Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J.K. Rowling
|
List Price: Our Price: $0.25 You Save: $24.74 (99%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.20 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)
Book Review: A wonderful read and great begining to a great series..
Summary: 5 Stars
As someone in my mid 20's I'm almost surprised to find how much I truly enjoyed this book. I saw the movie and was so impressed with the story, I had to see for myself what was written in the book. Well lets just say I wasn't able to put it down from the moment I started reading it. If you think you know the story after seeing the wonderful movie, you don't realize how much you truly are missing out on.
The story is pretty straight forward and develops nicely. Harry Potter a young boy with a lightning bolt scar on his head, lives with his aunt and uncle who despise him and don't even treat him as a human being most of the times. Harry for some reason has been known to do 'weird' things with no explanations all his live. One day though after his 11th birthday he recieves a letter telling him that he is a wizard. Now a whole new world has opened up for him. No longer does he have to live with his aunt and uncle and their greedy spoiled and chubby little son. He is rescued by Hagrid a gentle giant who enlightens him on a magical school named Hogwarts, where all the young children go to learn magic.
Harry is no regular boy though as he will soon discover as he starts his new life away from his aunt and uncle and in the world of magic. Besides having to learn spells and potions and making new friends, every move he takes seems to lead to another adventure, narrowly escaping danger and trouble from the teachers and bully who would love nothing more then to see the great Harry Potter shown up. J.K. Rowling writes a brillient and well thoughtout book to start off the series. Not only do they give us enough information to lead the reader into understanding what is going on but it is all continuously building on much more that will be used later on in the story. Everything just seems to click together nicely and what seems quite obvious turns into not at all as we had suspected.
I can't say enough how enjoyable this book is. I already can't wait to read the next one and believe me when I tell you this, this is no kids book. This book truly is something that anyone can enjoy and get into. It has a deep story, good characters, lots of fun moments and everything ties together wonderfuly. We go from a boy who is abused and has nothing to a hero who shows no fear when he has to face his biggest moments of courage. I don't want to give away too much as even the movie leaves out a lot of things that you will find very interesting in the book and it may even help you to make sense of things in the movie that may have confused you. You won't be sorry adding this book to your collection, it's a magical world to enter and one you won't want to leave any time soon.
Book Review: An Instant Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
If you don't know anything about Harry Potter you really need to crawl out from behind the rock you've been liveing under and wake up.Harry Potter and the Sorcerers's Stone is great book. Harry Potter is an 11 year old boy who doesn't know that he's a wizard. He had no idea his parents were and that they were killed while he was just a young child. All he knows is that they were killed in what was said a car accident and he lives with his mean relatives the Dursley's. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia wanted nothing to do with Harry when they found him left on there porch one evening. They had there spoiled baby Dudley and they hated Harry's parents because they weren't normal.
Harry had a bad childhood. His room was under the stairs of the home. His clothes were all of his mean cousins seconds and hand me downs. He had to deal with constant abuse from Dudley until one day that all changed when he received a letter. A letter to attend a school of Magic called Hogwarts. Uncle Vernon would have nothing to do with it calling it jibberish. After much fun and convincing which I won't spoil for you he is off to Hogwarts.
Once at Hogwarts Harry meets Ron and Hermoine who all quickly become friends. The three are all outcasts in one way or another. The three share a lot of the same interests and all have their unique qualities that add to the group.
The three however discover a secret that could threaten the school. Voldemort the man who killed Harry's parents is rumored to be back and could be trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. One of the few things that could return the evil wizard back to his full form. Harry and his friends can't let that happen and they will stop him no matter what the consequences.
This is a fantastic novel. People of all ages will enjoy it. I had scene the movie but had never read the book. My younger sister had recently purchased all of the books that had been written and I've decided to read them. I was surprised on how good they were. You get hooked by the book instantly and there is no wanting to put it down. J.K. Rowling is awesome and I'm glad she has been so successful off this franchise.
Over the years many books have been written geared to make children read. Fantasy is an easy topic to get kids to read because of the nature of it. The most notable of these series was C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. Those classic books can be set aside because of Harry Potter. The Potter era is here and what a fun world it is. Let your children read Harry Potter. Sit down and read the book together. It's an absolutely brillant book that is an instant classic and is here for everyone to enjoy.
Book Review: STOP COMPARING!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am 11 years old, i started hearing about the Harry Potter books when, my mother buyed a Woman's Day magazine and it contained an article about J.K. Rowling, or Joanne Kathleen Rowling, it also talked about the Harry Potter books, it was like on February of 2000, when the summer vacations arrived, there was a lot of hype because of the fourth book, and i was thinking that this books were to childish, but i said to my self "I Cannot judge a book by it's cover, OK, i will give them a try", so then i buyed the first one at a store, and a kid asked me "You haven't read any of these books?", and i answered him "No", and then he stared at me, with a "How dare you" look on his face, "Well, they are great, read them", so then, i gotted home, and i gotted a call from my aunt who told me about the HP books she told me they were great books for kids and adults, and i told her that i was just going to open it, and she told me that i would love it, so then i started reading it, and i thought they were very babyish, but when i gotted to chapter 2, i started to like it, and by chapter three, i liked even more, by chapter four i definetly liked, by chapter five i loved it, and by six well i was totally hooked, Miss Rowling's styled of narrating it's very Roald Dahl and Charles Dickens style, only with a new "magic" touch, and i really started loving the series, i have only book one and two, but i have readed some excerpts from book three and four, and they look great, and also it looks like if the stories keep maturing, more, and more, and more, and i cannot believe that people are comparing this series with all the books by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, they really stink, in fact they make sick, the characters in those books are so one dimensional, specially in "The Hobbit", if you want really something to read while waiting for book five , i recommend ya "El Principito" by Saint Antonie Expuire (very sorry if i didn't spell it right), "The Odyssey" by Homer, "The Sword in the Stone","The Time Machine" and "The Invisible Man" by H.G.Well's, you rather read those than that "Lord of the Rings" trash.P.S.:Here is some info from the Harry Potter fisrt book movie, you can see the trailer, with Quicktime, Windows MediaPlayer, or Real Video, it will be released on November 16th on bothUSA and UK, and it has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of The United Kingdom, i think that by Intense Scenes of Peril, or for some fantasy action violence, if you want a lot of more info check it out.
Book Review: Don't underestimate it
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, so I'm one of those people who didn't want to read the book. For a long time. And then I had little better to do on a vacation, and I got sucked in. As someone who's spent the larger part of the last five years with her nose deep in non-fiction (by choice, no less!), the reprieve granted by this book was altogether a new experience.Simply put, Rowling crafted a story that would excite young readers and remind older readers of what reading used to be about. She has a wonderful imagination and actually, I think, a talent for dealing with lots of subplots and mini-adventures without making the book seem rushed or un-organized. As a writer, though, the things that have interested me most are how she deals with characters (namely Harry) and characterization through dialogue.
It only took a couple of minutes to figure out why I loved little Harry after finishing the book. He's a different sort of boy character--not shaped through silly mishaps or rough-and-tumble play, but by the way that he seems so swept along by everything, letting it happen to him and then reacting thoughtfully. I believe women authors have a unique capability for constructing fresh male characters, and Harry Potter is an excellent example. Rowling also creates a subconscious desire to read and know more about the boy through a simple technique: he speaks much less often than all the other characters. Though it is largely in his point of view, his dialogue is again reactionary most times. Therefore, when he does speak, one automatically takes interest.
I think Rowling also did an excellent job creating personality through dialogue, as mentioned above: the owner of the wand shop, for example, had a wonderfully distinct voice, as do Professsor Snape and young Ron Weasley. The only time I object is when she writes Hagrid's dialogue--sometimes, writing the words as they sound gets the eyes of the reader a bit tangled, and it doesn't flow as well. (I couldn't figure out if he was supposed to be Scottish until I saw the film--he's not--while particular characters who are Scottish, like Oliver Wood, exhibit no distinct vernacular whatsoever.)
Overall, if you think it's just a series for kids, that's simply not true (unless you're determined to be a stick in the mud). This book, and the subsequent ones, are great reads to escape the normal stressors of the day.
And as to objecting to the witchcraft and magic element of it--well, I believe there are worse things out there than Harry Potter. The books aren't out there to convert, but merely to release the imaginaton for a while. Make of it what you will.
Book Review: Most Enchated Book
Summary: 5 Stars
A. DuongHarr Potter and the Sourcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling
Reviewed By: A. Duong
Period 3
The book i read was Harry Poter and the Sourcerer's Stone. I enjoyed this book very much. I thougt it was wonderful. It is about a british boy who learns that he has magical powers. He lives with his Aunt, Uncle, and his cousin. They don't really love him and treat him badly. When he finds he's a wizard, he goes to the Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizadry. He makes new wizard friends and starts to be able to use his new powers. As harry gets to know his fellow wizards, he joins a certain magical sport. He became one of the best in the sport.
Although, when he returns from his school, his Uncle hated him even more. They didn't appreciate witchcraft, and was scared
of it. I liked this book very much. I thought it was wonderful. It filled my mind with many different pictures. Thebook pretty much came to life in my head. It boosted up my imagination and my vocabulary. I especially loved how creative this book was. It had many wonderful things, ghost, witches, wizards, invisable cloaks, three headed dogs, and many other different things. Also, I liked the way the author described every single thing that Harry saw. It was as if I was the main charcter, and was in this book. I enjoyed this book very much. I only have one word to describe this book, FANTASTIC!
Although I liked this book very much, I did dislike some parts. One of the things were how some british words were used. It confused me very much. Also, when the characters spoke, they used British slang words that confused me a lot. Also, somethings the author explained were confusing, like the things that Harry bought, or used. Overall, i thought this book was very well written, and i still give it a five.
My favorite part in this book is when harry first learns that he is a wizard. A giant stomps into his house and and starts using magic all over the place. Another one of my favorite parts is when Harry plays a magical sport. All the players ride on a broom stick and while harry chases after a ball that goeas at the speed of light, every one else is trying to get a ball into the goal. Although, if harry catches the the little golden ball, his whole team wins, and vise versa. I aslo liked the part where a hat would decide which group harry would go in to. It was a talking hat, and it said he should go into griffendore. I liked this book very much and I've recommended it to many of my friends.