Books: Abracadabra!

(2 of 2)

The previously unknown and unpublished Joanne Rowling, 33, who lives in Edinburgh with her five-year-old daughter, is a bit stunned at her snowballing success. "I do feel sometimes as though someone has taken the lid off my stone," she confesses. "I feel very exposed." Shunning a press tour for the new release, she is busy working on the fourth of what will be seven books--one for each year Harry attends Hogwarts, his wizard school.

This year Harry turns 13, and he and his pals Ron and Hermione meet flying Hippogriffs and terrifying Dementors, prison guards who suck the happiness out of people; they take classes in Divination and discover new powers. But as Rowling, with her trademark humor and tight plotting, continues to mine her true themes of betrayal and loyalty, love and loss, the forces of evil are also encroaching. "Life is becoming a bit more fraught with anxiety generally," Rowling says. "And in book four, Harry gets introduced to his hormones." All of which will help Harry and his fans grow up together.