Task 1 Reading Great Minds: J. K. Rowling
Great Minds: J. K. Rowling by Lydia Lukidis Wizards, Hogwarts, and Gryffindors! Everybody knows J. K. Rowling is
the author of the ever popular Harry Potter series. Everybody knows she's incredibly successful, famous, and
rich. But Rowling's past wasn't so magical. She certainly didn't have anything handed to her on a silver platter.
She represents a true rags to riches story. Let's go back in time for a moment. Rowling was born in 1965 in Yate,
England. Her parents were voracious readers. She grew up surrounded by books. She quickly became a
bookworm and dreamed of being a writer. Her favorite subjects in school were English and languages. No
surprise there. By the age of six, she wrote her first story. By the age of eleven, she wrote her first full length
novel. That's pretty incredible! Upon graduating university, she worked a series of jobs in London as a secretary
and teacher. She also worked at Amnesty International. In 1991, Rowling left England to work as an English
teacher in Portugal. That's where she met her first husband. They quickly got married and welcomed a child
shortly after. Unfortunately, this was a turbulent era for Rowling. Soon after her daughter was born, her marriage
fell apart. The couple got divorced. In an instant, she lost everything. She became homeless and unemployed.
Now a single mother, she moved back to England. She lived in a tiny apartment and looked after her daughter.
She survived on public assistance and had a few brief odd jobs here and there. But she never gave up on her
writing. She continued to write stories every chance she got. She would write in cafes as her daughter napped.
Rowling first dreamed up Harry Potter when she was delayed on a train. She was Super Teacher Worksheets -
www.superteacherworksheets.com imagining creating a place where a child could have power. This is what
sparked the idea of Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Over the next five years, she developed her
ideas and outlined the series of seven books. She scribbled her notes by hand on scraps of paper and napkins.
Soon she had a pile of notes that she had to piece together. Despite living in poverty and suffering from
depression, she persevered. When she finished the first manuscript (Harry​