When it was announced that JK Rowling would be setting pen to paper to tell the world what happened after Harry Potter left Hogwarts, some of her fans were disappointed that her efforts would only make it to the stage, rather than in another novel.

Now they may be satisfied: the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, parts I and II, will be published as a book this summer. Rowling's first Potter publication in eight years will be available to fans at midnight on July 31: Harry Potter's birthday.

The publication won't be a novel, as many fans had hoped, but will allow those to find out what happens in the sequel who haven't managed to get hold of tickets to the sold-out, two-part production of the play, which opens on July 30. The script is co-written by Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany.