Harry Potter's beastly book for charity

LONDON, England (AP) -- Author J.K. Rowling announced Monday that she is writing two spin-off reference books from her hugely successful Harry Potter series to raise money for charity.

The short books -- called Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages -- appear within Harry Potter's fictional world of wizardry and witchcraft.

They will be released worldwide by Comic Relief as part of a fundraising drive, with proceeds going to the organisation's battle against poverty and social injustice in some of the world's poorest countries.

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Fantastic Beasts is a title on the boy wizard's school supply list in a previous Potter book. The second new volume will be an anthology of Harry's favourite sport, quidditch.

The books will act as reference material for millions of fanatical Harry Potter readers.

"I have always had a secret hankering to write these two books," Rowling said. "So when Richard Curtis wrote to me, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to be involved with a charity I have always supported."

Curtis, best known for writing the screenplays to Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill is closely involved with Comic Relief.

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