Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the publisher of all "Harry Potter" books in the United Kingdom, on 30 June 1997. It was released in the United States on 1 September 1998 by Scholastic—the American publisher of the books—as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", after Rowling had received US$105,000 for the American rights—an unprecedented amount for a children's book by a then-unknown author. The second book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" was originally published in the UK on 2 July 1998, and in the US on 2 June 1999. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was then published a year later in
Religious debates over the Harry Potter series the criticism of "Harry Potter" is from fundamentalist evangelical Christian groups, who believe the series' depiction of witchcraft is dangerous to children. Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, an American Evangelical Christian group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, outlined the reasons for his opposition to them: "[They contain] some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil; however, the positive messages are packaged in a medium – witchcraft – that is directly denounced in Scripture." "Harry Potter" has been the subject of at least six book burnings in the U.S.