Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling
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Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book Review: Amazing harry
Summary: 5 Stars
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stoneby Martina "I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name."Professor McGonagall, in the first chapter titled "The Boy Who Lived" By now there's not much that can be said about the Harry Potter phenomenon that hasn't been said already. Worshipped by kids, enjoyed by adults, this modern myth has become an accepted classic worldwide. Pull any copy of the series off a shelf anywhere in the world and you're holding magic. It's not hard to see why. Right from the first page of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (or "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" for those reading in the UK) Rowling proves that she knows a thing or two about the kind of magic that brings stories to life. The book starts with Harry as an infant, the child of a wizard and witch. He is suddenly left orphaned after an attack by the evil and powerful wizard Voldemort, a villain so dastardly that most wizards and witches refer to him as "You-Know-Who". Mysteriously, Harry survives and Voldemort, his power apparently broken in his attempt to kill the child, disappears leaving many to think he's gone for good. News spreads fast and Harry is hailed as a hero. Even though he's just a baby his victory over Voldemort makes him an overnight celebrity among magic users the world over. As a result, the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry step in to decide Harry's future. They decide to take the child out of the spotlight and allow him to live a normal life with his only remaining relations, a Muggle family named Dursley, until he is of age to attend the Hogwarts school. They leave Harry on the doorstep of the Dursley's home, with no more than a letter of explanation. The story truly begins nearly ten years later, after Harry has endured a childhood of constant scorn and hatred at the hands of his new family. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are embarrassed by the fact that Harry's mother considered herself a witch and married a man who claimed to be a wizard. The Dursley's simply don't hold with such nonsense. They consider themselves respectable. As Muggles go, the Dursley's may not be prime examples of the worst of their kind, but they rank pretty high. They force Harry to sleep in a cupboard under the stairs and to wear their spoiled son's damaged cast-offs. Harry is little more than a servant and a punching bag to his cousin Dudley. But worst of all, Mr. Dursley has not read Dumbledore's letter to Harry, leaving the boy unaware of such things as his heritage, the truth about his parents death and his emerging powers. Then everything changes with the delivery of a letter in a very unusual fashion. From that point on, Harry's life is never the same again. The letter is actually an acceptance letter, a notification to Harry that he has a place at Hogwart's school. Literally rescued from the Dursley's and taken under the wing of Hagrid, the school's lovable giant of a groundskeeper, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime in the hallowed halls of Hogwarts where in addition to his studies he makes close friends and a lifelong enemy, discovers a talent for a very unusual sport called Quidditch and solves a mystery that threatens the world, not to mention his very existence. The magic potion Rowling herself concocts starts solidly with Harry, a remarkably unassuming kid who's got "hero of mythical proportions" written all over him. He's courageous, clever and resourceful. He's got a special talent in the form of magical powers, and a noble and mysterious birth. He's wounded - a big one in myths - not just physically as evidenced by the scar on his forehead, but emotionally as well due to the death of his parents, not to mention a tortured upbringing by uncaring relations that rivals Cinderella's. But most of all, as was hinted right from the start, he's got one heck of a destiny. All this comes together to introduce a character the reader immediately bonds with. You *really* want to be this kid's friend and hang out with him to see what happens. Next into the potion goes a heavy dose of down-to-earth realism - the kind of everyday stuff recognized by almost every kid in the world... but WAIT! You, gentle reader, are never allowed to get comfortable in the world of the often stupid, ever boring Muggles, because you're not one of them, are you? Of course not. You know better, because Rowling blends in the essence of magic fantasy with such skill that Harry's world literally shimmers with it. Because you're not a Muggle, you can see it all around you as you read. The rest of the ingredients are just as high in quality, from the magical, mysterious yet somehow familiar Hogwarts School to the friends that help Harry get through it all, to the exciting conclusion. Rowling serves it all up with a deceptively simple and straight forward writing style that sparksa response deep in the subconscious, drawing the reader in and holding on tight. The fact is, this story is not just read, it's experienced and that's the magic right there. Of course, adults have to fight their Muggle tendencies and indulge in a little suspension of disbelief to get full enjoyment of the story. For example, those of you who read a lot of Tom Clancy might have trouble getting past the fact that such occurrences as motorcycles flying over London and entire groups of people who vanish into thin air at train stations, go virtually unnoticed. The exact purpose of the wizards trained at Hogwarts in relation to the world is never really explained, except in some vague reference to the further study and possible control of the other preternatural type creatures such as dragons, zombies and vampires who also go unnoticed by the Muggle world. Apparently, when it comes to Muggle mind control, it's everyone's game. Those readers with sci-fi leanings might start picturing Hogwarts as existing in an alternate dimension of sorts but that's not the point. The point is suspension of disbelief. It just all happens because it does and no one in the real world knows about it but those involved... and that's that. Though I thoroughly loved this book, my only off moment came near the end, where I began to wonder exactly how suitable the images depicted were for the impressionable minds of Rowling's younger readers. Still, at the ripe old age of 32, I might just be over-reacting. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a fantastic book, well plotted with strong characters that not only talk and act like real kids, but are also great role models as well. These kids do their homework, brush their teeth, study for exams and still have time to get into trouble in the name of a good cause. There is one excellent and well spelled out moral in the story that doesn't detract from the plot and if the reason why Harry survived Voldemort's attack doesn't leave you with a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye, I suggest you read it again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it yet, kid or adult. Let it carry you away with the knowledge that you're reading a classic that will be read and loved by generations to come, just like the fairy-tales of old.Book Review: I Have This Book to Thank!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a 20 year old college student with a 3.0 GPA, yadda, yadda, yadda. Let's turn back the clock a bit, shall we? In 1999, I was a student ambassador traveling the Mediterranean and about to start my freshman year in high school. On that trip, another student ambassador was reading a paperback funny-looking book with a picture of a kid on a broomstick who looked like he was about to crash into one of the pillars- with a lighting-shape scar on his head. 'Huh. Good character design!" Was my first thought- Harry actually HAD an appearance! If there's one thing that irked me with many books is that you never see the main character. And yet this one, you could see him. Yet the whole cover looked so.... different. The title sounded so... Cheezy. Harry Potter? Oro? ...Okay.
"This is actually a pretty good book so far." The kid who was reading it told me.
"What's it about?" I asked. He showed me the illustration for Chapter 2 and there I saw Dudley and all his presents, looking smug.
"It's about this orphaned kid who's raised by his neglective relatives. See that kid, that's his cousin, Dudley- he's so spoiled that every year he counts his presents to make sure that his parents give him more than what he got last year." Wow, I thought, that's one spoiled cousin.
"So what does Harry get then?" I asked.
"Nothing. But the part I'm at, he talks to a snake."
"Hmm."
So it looked like a weird book about a boy who crashes on brooms, is neglected, and can talk to snakes. O......kay. The title alone sounded cheezy. Origional. But cheezy. Besides, I rarely read fiction. Books weren't all that cool to me.... Sure, I've read a few things, but most books I read were ghost stories and facts about animals. Maybe a few short stories, here and there. But I never could read a whole novel anyway. On my own, at least. I seriously doubted I could. I barely read a few books on my own for book reports, but I don't even think I took in most of what was happeneing. So, I put it from my mind. Fast forward to the end of my freshman year in high school, 2000. (I had just turned 15) One of the friends I had made was pratically spazzing out about the up-coming release of the 4th book, Goblet of Fire, which was coming out that summer. When I told her I never read it and had only heard of it, she insisted I read it, and even loaned me the first book in paperback. Well.
The first chapter alone intrigued me. I had no idea what the heck was going on, but it caught my attention. The flying motorcycle, the bearded guy, the groovy Merlin-figure with the cool name Dumbledore, the lady who can turn into a cat- and the black-haired, scarred sleeping baby Harry. :D The end of the first chapter was so beautifully described, I wanted to know more. So on I read.
It took me a while to get past Diagon Alley, but even as I did, this book made me react in a way no other book ever had- I actually found myself getting dizzy reading about the cart ride in Gringotts, I heald my breath at parts, found myself fighting off tears at other parts, and I even jumped up, whooped aloud, and punched the air in triumph at the Quidditch scene. My dad probably thought it had finally happened: I lost my marbles. :D
I picked up the title just in time- I had no idea there was even a school in the series. All I knew about it was that it was the story of an orphaned kid with bad relatives. Soon after I finished the book, I felt renewed, awakened, and inspired. I read the rest as that summer ended, and as I finished book 4, the hype was born. At first it was all cool and everything to buy a coffee mug with Harry grabbing one of the winged keys, but the popularity was almost enough to drive even me crazy. But still, the book has a spell of it's own. It's healing, it's entertaining, it's educational and I am proud to say that it is anything but evil. I discovered that I had a love for reading I never knew that I had all along, and I went back to re-read titles I read in school, and have moved on to tackle other books out there. Finally, after I graduated High School, I read the 5th book, and have now finished the 6th book this summer, and I feel I have grown with the series. I've learned from it. But even so, each book has it's own flavor that's unique to it. I look back now and read the first book and there is a beautiful air of innocence to it, but it's not all light and fluffy, the book DOES get dark. Even so, I catch things I never did before with each re-read, I understand things I never did before after reading the later titles, and each time I go back, it never grows old.
After having read the 6th book, I look at the first and see exactly why Harry is special. His power the Dark Lord knows not is definately there and going strong while he is merely a kid; instead of seeing material gain or wealth, all Harry saw in the mirror, all he ever longed for, was his family. Being neglected as he was and having to watch Dudley get everything his greazy heart desirres, he could have easily longed for the same things- but no. All he wanted was his parents at his side. In that chapter, it meant more to him to see his mom and dad than anything else anyone could ever want might mean. I felt a kin-ship with him there, having lost my mother when I was 7. Instead of treating Neville as the other kids did (laughing at him, etc), Harry showed him compassion several times through the story. When given the opportunity by Draco to be popular, he turned it down, deciding he could decide who "the wrong sort" were for himself without Malfoy's help. Harry was not afraid to pick his friends :D In each book, he is constantly tempted by the Dark Arts, and never once does he give in to them. Even Voldemort himself offers to Harry that if he sided with him, they could find ways to bring his parents back- Harry was even able to see through that, too.
I'm not surprised the series made it so far, but I like to look past the hype, past the advertising, past the movies, to see the books for what they are: Incredible. The first book alone is an excellent story to set the stage for an adventure anyone with an open-mind is obliged to embark on. It's so much simpler, yet there is so much to learn. J.K Rowling has found a way to portray fantasy in a way that is so real the reader can almost breathe it. I am also thankful- I never knew I could understand literature- and here I discover it's as if all along I possessed a love and knack for it that needed to be awakened.
I'm very lucky to have discovered this series before I knew what it was. The best way to discover Harry Potter is to read it for yourself-having no knowledge of what lies within it's pages. :) I learned for myself that it is not some random book about some weirdo-kid with issues, but it is something to relate to, grow with and learn from. The Movies are fun, but they can't compare with the true mastery of the novels!
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: A Tale for the Ages
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are reading this review you might as well just stop now and buy Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, you won't regret it. If you still need more encouragement, please proceed. You must be warned, though, this book tends to be addictive. So much so that one might have to continue and read the rest of the books in the series. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a story about a young orphan wizard, Harry Potter, and his trials and experiences through the first year of his new school. It is masterfully written and portrays well the thoughts and emotions of a young adolescence. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J. K. Rowling, is a fabulous tale of friendship and loyalty, courage, and love that people ages five to one hundred can enjoy.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a wonderful example of the power of friendship and loyalty. In the beginning of the book Harry starts off as a sort of a social outcast. He has almost no friends mainly because his cousin, Dudley, does not allow it. Yet with the revelation that he has been accepted to Hogwarts Harry has a chance to start again in finding friends. Almost immediately after Harry heads to Hogwarts he meets Ron Weasly, a tall, skinny first year with flaming red hair. They hit it off right from the beginning and throughout the course of the book their friendship grows. This duo becomes a trio when they become friends with Hermione Granger, a bookish know it all also in her first year of school. These three have many adventures together. Through these adventures they become very close. Hermione and Ron stick with Harry throughout all his troubles. Once when Harry was playing Quidditch, the wizard sport of choice, someone jinxed his broom making it try to buck him off while he was at least one hundred feet in the air. Hermione and Ron see this and go to Harry's rescue. They find the perpetrator and set fire to his robes. This was just enough for Harry to break free. Another example of loyalty and friendship is when Hagrid, the gamekeeper and one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's friends, gets himself in a pickle. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are there to help him out. They put their reputation on the line to save his. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone contains many great examples of friendship and loyalty.
Courage is present throughout the whole of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, says of courage, "There are two kinds of courage. It it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." These two kinds of courage are found multiple times. Harry definitely does not lack courage. He faces many challenges in his first year of school. He puts his life on line when he goes to save the school from the Dark Lord Voldemort. Since his name is strikes fear in the wizarding world he will now be referred to as You-Know-Who. You-Know-Who is the most feared wizard of his time. He was the one who killed Harry's parents. Harry, when younger, was able, through help from his mother, to strip You-Know-Who of his powers. You-Know-Who wants to rise to power again and needs something from the school to do so. Harry, Hermione, and Ron go to stop You-Know-Who knowing full well that three first year wizards have little chance of stopping one of the most powerful wizards of all time. Eventually it ends up Harry facing You-Know-Who alone. Harry does not shrink from this responsibility and fights nobly and ends up defeating him. Neville Longbottom, a round faced first year, is an example of the courage of standing up to friends. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are sneaking out after hours, Neville catches wind that they are doing this and, knowing that it is wrong, tries to stop them. This took a great deal of courage on Neville's part because he had always been timid. He knew what the others were doing was wrong, though, so he stood up to them. Both physical and moral courage are found many times in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Love is the main theme of the Harry Potter series including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It is through love that Harry is able to stand up to You-Know-Who. Through love Harry is able to make friends. Love is the reason his friends stick with him through thick and thin. Harry's mother sacrificed herself to save Harry. The love that she showed protected Harry from You-Know-Who's first attack and it protects him throughout his life. This is because one marked with hatred, greed, and unrighteous ambition can not harm "a person marked by something so good." This something is love. Love, according to Dumbledore, is the most powerful magic of all.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a wonderful book. It teaches great lessons of love, courage, friendship, and loyalty. It is fun to read and can be enjoyed by those off almost all ages. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the start of a wonderful adventure.
Book Review: where it all began...
Summary: 5 Stars
even if you haven't read any of j.k.rowling's books, it is impossible not to have noticed the harry potter phenomenon that is sweeping across the globe. children and adults alike are experiencing what has grown to be known as `potter mania', and few books have ever achieved the legendary status that these books have reached. the question playing on all our minds is this: why are the books so popular? read on to find out! the first book in the series, `harry potter and the philosopher's stone', introduces ten-year-old harry; an orphan who is forced to live with his aunt and uncle dursley. he is continually mistreated, causing readers to feel immediate sympathy and liking for him.
when harry is rescued from his ghastly relatives by a giant man called hagrid, he learns that he is no ordinary boy but a wizard, and that his parents were not killed in a car crash as harry had previously been told, but were murdered by an evil wizard called lord voldemort. harry was just a baby at the time, but when voldemort tried to kill harry, somehow his attack was resisted and voldemort was stripped of all his powers and vanished. because of that, harry is famous in the wizard world, and easily recognisable by the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.
harry is then taken by hagrid to kings cross station, platform nine-and-three-quarters, where he catches the hogwarts express to `hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry'. upon arrival at the school the `sorting hat' - a magical wizard's hat that possesses the ability to read into your mind, sorts all the pupils into different houses. harry is sorted into gryffindor - the red house for the brave and daring.
along with his two best friends hermione granger and ron weasley, harry begins his adventures. he soon adjusts to the ways of the wizard world, which are so very different to the ways of `muggles', muggle being the term used to describe non-magical people. Harry is provided with a flying broomstick and a magic wand, which he has to learn to use. He meets strange people and creatures, including ghosts, trolls, dragons, and a terrifying three-headed dog called `Fluffy'.
Although Harry is not a particularly brilliant student, he is talented at Quidditch, a wizard sport. Between classes, games, and quarrels with teachers and classmates, Harry becomes involved in a mystery concerning the magical Philosopher's Stone. And as for Lord Voldemort ... perhaps he hasn't vanished completely after all ...
So let's return to wondering why the books are so popular. Although the books are aimed at children, many of the themes and plotlines seem to be intended for adult readers. The books can be read on so many different levels - readers can enjoy the books as a simple story or they can look deeper. The Harry Potter books have attracted a vast audience, and the books appeal to both male and female readers in different age groups, cultures and countries.
The ideas behind the books are relatively simple, and they are not entirely original. However, the books are written in such an original and creative way that they are unique. The books are absolutely crammed with detail, and this is what makes the books so believable and complex. Even seemingly insignificant details often prove to be relevant at later stages in the story.
Harry himself is an extremely loveable character. People can identify with his initial sense of hopelessness at the start of the first book, and then relief when he is rescued by Hagrid and learns that he is a wizard. Children fall in love with Harry because he reminds them of themselves. Harry is not perfect, has both friends and enemies, and experiences unfair treatment, but he has qualities that readers admire, especially his determination and his bravery.
However, not everyone has reacted positively to the Harry Potter books. In several schools, churches and even some American states, the books have been banned. Many claim that the books promote witchcraft and are generally `evil'. To me this seems ridiculous! The Harry Potter books certainly don't condone evil behaviour; in fact it is quite the opposite, as there is a strong Good versus Evil theme running throughout the books.
I would definitely recommend the Potter series to anyone over the age of about eight, as some of the scenes may frighten younger readers. Adults, don't let yourself be put off just because it has been labelled as just a kid's book, because this really isn't the case. I've spoken to several critics of the books, but not one of them had actually read the Potter books. So for you sceptics out there, don't pass judgement on the books unless you've at least given `Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' a try. I guarantee that after the first page you'll be as caught up by Potter Mania as the rest of us are!
Book Review: Erin Duffy
Summary: 5 Stars
A young boy named Harry Potter is living with his aunt and uncle and his cousin, Dudley. While Dudley is spoiled, Harry is treated like a servant for the family. Soon, Harry starts receiving mysterious letters and discovering strange powers that he never knew he had. For example, when the family when to the zoo for Dudley's birthday one day, Harry made a boa constrictor come out of his cage and scare the whole zoo.
When Harry's uncle takes the family to an island far away from their home, a strange man enters the building. They soon learn that this man's name is Hagrid, and that he is teacher at Hogwarts school, where witches and wizards are taught. He also tells Harry that the reason for all of the starange happenings was that he is actually a wizard and that he is invited to attend Hogwarts.
Harry agrees and Hagrid takes him shopping for school supplies in a secret marketplace. First they go to Gringotts, the bank, where Harry learns that his parents have left him an infinate amount of money.
Weeks later, Harry goes to the train station where he is magically transported to a platform called "nine and three quarters" Hogwarts also invited a boy named Ron Weasley and a girl named Hermione Granger to attend, who both become fast friends with Harry. When they arrive, each student must be sorted out into their "houses". All three of the children are sorted into the Griffindor house.
In the beginning of the school; year, a professor at Hogwarts, Professor McGonnagall, chooses Harry to play Quiddich, a popular wizards game.
While Harry is sneaking around the school, he discovers a trapdoor with a three- headed dog on the top of it. He finds this to be very mysterious and it interests him to try and find out what it was put there for.
On Halloween, a troll is found roaming around in the school. Both Harry and Ron are very scared of this troll, but they knowthat Hermione is in very great danger if they do not try to help her. They find hermione and together, all three of them defeat the troll.
During Harry's first Quidditch match, his broom is obscurely swaying this way and that. Hermione sees that Snape is staring at Harry and supposedly cursing the broom.She comes to the rescue and sets Snape's clothes on fire. Harry perseveres and makes a spectacular play to bring the Griffindor team to victory..
For Christmas, Harry receives his father's invisibility cloak, and he explores the school, late at night with the cloak on.. . He discovers the a mirror which displays the upmost desire of whoever looks in it. Harry looks in it and sees his parents stanmding with him. He goes back to his room and goes to sleep.
Harry learns that the dog that was seen on the trap door was guarding the Sorcerer's Stone, which is a stone that gives you life forever.
A few weeks later, Hagrid wins a dragon egg in a poker game. It is illegal to own dragons,at Hogwarts so Harry, Ron, and Hermione get Ron's older brother to arrange to pick up the dragon and transport him to a better home. The group gets caught, though, and are punished Their punishment is to go into the forest with Hagrid. Their assignment is to discover who has been murdering unicorns. In the forest, Harry sees a man drinking animal blood. The man tries to attack Harry, but he is saved by a friendly figure who tells him that the man trying to kill him was Voldemort, the murderer of his parents It is also Voldemort who has been trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone.
Harry decides to try and find the stone before Voldemort does. He, Ron, and Hermione sneak off that night to start their adventure. They get past the three- headed dog and persevere manyother obstacles to retrieve the stone. Harry finds the stone, but along withit, he finds his evil proffesor Quarrel, who plans to kill him. Quirrell puts Harry in front of the magic mirror. He tells him to announce what he sees. Harry sees himself with the stone in his pocket. He reaches in to his actual pocket and coincidentally finds the stone in there. He lies to Quarrall and tells him that he sees him winning a prize. Quirrell removes his turban and Voldemort's face is revealed on the back of his head. Voldemort instructs Quirrell to kill Harry, but when he tries, Quirrell is burned on both of his hands. Soon, Harry faints.
When Harry regains consciousness, he finds himself in the hospital. Dumbledore explains to Harry that the Sorcerers' Stone has been destroyed and that his friends are both okay. Harry later goes to the end-of-the-year banquet, where his house is awarded the "House Cup" .
I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly for anyone enjoying adventure and suspense.