Modern Mom Spotlight: JK Rowling Speaking to Harvard's Class of 2008

Harvard University picked Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, (real name Joanne Murray) and mom to David, 5, and Mackenzie, 3 to give this year’s graduation speech, saying her “stories have helped spawn a generation of enthusiastic readers.”

“Perhaps no one in our time has done more than J.K. Rowling to inspire young people to experience the excitement and sheer joy of reading,” said Drew Faust, the president of the university, in a statement. “Harvard isn’t exactly Hogwarts, but I am sure that her visit with us next June will be a moment of magic for J.K. Rowling’s many admirers across the university.”

Joanne’s seven books have been translated into 65 languages and have sold more than 375 million copies, according to a statement today from the Ivy League school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Joanne, 42, has a fortune valued at $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine.