J.K. Rowling: Why a Little Magic is the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Your Kids

Move over Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling will soon, if she hasn't already, leave a bigger thumbprint than yours on the history of literature. Not even Harry himself could conjure up a potion slick enough to match J.K. Rowling's Magic for the world. Rowling, author of six published books in a soon to be completed seven book series, still remains a simple, English mother.

Well, in her heart at least. Suffice it to say, the simplest thing about Rowling is that she is a mother. And when you consider the kind of magic she wields with her writing while maintaining that maternal job..? Now that is extraordinary. And try this out for size. Each time J.K. Rowling releases another book in the series it is the fastest selling book of all time.

Now that's a title. Her first three books made more than 480 million dollars in sales, and with millions more being sold around the world, Rowling has long since left fantasy giants like J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of The Rings) and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) in the dust. Not only do these facts earn her fame, but the obvious revenue isn't that bad either.

J.K. Rowling's magic sparkles from page to page, and from movie theatre to movie theatre where countless children, teenagers and adults flock to see just what the famous Harry Potter will face this time. Unlike movies such as Jaws or Rocky, where incessant sequels seem to get nothing more than a roll-of-the-eyes from viewers, her fans seem to never dull of her latest installments.

Please don't get me wrong, Rocky is great, and Great White's are scary, but the storyline for these Hollywood classics eventually becomes about as exciting as a Brady Bunch re-run on a weekday afternoon (mow that artificial turf!). So whether you're a fan of the boy wizard or not, J.K. Rowling undoubtedly stands above present and past writers in significant ways.

Have you ever witnessed the release of a Potter book? Families, teenagers, everyone from every kind of background and story come together and share in a story they all love. The countdown until the midnight release is really a sight to see. Believe me, I've been there. And amidst all the little ones running around with their wands screaming incantations, and the parents smiling as volunteers paint lightning bolts on the faces of beaming children, not one ounce of the whole event is superficial. It's people, falling in love with a story and a character larger than life.

So perhaps the most intriguing and admirable aspect of J.K. Rowling's magical personae is not her sales or fame, but her ability to provoke a love for reading in generations that would otherwise be glued in front of their television sets and video games. In a world where the latest cell phones, flat screens, computers and gadgets seem to sometimes rob our minds and delight our eyes, J.K. Rowling has instilled imagination into the hearts of generations that may have lost it long ago. And if that's not magic, I don't know what is.