Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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Summary: THE GREATEST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dax
Review: Harry Potter has been living with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and their son Dudley. Harry's room is the tiny little room under the stairs. He has been living with them ever since his parents were murdered by he-who-must-not-be-named (aka Voldemort) and was left on the Dursley's front doorstep. Harry has always felt out of place here and he feels left out because Dudley gets all the attention while Harry is treated like he isn't even there at all. He even has this odd, lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. Then one day Harry gets a letter in the mail and when he finally opens it, he finds it is a letter from Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry never knew he was a wizard until today so he was astonished. Now Harry finally has somewhere to live instead of with the Dursley's! To find out what adventures Harry has and to find out more about his parent's murder, read the book, it's really exciting!

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Summary: Seth Eshleman's book review
Review: Harry Potter is the only person who survived the curse of Voldemort, killing Voldemort as well, but leaving Harry with a thunderbolt scar on his forehead. after 11 years of torture from his aunt and uncle and his bratty cousin dudley, hogwarts sends for him to come to hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. there he meets ron and hermione, his two first best friends, and Malfoy, his new rival. he also meets hagrid, who is the keeper of keys at hogwarts. throughout his first school year, he encounters a fight with a troll on halloween, quidditch games as the youngest seeker for gryffindor in a century, midterms and classes, horrible snape as his potions master, learning about the world his family was from, and trying to uncover the mystery of the sorcerer's stone, and why voldemort is after it.

this book is a very good book that will keep you reading it until you realize that it is one o'clock in the morning and you began reading the book and 7 o'clock at night. ok maybe not that much reading, but it is still a good book.

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Summary: The One Book that Started It All: the Harry Potter-Mania
Review: Harry Potter, a fatherless and motherless boy, has never seen a unicorn, has never heard of wizards or witches, and has not a clue what Quidditch means. The only thing that Harry has ever experience is the miserable life that the Dursley's have given him for the first ten years of his life. But everything changes when letters from no one start arriving at the Dursleys addressed to him. Also on the same day that Harry turns eleven years old, a giant of a man arrives at the place where Harry and the Dursleys are staying and tells Harry that he is a wizard and that him, Harry, has been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
At Hogwarts, Harry does not only meet new friends like Ron Weasly or Hermoine Granger, or enemies like Draco Malfoy, or learns about magic and how to fly on a broom. He also come face to face with Lord Voldemort, his life-time enemy and the person that killed his parents and tried to killed him but only managed to give him a scar on his forehead in the shape of a lighting bolt. But is Harry ready to survive this new life that has been hidden for him for a long time, and is he ready to take hold of the destiny that awaits for him...from now on?

And once "The Sorcerer's Stone" is picked up, can it be put down? Well, I know I could not do it. The world created by JKR is the most amazing and fantastical trance. I loved every single word found in this amazing tale of modern fantasy. Harry Potter is a true hero because is he not only a wizard but a teenager with human characteristics.

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Summary: Erin Duffy
Review: I know I only gave 3 stars to this book. It was largely because It is more of a kid's book than I would like. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Potter fan, I just wish that J.K. Rowling could have worded it better. But I do recommend all of her books.

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Summary: Introducing Harry Potter...
Review: It's difficult to put your finger on exactly what makes this series stand out from the hundreds of other books about children having magical encounters. The idea of having an unhappy boy leave a troubled home to spend time in an enchanted world isn't so incredible that it stands out from its peers. And given the premise of a wizardry school, all of the other charming elements (wizard professors, magical lessons, an evil foe better left unmentioned) seem almost automatic.

And yet, these books have captured the hearts of millions, this in a time when a book is hard pressed to make itself known among all of the other types of attention-grabbing entertainment.

I suppose the special magic of the Harry Potter series is the result of lots of little things done right. The dialogue is well done, sounding realistically British to my American ears.. The characters are well done, evoking emotion. The plot and pacing are well done, keeping us interested and turning pages even as new wonders are introduced for us to marvel at. Most of all, the little flourishes which flesh out the magical world are well done. Trading cards on which the pictures move. Goblins managing the bank vaults. The excitement of Quidditch, and the presitge associated with owning the most expensive model of broomstick. All of these touches are done in a way that seems very realistic, and there's a consistency within Harry's world which seems very realistic. The world of wizards is exactly like the world of Muggles, except that it has magic in it.

The annual cycle of the school year is also perfect for a series, allowing a formula for comforting elements, but enough variety to make each book stand on its own.

This first book sets up the series, and gives us a first glimpse at all of the characters that we will eventually come to love and hate. Harry, Hermione, Dumbledore, Hagrid, the Weasleys, Snape, Malfoy, the Dursleys, and you-know-who (among others) all make their first appearance to great effect.

This series may not come up to the level of the classic greats, such as the Chronicles of Narnia, but it is immensely entertaining, and very much worth reading, for children and adults alike.


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Summary: You Have to Be Happy About Harry
Review: J. K. Rowling definitely belongs in the pantheon of children's book writers that can create a complete world for developing imaginations to explore and simultaneously pique an adult's interest. As a CHRONICLES OF NARNIA adorer, I have no hesitation saying her name in the same breath as C. S. Lewis. The other night I tried to read Madeline L'Engle's classic, A WRINKLE IN TIME, for further comparison (it had been over 20 years since I read it for the first time); while enjoyable, it just didn't whisk me away like HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE.

Harry Potter is an orphaned child of magical parents raised in a hateful and merciless environment. Admission to the Hogwarts School is both his birthright and saving grace. His shy but brave friend Ron, overshadowed by famous brothers, and their dying-to-know-it-all classmate Hermione help Harry negotiate a magical boarding school with its bullies, dark passageways, and nitpicky teachers. We've all read stories of witches and wizards before, but Rowling is that one author in a generation who breathes new life into our archetypes.

I held off reading the first Harry Potter book until my wife borrowed it from a friend of ours recently. While I'm not racing out to buy the other three, I certainly will pick them up in paperback as they become available.

This is one that lives up to the hype admirably folks--anything that's popular inevitably will have its detractors, but people should remember this is a children's book, and children are in many ways smarter than adults. It is also a work of art, and for the number of children Rowling has gotten excited about reading she probably deserves a Nobel Prize. Now if those kids would only grow up to read Cervantes and Shakespeare, something far more magical than Harry Potter's wand will have done fine work. Cheers, Harry!

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Summary: The first year at Hogwarts
Review: This is Harry's first year at Hogwarts.Hagrid,finds Harry on his 12th birthday and tells him he is a wizard and he has been excepted to Hogwarts Witch craft and Wizardry.Harry and Hargid travel to the Leaky Coldrin were they unlock a way to buy the supplies for school. After that they go to the train station,then he meets Ron and Hermionie on the train.Through the book Harry learns alot about how his parents died and how the lightning shaped scar got on his forhead.Wile at school Harry, Ron ,and Hermionie adventure were no students are suposed to go.There they meet a three headed dog named Fluffy.Fluffy was garding a secret passage way that led to the Sorcerer's stone, there they incounter devil's snare,flying keys, "wizard chess",and Harry on his own has to face Lord Voldemort the one who put the curse on Harry.In the end Harry defeats Voldemort and Griffindor wins the house cup by 5 points thanks to Nevil who stood up to his friends.All is good for Harry, he found out he was a wizard,how his parents died, how he got the scar on his head and best of all he made friends.

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Summary: Not as childish as you would think
Review: When anyone mentions the name Harry Potter, 2 words immediately come into the minds of those over 18: children books. But then again, that's what most said about the Hobbit. People in grade school would read that book and we hold it in much praise but with the Harry Potter books, you feel people are laughing at you when they see you at the counter with one. Well not to fret people, even though it does with a lot of things kids will love, adults can get hooked into this too.

The story begins as the main character Harry Potter is living with his horrible relatives, the Dudleys. They absolutely hate him and just when things can't get any worse, he receives a letter "you've been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". He's also famous. When he was young, an evil wizard named Voldemort(or "He Who Must Not Be Named" or "You Know Who" killed Harry's parents but Harry survived, walked away with only a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. The book follows his first year(one of 7) at Hogwarts dealing with danger along the way.

Despite a huge children fanbase, it's actually quite a good read and isn't a bit distant and seemingly academically written like Tolkien. One reviewer for Lord of the Rings said the books divided people in the English language as those who read the books and those who will. Harry Potter would be a stepping stone to Lord of the Rings then.