Harry Potter Books in Order: A Chronological Reading Guide

The archetypal publication successful the Harry Potter bid is The Sorcerer's Stone. Published successful 1997, this publication is the commencement of Harry's travel into the wizarding world. In this novel, we commencement retired with Harry arsenic a young lad surviving with his muggle Aunt and Uncle Dursley successful a cupboard nether the stairs. All of this changes erstwhile helium starts receiving letters from Hogwarts letting him cognize he's been accepted into the schoolhouse of witchcraft and wizardry. Readers get their archetypal existent instauration into the magical satellite with Harry's starting twelvemonth astatine Hogwarts. This is besides our archetypal instauration to galore of the astir important Harry Potter characters, similar Dumbledore, Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, and galore more.

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The 2nd publication successful the bid introduces a much self-aware Harry Potter. After immoderate clip distant from Hogwarts during summertime break, helium has started increasing anxious owed to not receiving immoderate letters from his friends. Complications originate further successful the Dursley location arsenic helium is visited by a location elf named Dobby who is trying to halt him from making his mode backmost to school. Some magical mishaps hap that effect successful Harry being locked up successful his room. With immoderate assistance from his friends, he's capable to marque it backmost to Hogwarts successful a precise unconventional (and astir deadly) way, lone to find retired much astir the dangers Dobby was informing him about. A mysterious diary becomes a imaginable hint into the events that are happening arsenic Harry and friends excavation into wherefore classmates are being petrified successful the halls of the school. The Chamber of Secrets is our archetypal existent instauration to Voldemort and starts diving into immoderate of the bigger secrets wrong Hogwarts history.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The Prisoner of Azkaban is the 3rd publication successful the series, but it's besides wherever things commencement getting a small much serious. Harry is present 13 years aged and is astatine that turning constituent wherever helium is nary longer conscionable a kid discovering a magical world. He gets his archetypal run-in with existent acheronian erstwhile the Dementors of Azkaban find him connected the bid to Hogwarts and provender connected the small happiness he's experienced successful life. Despite that, this is the archetypal clip we get introduced to Sirius Black, who has a transportation to Harry helium ne'er would person expected. The Prisoner of Azkaban dives much into the past by giving america much of a look into the lives of Harry's parents via their aged friends (Lupin, Sirius, Wormtail). Harry is besides starting to consciousness much grown up and the value of his concern starts to go much wide passim this book.

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The Goblet of Fire is wherever the Harry Potter books look to determination beyond a elemental young big bid and into thing more. This is partially owed to the leap successful leafage length, with this publication being astir treble the magnitude of The Prisoner of Azkaban. The 4th publication successful the bid is mostly centered astir the Triwizard Tournament, a contention that takes spot betwixt the 3 superior wizarding schools successful Europe. Although Harry is technically excessively young to participate the tournament, his sanction someway makes it done and he's forced to past the precise unsafe competition. The Goblet of Fire introduces characters similar Mad-Eye Moody, Cedric Digory, and Cho Chang. Not lone bash we get into Harry's bumbling emotion life, we besides spot the series' archetypal existent decease that kicks disconnected a acceptable of overmuch darker events successful the books to come.

5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

The Order of the Phoenix is the 5th publication successful the bid and we commencement to spot a wholly antithetic broadside of Harry. He's present experienced 4 consecutive years of dealing with Voldemort's schemes and has witnessed a full-on murder. At the property of 15, he's starting his 5th twelvemonth astatine Hogwarts and wants to articulation the adults successful their combat against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Following the events of The Goblet of Fire, Hogwarts is besides experiencing changes arsenic we spot the instauration of Dolores Umbridge, arguably the astir despicable quality successful the series. Harry is targeted by the Ministry of Magic for spreading what they've deemed arsenic lies and starts feeling similar everyone is turning against him arsenic his transportation to Voldemort seemingly grows. The Order of the Phoenix represents a turning constituent arsenic the events astatine Hogwarts commencement bleeding into the wizarding satellite astatine large. It's besides erstwhile Harry experiences his 2nd large nonaccomplishment that volition alteration him forever.

6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The Half-Blood Prince is the sixth publication successful the series, and Harry enters his precocious teenage years astatine property 16. After a afloat twelvemonth of mostly being ignored by Dumbledore, helium kicks disconnected the twelvemonth by helping the Hogwarts Headmaster bring backmost an aged potions professor. With Dolores Umbridge nary longer a menace to the school, Professor Snape is taking implicit the presumption of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Professor Slugworth backfills the presumption of potions master. Dumbledore, of course, has ulterior motives, and Harry spends a decent magnitude of the publication diving into assorted memories of the past – including uncovering retired immoderate important accusation astir Severus Snape. The Half-Blood Prince is wherever we yet larn however Voldemort was capable to travel backmost from the dead, and pursuing the taxable of the past 2 books, Harry ends up experiencing different important decease he's not definite helium tin travel backmost from.

7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The Deathly Hallows is the last Harry Potter publication successful the bid (though it was divided into 2 movies). Harry, Ron, and Hermione are present considered adults astatine the property of 17. This means they are capable to signifier magic extracurricular of Hogwarts without imaginable ineligible backlash from the Ministry of Magic. Now that they cognize the information astir Voldemort, the 3 of them determine to skip their last twelvemonth astatine Hogwarts and implicit the task Dumbledore near for Harry. On their own, the 3 friends marque their mode to assorted locations portion being chased down by Deatheaters and the Ministry itself. As the decision to the story, we larn adjacent much astir Voldemort and Harry's mysterious transportation and what it genuinely means. We besides get our archetypal instauration to the Deathly Hallows, which had elements sprinkled passim the series. The Deathly Hallows brings the Harry Potter novels to a adjacent with a satisfying decision that ties up each of the escaped ends the erstwhile books near hanging.

Bonus: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Although not technically a book, it's worthy including The Cursed Child successful this speechmaking bid owed to erstwhile the communicative takes place. Written by Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling, and John Tiffany, The Cursed Child takes spot a afloat 19 years aft the events of The Deathly Hallows. It follows Harry's son, who walks a wholly antithetic way astatine Hogwarts than his dada by getting sorted into Slytherin and forms a adjacent relationship with Draco Malfoy's son. This play besides gives a look astatine an big Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny that is amusive to see.

Additional Reading

Outside of the main series, determination are 3 main texts that are worthy including. Considered the "Hogwarts Library," these texts are not connected straight to the main Harry Potter publication timeline successful immoderate way.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

This companion publication is much of a compendium than an existent novel. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them details each of the magical creatures from the Harry Potter universe. It's fundamentally a textbook written by the fictional quality Newt Scamander and describes the habitats and characteristics of each of these creatures. It doesn't person immoderate nonstop narration to the Fantastic Beasts movies beyond the sanction itself.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Another companion book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was archetypal introduced successful The Deathly Hallows arsenic a postulation of children's stories from the wizarding world. This publication of tales includes "The Tale of Three Brothers," arsenic good arsenic assorted different abbreviated stories that springiness america a caller look astatine the satellite of Harry Potter.

Quidditch Through the Ages

The 3rd and last companion publication successful the Hogwarts Library, Quidditch Through the Ages is precisely what it sounds like: a elaborate past of Quidditch. You tin larn much astir however the crippled came together, including the past of the Golden Snitch and Bludgers.

Are There Any Upcoming Harry Potter Books?

There aren't immoderate upcoming Harry Potter books that are portion of the main series, but determination are inactive caller things happening successful the written Potterverse. It was precocious announced backmost successful January that a caller bid of companion books called Pocket Potters volition beryllium released successful 2025 and beyond. There is besides a caller illustrated interactive variation of The Goblet of Fire that was conscionable announced for October, 2025.

We are inactive waiting connected the last 2 further illustrated Harry Potter editions aft Jim Kay stepped down from the relation backmost successful 2022. There is nary merchandise day for these, but determination is immoderate anticipation that a caller illustrator volition beryllium recovered to decorativeness the work.

Otherwise, a caller Harry Potter TV bid is successful the works astatine HBO, with confirmed casting announcements for the infamous archetypal trio.

Jacob Kienlen is simply a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised successful Portland, Oregon, helium has considered the Northwest his location for his full life. With a bachelor's grade successful connection and implicit 7 years of nonrecreational penning experience, his expertise is dispersed crossed a assortment of antithetic topics -- from TV bid to indie games and fashionable publication series.

Originally posted:

May 27, 2025 5:31 pm