Series: Harry Potter #1
Published by Scholastic Inc. on October 1st 1999
Genres: Action & Adventure, Children's Books, Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 310
Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a cloak of invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.
But all that is about change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter.
So, what’s the snitch on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? I know I’m way behind on reading this series…so much so I almost wondered if it was even worth writing a review. I mean, everyone knows Harry Potter even if they’ve not read the series.
The first time I tried to read this book I was bored. I got to the part about the zoo and I just couldn’t get into it. I should have given it more time and pushed through and I really intended to but I started reading another series and I misplaced my book and so this book escaped me since the late 90s…
Skip ahead all these years and while unpacking books, my daughter happened to find my copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and decided to read it. She was hooked. We went to the library and rented all the movies (after she read the books) and we watched them and the rest is history. I decided to pick the book back up. I’m not sure why I was bored the first time–I don’t recall feeling bored in the slightest this time around.
There isn’t much that I can say that hasn’t already been said about this series. I think it’s well written and the characters and the world are both developed nicely.
I never quite expected to enjoy the book and the characters as much as I have seeing as I discovered this series as an adult. Somehow Ms. Rowling didn’t make me feel as if I were reading a book about a child younger than my own. Instead I was magically transported back to my childhood and I enjoyed this through the eyes of a child. Sappy? Ehh, I know. It isn’t my intention to be overly serious with this review. The important things have been said about this series over the years. I don’t feel the need to dissect and discuss all the issues that people have (or don’t have) with the series in regards to magic and whether Christians should avoid this book–those things have all been talked about enough. As always, use your judgment when allowing your children to read a book–enough said.
On a scale of 1-10, how much did I enjoy this book? Well, let’s just say I’m sad that my ratings only go to a five. I’d give the book at least 9 3/4.
About J.K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive.
Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was eventually completed. The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling. The “K”, for Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name was added at her publisher’s request who thought that a woman’s name would not appeal to the target audience of young boys.
J.K. Rowling is currently writing the screen play, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, an original story set in the wizarding world, some of which will be familiar to Harry Potter fans. It marks her screenwriting debut and the start of a new film series with Warner Bros.
J.K. Rowling lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three children.
i havent read any of the books but hubby has, and I’ve only seen the movies because of him :)