J.K. Rowling began writing the Harry Potter series while on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. Before the train journey was complete, JK had planned out the plot line for each of the seven books in the series that she had planned to write.

In the next seven years, Rowling wrote the first book in the series-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone-while raising a baby girl in Edinburgh. JK also planned the next few books and soon after a few unsuccessful attempts, she got a publishing agency to produce her ideas into book form.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published by Bloomsbury in 1997. At the rate of one book a year for the next few years, JK produced Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000). The Goblet of Fire became the fastest selling book in history and at 191,000 words and 37 chapters this seemed highly impossible, especially for a children's novel.

After a long three year wait, the new Harry Potter book-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is finally here. At 255,000 words and 38 chapters it is the longest Harry Potter book yet, but that didn't stop the near two million britains and five million americans who bought the book as soon as it was published on Saturday 21st June 2003.

Here is a low-down of all the Harry Potter books and what happens in them.