JK Rowling has won Best Famous Person of the Week (a highly prestigious fake award we've invented) for writing a seriously good letter to a fan who told her that the Harry Potter books had changed his life.

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Johnnie Blue gave Rowling a notebook that was personally designed by Jason Cockcroft (who did the cover art for UK Bloomsbury Harry Potter books) and included a handwritten letter for the author about how she changed his life.

When he came home from school, Johnnie had been sent an envelope with a Chamber of Secrets stamp on it.

“I opened the purple tissue-lined envelope to find J.K Rowling’s signature letterhead,” he told Buzzfeed. “By the time I was finished reading the letter, there were tears rolling down my face."

Here's the letter...

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Dear Johnny,

You have fantastic handwriting. That’s not the most important thing I’ve got to say to you, but I thought I’d mention it — I’m a connoisseur.

On to more important things:

What you say about Harry helping you at what was clearly a dreadful time in your life means more to me than I can easily express. I freely confess that I loathe bullying and the way it is still so often “handled” in schools. Your experience is shocking and disturbing and that you have turned out to be a compassionate, moral, highly motivated person is high testimony to your courage. Gryffindor for you, my lad…

Thank you so much for the stunningly beautiful notebook. I love it.

This letter seems to be a series of non-sequiturs, but why break the pattern: I have family roots in Ayrshire — Arran, to be precise. And I’ve never been there. Embarrassing, isn’t it? Don’t tell the Nationalists.

I’m sure we’ll see each other again. In the meantime, I’ll watch out for you on Twitter.

Love from Jo


Nice, eh? Well done on winning Best Famous Person Of The Week, JK Rowling. You deserve it.

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The BBC adaptation of Rowling's The Casual Vacancy continues on Sunday at 9 pm on BBC1

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