Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) - Harry Potter 6 Books

Product Description

What did Harry Potter know about magic? He was stuck with the decidedly un-magical Dursleys, who hated him. He slept in a closet and ate their leftovers. But an owl messenger changes all that, with an invitation to attend the Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches, where it turns out Harry is already famous.. . . Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1730 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 309 pages

Amazon.com Review
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Ages 8 to 13) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly
Readers are in for a delightful romp with this award-winning debut from a British author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl. As the story opens, mysterious goings-on ruffle the self-satisfied suburban world of the Dursleys, culminating in a trio of strangers depositing the Dursleys' infant nephew Harry in a basket on their doorstep. After 11 years of disregard and neglect at the hands of his aunt, uncle and their swinish son Dudley, Harry suddenly receives a visit from a giant named Hagrid, who informs Harry that his mother and father were a witch and a wizard, and that he is to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry himself. Most surprising of all, Harry is a legend in the witch world for having survived an attack by the evil sorcerer Voldemort, who killed his parents and left Harry with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. And so the fun begins, with Harry going off to boarding school like a typical English kid?only his supplies include a message-carrying owl and a magic wand. There is enchantment, suspense and danger galore (as well as enough creepy creatures to satisfy the most bogeymen-loving readers, and even a magical game of soccerlike Quidditch to entertain sports fans) as Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione plumb the secrets of the forbidden third floor at Hogwarts to battle evil and unravel the mystery behind Harry's scar. Rowling leaves the door wide open for a sequel; bedazzled readers will surely clamor for one. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Harry Potter has spent 11 long years living with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, surely the vilest household in children's literature since the family Roald Dahl created for Matilda (Viking, 1988). But like Matilda, Harry is a very special child; in fact, he is the only surviving member of a powerful magical family. His parents were killed by the evil Voldemort, who then mysteriously vanished, and the boy grew up completely ignorant of his own powers, until he received notification of his acceptance at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once there, Harry's life changes dramatically. Hogwarts is exactly like a traditional British boarding school, except that the professors are all wizards and witches, ghosts roam the halls, and the surrounding woods are inhabited by unicorns and centaurs. There he makes good friends and terrible enemies. However, evil is lurking at the very heart of Hogwarts, and Harry and his friends must finally face the malevolent and powerful Voldemort, who is intent on taking over the world. The delight of this book lies in the juxtaposition of the world of Muggles (ordinary humans) with the world of magic. A whole host of unique characters inhabits this world, from the absentminded Head Wizard Dumbledore to the sly and supercilious student Draco Malfoy to the loyal but not too bright Hagrid. Harry himself is the perfect confused and unassuming hero, whom trouble follows like a wizard's familiar. After reading this entrancing fantasy, readers will be convinced that they, too, could take the train to Hogwarts School, if only they could find Platform Nine and Three Quarters at the King's Cross Station.
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A book that's packed with magic. An amazing beginning to an amazing series.
A short, skinny boy with untidy hair and broken glasses and a scar on his forehead. A tall, gangly red-head with various hand-me-downs from his five older brothers. A bushy-haired girl who is absolutely book-smart, but also sometimes bossy and rash. It amazes me to this day that such a hugely popular book series could star a main cast such as the one I just described. Even more amazingly, we actually care about these characters and all of their adventures.

Harry Potter owes a debt to the great fantasy that came before it, but it never falls into the trap of copying everything that preceded it. Sure, there are the fairly cliched plot devices of a young boy with dead parents who goes on an incredible journey to kill the male antagonist, but others like Hagrid the half-giant, Diagon Alley, Platform 9 3/4, Quidditch, the Invisibility Cloak, and the incredibly touching Mirror of Erised all came straight from Rowling's incredible imagination. There is something marvelous in every chapter of Harry Potter.

The writing in Sorcerer's Stone isn't perfect, and one could argue that it's not even good, but Rowling's sense of humor, and again, her imagination really shine through. Her writing is very accessible but never patronizing, making Harry Potter a perfect choice for young readers, not only to give them a perfect reading choice, but also to spur a possible life-long interest in reading.

One thing I like about the series is that it's not a clear-cut tale about good vs. evil (this is made clear by the last few books in the series). Plenty of important themes are tackled, and all of them with grace--another argument for why young readers should read Harry Potter.

All in all, there is just so much to love about the series. The first book will have you hooked; by the time you reach the third book, you will desperately want to finish up the whole series, even though you know that means about 3,000 more pages of reading. I think that Harry Potter will go down in history as one of the best fantasy series of all time--you can think about that what you will, as not everybody would agree with me on this one. But I can give this whole series a heartfelt recommendation.

Unlike Anything Available In The Fantasy Market
Sadly I had seen the first Harry Potter movie before I read the book. For all of those who declared the first book superior I would have to disagree. Granted it is the begining source for all that we come to love about Harry and his friends, Hogwarts and the long driven drama against Voldemort but the story itself pales in comparison to such a brilliantly done movie. However, for those who have somehow avoided the tidal wave of media buzz concerning these books I would recommend that you start from the begining and enjoy this wonderful world one page at a time. Between the prose and film productions you are about to take a grand journey unlike anything available in the fantasy market.

OVERRATED
If you like card board characters, tired old plot, bad writing, this book is for you. Kids, please, there are so many better books out there. And we wonder why the aliens don't want to meet us.