Horror and supernatural fiction writer Stephen King once said 'Books are a uniquely portable magic.'
And if there's one woman who knows a thing or two about creating a world of magic for her readers, it's J.K. Rowling.
Despite her first novel – Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – being published almost 20 years ago now, Rowling's words still have the ability to transport readers into a mystical world and cheer them up with the mystical adventures of Harry, Hermoine and Ron.
And that's exactly what's happened to Bana Alabed – a 7 year-old girl in Aleppo, Syria who tweeted a picture of herself reading a book in September, along with the caption 'I'm reading to forget the war'.
In November, Bana's mother Fatehmah tweeted J.K. Rowling to let her know Bana and her brothers had finally had the chance to watch the first Harry Potter film but that her daughter was now desperate to read the entire Harry Potter series.
As a result, Rowling's agent, Neil Blair, arranged for the family to receive e-books, with J.K.Rowling admitting she had been 'obsessing' over Bana's wish to read the books.
In a video posted to Twitter last week, Bana can be seen reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on a tablet. She tweeted the author to say, 'Hello my friend @jk_rowling, I started reading your books now, my heart is for you.'
Rowling replied, 'Bana, this made me so happy! Lots of love to you and your brothers! #StandWithAleppo.'
Happy reading, Bana.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
