Daniel Radcliffe reads “Harry Potter” online

Curling up with a good book is an excellent way to pass the time during quarantine — and what better place to escape to than the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Fans of the seven-book series can now have J.K. Rowling’s words read to them by Harry Potter himself. Daniel Radcliffe, who played the title character in the film series, just read the first chapter of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” online, and there’s more to come.

Radcliffe read chapter one, “The Boy Who Lived,” in a video for the “Harry Potter At Home” project, which dropped on May 5.  Other celebrities will take turns reading the rest of the chapters of the book, which is known as “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in the U.K. 

“But when is Chapter Two coming, we hear you cry? Don’t worry, this is just the beginning,” the Wizarding World website teases. “Be sure to check back at HarryPotterAtHome.com every week where you can expect new readings from a stellar cast of narrators.”

It is unclear who will read chapter two, “The Vanishing Glass,” but a video released by the Wizarding World shows several celebrities who participated in the project. In addition to Radcliffe, “Fantastic Beasts” star Eddie Redmayne and “Cursed Child” star Noma Dumezweni will also serve as narrators. Dakota Fanning, David Beckham and others will also lend their voices, the video reveals.

For those who have short attention spans, the chapters are fairly brief — it took just about 25 minutes for Radcliffe to get through his portion. So for parents looking for something to entertain their kids for a few minutes, “Harry Potter At Home” might be the virtual answer. 

There are many similar online tools parents can utilize to keep kids engaged and reading. Actresses Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams enlisted their celebrity friends to read children’s books online. For other at-home educational experiences, Google Arts & Culture is providing virtual museum tours, Scholastic is offering free day-by-day projects to keep kids’ minds active at home, and the Kennedy Center is also posting daily “Lunch Doodle” videos hosted by beloved children’s book author Mo Willems.