 11, he has been taken care of from the time that he was only one year old by his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who have a child of their own named Dudley. They have taken care of Harry because his own parents, James and Lily Potter (Lily was Petunia's sister) were killed by the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. The Dursleys want nothing to do with magic, and since Harry may be a wizard, they have not treated him very well. However, just before Harry's 11th birthday, he received a letter from the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft; but the Dursleys won't let him read the letter. More & more letters from Hogwarts arrive until out of desperation, the Dursleys attempt to run away with Harry; but they are easily found and on Harry's birthday, a huge man by the name of Hagrid arrives to personally deliver Harry's invitation from Hogwarts to study magic. It is only then that Harry finds out that he's a wizard and that the Dursleys had lied to him about how his parents died. Harry leaves with Hagrid and begins his first year at Hogwarts, where he makes his first true friends: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. It's an exciting story as Harry learns to play quidditch, learns potions with the unpleasant Professor Snape and becomes entangled in some secret affairs at the school. He may even have an encounter with "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".
In 1999, Harry's story continued with "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". At age 12, Harry has been treated slightly better by the Dursleys over his summer holiday, but things begin to turn sour when an elf named Dobby suddenly appears in Harry's bedroom to give him a message: that he should not return to Hogwarts this year. Not accepting the warning, Dobby makes mischief while the Dursleys are entertaining. Uncle Vernon puts bars on Harry's bedroom window and refuses to let him return to Hogwarts, but a flying car carrying Ron Weasley and his brothers Fred and George arrive and rescue Harry. Harry's does finally get to Hogwarts, but students begin to be attacked by an unknown force and Harry starts to hear strange voices. That's when they learn about a legendary part of the castle known only as "the chamber of secrets", in which a horrible monster is said to dwell. Will Hogwarts get shut down, or can Harry and his friends figure out where the chamber is? Look out for Professor Gilderoy Lockhart and Moaning Myrtle.
Also in 1999, Harry's adventures continued with the release of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban". At age 13, after Harry accidentally causes one of his other unpleasant muggle aunts to inflate like a balloon, he runs away from the Dursleys to wait out the end of his summer holidays elsewhere. Harry meets the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge, but he doesn't' get in trouble for inflating his aunt. Instead, there is something far more ominous: Sirius Black, a very dangerous prisoner and convicted murderer, has escaped from Azkaban prison. Everyone at Hogwarts must be on guard, especially with the dreaded dementors on the prowl looking for Sirius. While Ron & Harry can't understand how Hermione is getting to all of her classes (some classes at the same time), Sirius Black is looking for Harry. When Harry finds out who Sirius Black is, he goes ballistic; but things may not always be as they appear.
In 2000, at 14, Harry begins his fourth year at Hogwarts in the book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". This is an unusual year at Hogwarts: instead of the usual quidditch matches between the four houses, an international Tri-Wizarding Tournament is to be held. Limited to only upper-class students, everyone is shocked when Harry is named to be one of its contestants. The Tri-Wizarding Tournament is somewhat dangerous to its participants, but Hermione finds herself in an affair with a world-renowned quidditch player who is representing his school in the Tournament. In the meantime, Harry starts to have his first teenaged romance with a girl named Cho Chang, but his life is complicated when he begins to experience strange visions of snakes and "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named". What is "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" doing? Harry will no doubt be caught in the thick of it and it may interfere with the Tournament!
In 2003, at 15, Harry's adventures continue in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". After the events that conclude the previous book, Harry saves himself and his cousin Dudley from two dementors near the Dursleys home. In trouble for having used magic as an underage wizard, Harry is brought before a court at the Ministry of Magic. Thanks to Professor Dumbledore, Harry's attendance at Hogwarts is saved, but the Ministry of Magic thinks Harry is a liar. To keep a lid on Harry & Dumbledore, the Ministry makes the lives of Hogwarts' staff and students (especially Harry) miserable with the arrival of Professor Dolores Umbridge direct from the Ministry. Not only does she personally make Harry's life miserable, Harry has to take extra lessons from Professor Snape! However, something that Lord Voldemort desperately wants takes his band of Death Eaters and their battle with the Order to the secret halls of the Ministry itself resulting in a terrible price for Harry.
In 2005, at 16, Harry begins his sixth year at Hogwarts in the long-awaited book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". After surviving Professor Umbridge and the terrible events of the fifth book, the reputations of Professor Dumbledore and Harry have been restored as the Ministry of Magic has been forced to deal with the increasing number of attacks around England from the Death Eaters. In fact, Cornelius Fudge has been replaced by the more capable Rufus Scrimgeour as the new Minister of Magic. Professor Dumbledore himself arrives at the Dursley's home to take Harry and has a very interesting discussion with them. He also tells Harry that he will be giving Harry private lessons during his sixth year. These lessons focus on teaching Harry about Voldemort's life story, as best as Professor Dumbledore can remember. While Harry, Ron and Hermione have more homework than ever, Voldemort's war rages and a deadly plot is hatched that involves Draco Malfoy and Professor Snape resulting in Harry being faced with one of the most difficult experiences of his life. Decisions are then made that will have far reaching implications for J.K. Rowling's seventh and final (yet unnamed) book in the Harry Potter series.
Overall, I rate J.K. Rowling's first six Harry Potter books with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend them. You too will then know what Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin are; as well as some of the secrets about Hogwarts and its magical world. You might even come across a hippogryph named Buckbeak, a spider named Aragog, a werewolf and a broad range of engaging characters. I very much look forward to reading the seventh and final book.
