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: Harry Potter - a World of Magic for Everyone...
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a big Harry Potter fan and as the other ones I started with the first book 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone',written by Joanne K. Rowling. which introduced me into the magical world of wizards. This book took me away from busy life and school studies to just bring me for a moment into the 'Hogwarts' world. I think that Mrs. Rowling did a very good job with all of the books because although I am not very interested in fantasy books or science-fiction she got my attention. She has create a hero who doesn't think that he is better then anyone else.
Hermoine, Ron and Harry (the 3 friends in the book) give a very good example of friendship and corporation.
I read the 309 pages in about 1 week when Harry Potter wasn't popular in Germany so I didn't read it because of the 'Harry Potter Popularity Boom'.
At first Harry Potter thought he is a normal boy living in between the unfiriendly Dursley's not knowing that he is one of the most famous wizards of the world and has to go Hogwarts Scool of Witchcraft and Wizard... .
Because of the detailed description of all the magical charactersitics and the adventures of the dark wizard you-know-who (Voldemort) it is very exciting to read the story.
Harry Potter the main character is very special and brave but J.K. Rowling let
seem him like a normal nice boy who just tries to protect his friends and helps others.
She doesn't let him seem like the typical hero character like in some movies and Ithink
that is one of the main points I like this book.
Without his friends Ron and Hermoine it would be a lot more difficult for him to get through his adventures.
About the author:
J.K Rowling was a struggling single mother when she wrote the
beginnings of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on scaps of paper at a local cafe. But her efforts soon paid off, as she received an unprecendetend award from Scottish Arts Council enabling her to finish the book. Since then, the debut novel has become an international phenomenon, garnering rave reviews and major awards, including the British Book Awards Children's Book of Year, and the Smarties Price. Ms. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her daughter.
I read all of the books a couple times and it is just fascinating how it always keeps
me being exciting every single moment... .
All in all this book is a perfect gift for everybody in every age!
If you compare the first book with the other next ones it seems to be the most boring one, because it gets more exciting every other book. So all in all I think Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a good start into the wizardy world.
Book Review: The Great Harry Potter
Summary: 5 Stars
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a book about the adventures of a young wizard. As a baby Harry was orphaned and sent to live with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin also known as the Dursley's. When Harry turned ten he learned the truth about his parents' death. He discovered that his parents were wizards, and that he was a wizard too. He also found that his parents died at the hands of an evil wizard, Lord Voldemort, but somehow Harry had survived and killed the evil wizard. Harry was then sent to the top wizardry school, Hogwarts, to learn how to perform magic. Harry adjusted to his knew life at Hogwarts quickly, but he started noticing strange happenings, and took it upon himself to find out what was hidden underneath the castle. He found out it was a Sorcerer's stone that could create gold and make it possible for the owner of the stone to live as he or she wants. The rest of the book is filled with the adventures of Harry and his friends trying to find out who had been planning to steal the sorcerer's, stone while at the same time trying to learn as much as they can at Hogwarts. There are many good things about this book. It is fresh, creative, and different from any other I have ever read. The author used a combination of mystery, adventure, and magic to come up with this wonderful book that anyone can enjoy reading. The book always keeps you in suspense so it is very hard to put down. I personally have a hard time finding a book I take pleasure in reading and so if I found it fun to read, most everyone else will love it too. The best part of the book would have to be its creativity. The author created an imaginary world full of witches and wizards who play Quidditch and cast strange spells on each other. There is always something new for Harry to learn about and a new mystery for him to solve. "A piercing, bloodcurdling shriek split the silence - the book was screaming! Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on and on, one high, unbroken, earsplitting note." Page 206. This book is full of surprises. It has everything from screaming books to ghosts that haunt the hallways. There is never a dull moment. There is no way to describe how enjoyable it is to read a Harry Potter books, one just has to read it to understand how enchanting it is. The only downside to this book is that the beginning starts off slowly. There is a lot of background given describing what Harry's life was like before going to Hogwarts, which is not as interesting as the rest of the book. After the first few chapters the book becomes very engaging and is very hard to put down. I highly recommend this book to kids, teenagers, and adults. Everyone I know that has read this book has thoroughly enjoyed it and so will you.Book Review: Extraordinary......
Summary: 5 Stars
Well, here i am, a young African-American man, 23 yrs old to be exact, usually a fan of writers such as Stephen King, Ralph Ellison, Ray Bradbury, Alice Walker, J.R.R Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Priest, Grant Morrisson,the like....and then one day, four yrs ago, along marches a middle aged British woman, a victim of less than privilaged surroundings, with the idea of a young wizard upon her brain, fully developed and ready to burst into the folds of millions of imaginations across the globe. I'd put reading these books off for the better part of three yrs, and when an associate of mine brought the first novel to me a few days ago, telling me that i must read it, that i had to read the magic that was Pottermania, well, i was all set to put it off for another three yrs....you see,everytime a new novel, which happens to be by one of my very favorite authors, as have been listed above, comes out, i usually desert the thought of reading anything else, for that time. Then, between reading a fantastic Bradbury collection of short stories, and a forray into the supernatural written by the enchanting Neil Gaiman, i picked this book up, just wanting to read the synopsis....that went from the first page to the third page, to the one hundredth page....one hundred pages in one sitting!!!! Now, i have done this before, nothing unusaul for me,but with high fantasy, well, i've never been a huge fan of it...which is what made reading this book such an experience. Harry Potter, such a brilliant character..the way most of us have felt at one time or the next...Hermione & Ron, the best friends that any kid could ever hope to have, Mrs. Magonigal(did i spell that right?) Proffessors Snape, Messers Quirrell, Hooch, Dumbledore, Hagrid, all supreme creations.....Voldemort, worthy of Stephen King's scope of evil!!! J.K Rowling has instantly made me a fan. I finished the first book just last night, followed by the first movie, both of which were exceptional. I started the very next book last night,on the toilet no less, also, and already, it looks as though this one will go by in a flash, as did the first one. ..., i read the first one nearly all the way through all in one day. The characterization, the plot, the story elements, the enviornment, all of these things pulled me right into the tale, as they were most assuredly meant to be, i assume. Creative uses for magic, were it to exist(and how do we know that it doesn't?), believable situations, given the tale, and the furthering of several storys all at once, as a whole. If i enjoy the next book as much as i loved the first one, then God, strap me in, and hold me to my seat of imagination, 'cause this is the beginning of something big!!! I applaud Rowling.All Things Serve The Beam.......
Book Review: A Great Read for Children and Adults Alike
Summary: 5 Stars
The year 1997 was the beginning of a literary phenomenon with the release of the first Harry Potter book entitled "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (a.k.a. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") by J.K. Rowling. The story is about an 11 year old boy named Harry Potter, who is an orphan being raised by his very unpleasant Uncle Vernon Dursley and Aunt Petunia (his mother's sister). Unknown to Harry, he has magical powers and occasionally (and unknowingly) makes things happen that greatly upset the Dursley's. However, the Dursley's know that Harry has magical powers because Harry's deceased parents (James and Lily Potter) were a wizard and a witch. A very powerful wizard named Albus Dumbledore had left the infant Harry on the Dursley's doorstep following his parents' deaths. The Dursley's own son, Dudley, is the same age as Harry and treats Harry very badly.Upon Harry's 11th birthday, he receives a letter: something that has never happened before. The Dursley's won't let him open the letter and become very upset when they read it, but more letters begin to arrive for Harry. In spite of Vernon's efforts, Harry finally gets to read the letter when Hagrid (the groundskeeper at the Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) bursts in to personally deliver Harry's letter, which is his invitation to attend Hogwarts. Harry at first doesn't believe that he is a wizard, but agrees to leave with Hagrid and his life is never the same again. He learns about muggles, goblins, wizards, witches and magic. He also gets to meet Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and a host of other wizards and witches.
What inspired me to start reading the Harry Potter books was seeing the first two feature films based upon this book and the next book, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". I was very impressed with the amount of detail in the book that did not make its way into the first feature film and understood how much the film deviated from the original story. One of the biggest differences is the amount of attention given to characters in the book that only had minor roles in the film including Neville Longbottom, the Weasley twins and Dudley Dursley. Also, a few characters in the book don't appear in the feature film at all. The other major difference between the story presented in the feature film and the book is changing of when things are said and done, which is understandable considering the length of the film. (It took me about 8 hours to read the book and the feature film is 2.5 hours.)
Overall, I rate "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading fun and exciting stories that encourage the imagination.
Book Review: Brilliant!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not ordinarily disposed to being drawn into overly hyped fads and Harry Potter certainly seemed like one such to me. Add in that it's a series for juveniles and it's not hard to understand how it took over a year for me to give Harry Potter a chance. But someone close to me suggested I might enjoy them, so I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and gave it a shot.I am very glad that I did. It has been a long time since I enjoyed a book so much. I am in my 30's and found it as fun and enchanting as any teenager. Sure, it's written at a middle school reading level and is lacking in the kind of great depth one would expect of "adult" literature, but providing that is not its function. Rather, it exists to draw the reader into a unique and delightful world where magic actually works and the good guy can win with heart, grit, and imagination.
Harry's miserable existence is transformed overnight upon the discovery that he is a wizard and heir to a magnificent repuatation. But that reputation has a dark side, since he has earned not only widespread admiration but some dark and implacable enemies. To save himself and his friends, Harry must seize hold of his legacy and use every trick he can learn, despite his youth. A tried and true formula for adoscent fiction, to be sure, but the Harry Potter series is one of those rare examples that rises above its formula and presents the reader with something truly brilliant.
Harry's journey of discovery begins here and I encourage anyone to join him for a few hours of very pleasant reading. I found myself completely drawn in and, even though I knew it was a juvenile work and that no serious harm would ever come to Harry or his friends, Rowling nevertheless had me on the edge of my seat on numerous occasions as Harry finds himself in seemingly insurmountable difficulty. Extricate him from such trouble with wit and creativity, while maintaining the reader's interest and faith in the narrative, is one of the hallmarks of Rowling's achievement in creating this wonderful little universe. Another is a terrific feel for creating character-driven humour. Harry Potter books are full to the brim with flashes of wit derived from the foibles and idiosyncracies of their exquisitely drawn and thoroughly knowable characters. I found myself plowing straight through all four books in short order (and they really do get better as you go, too). I now find myself anxious for the next (and, of course, the upcoming film) to be released.
Sometimes things attract a lot of hype because they truly deserve them. Rare though they are, this is one of those cases. I encourage anyone who wants a delightful read to pick up this brilliant beginning to the series.