J. K. (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in Gloucestershire, England on July 31, 1966. She attended Exeter University and worked as a teacher in Edinburgh, Scotland and in Portugal before publishing her first Harry Potter book in 1997. She wrote this book while she was a single mother supported by public assistance, unable to work and pay for child care at the same time.

After the publication of this first book, entitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rowling's situation changed from rags to riches. The first three books in her seven-book series sold over 30 million copies, they were printed in 35 languages, and Rowling earned over $400 million.

Rowling has received numerous awards for her Harry Potter books, and because of her tremendous success stimulating children to read, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Andrews, Scotland in 2000. Because Rowling's Harry Potter books dominated the top slots...