J.K. Rowling is one fierce lady. She’s gorgeous, funny, smart, and is a wicked writer. She graced us with the most magical story ever with the Harry Potter series, which catapulted her to a level of fame that most writers can only dream about. Not only did Harry Potter spark a wildfire of reading for an entire generation, but it also created a place for kids to go in their heads and escape their own worlds. I know Harry Potter did a lot for me as a youngster, and it still does today. Because of her success, J.K. Rowling became one of the richest women in the United Kingdom and landed a spot on the Forbes billionaire list last year. However, now she’s been bumped back down to the millionaire’s list.

Don’t worry though, it’s not because she’s spending her unimaginable fortune. Rowling’s moved down because she’s donated so much of her money to charity. According to Forbes, ”New information about Rowlings’ estimated $160 million in charitable giving combined with Britain’s high tax rates bumped the ‘Harry Potter’ scribe from our list this year.” Rowling has always been a charitable lady. She started the Volant Charitable Trust to prevent social inequality and poverty in 2000 and is the president of One Parent Families, a charity for single-parent families. She also has donated millions to multiple sclerosis research. She also wrote several books for charity including Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Quidditch Through The Ages, and The Tales of Beetle the Bard. Read More »

The Harry Potter series (aka the best book/movie series that has ever existed, am I right??) is coming to a close this summer, and I couldn’t be more sad about it. I cried on the phone to my mom the day I finished reading the last book, and I have a feeling something like that may just happen all over again when I walk out of the theater after seeing the last installment of Harry’s saga.

If you feel the same way, never fear. Here at CollegeCandy, we love to find ways to keep your spirits up–even if it seems impossible in the face of such a tragedy as fresh HP material leaving our lives forever. To help ease the pain, we’ve hit the internet to find some of the most random facts about the Harry Potter movies.

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In the back of my closet sits a neatly folded black robe, a phoenix feather wand, and costume makeup. Like Nagini’s eerie parseltongue, they seem to whisper my name louder and louder as the release date for part one of The Deathly Hallows nears. For those die-hard Harry Potter fans out there like me—whose favorite pastime includes arguing over which house their real-life friends would be in— it can seem unfathomable, absolutely preposterous that some people have never read the Harry Potter series.

How, they ask, could parents let their children miss out on such a blissful and beautiful reading experience? And, likewise, how could some children not force their parents to reignite their now-dead imaginations with a bit of wizardry? Some cite the evils and villains the novels include as too harsh for children. Some feel they are above the pre-teen categorized stories.

However, I am here to prove these naysayers wrong. Not only is the Harry Potter series a must-read for any literate human being, it’s also a beacon of literary, religious, and historical references. It challenges readers’ ideas of ethics and provides youngins with information they would otherwise toss-aside if in a different format.

Still unconvinced that Harry Potter isn’t worth a second glance? Or that it shouldn’t be considered lasting literature? Well, just ask these following universities that offer or have offered various interesting and completely awesome courses analyzing J. K. Rowling’s genius series. Read More »

Clearly the fact that there have been six Harry Potter movies released, (two more in the making) seven books out in stores, and an upcoming theme park in Orlando, doesn’t quite express the extent of society’s obsession with the magic wizardly world. Because college Quidditch (yes, the broomstick-riding sport) is on the rise.

With over 200 colleges expressing their interest in the sport, including Princeton, U-Mass-Amherst and Vassar College, Quidditch is spreading like wildfire. It even has its own site, (for all you nerds out there) where you can have access to the latest Quidditch news and history of the sport.

Similar to soccer, the players try and get the ball, or Quaffle that is, into the opposing goal, except they try and do so while riding around on a broomstick…on the ground. Read More »