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20 years later, Harry Potter series is credited with producing more literate, empathetic children

Posted at 8:20 AM, Jun 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-26 08:20:45-04

Can you believe it’s been two decades since a struggling single mother first brought Harry, Ron and Hermione to life?

Author J.K. Rowling received “loads” of rejections before “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” finally got published on June 26, 1997.

The seven-book Harry Potter series has been credited with boosting literacy among children and blazing a trail for later series like “The Hunger Games” and “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” according to CNN.

CNN reports the novels have sold more than 450 million copies and have been translated into more than 60 languages in the past 20 years. The eight Harry Potter films grossed more than $2 billion over the years.

Besides raking in all that dough, the book series helps instill empathy in kids according to a 2014 study.