Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
I remember when I first saw a copy of the world-famous Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the bookstore of my childhood. I was browsing the children’s section for the latest Sweet Valley Kids book, and my dad showed me J.K. Rowling’s novel. He said he’d heard a lot about it and wondered if I wanted to read it. I scanned through the first few pages, thought it was weird and just for boys, so I gave it back to him and picked out a girly book. He bought it anyway, and the rest is history.
In this incredibly famous fantasy world that now has theme parks and endless merchandise to collect, J.K. Rowling introduces young readers to a magical school for young witches and wizards in England. If you’re ten years old and don’t fit in, never fear: you might get a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry letting you know that you have magical powers and belong in a completely different, secret world! The hero of the story is an endearing orphan boy who lives with his emotionally abusive aunt and uncle. His introduction to the magical world, and also the reader’s, is very exciting, as is the special school. Similar to David Copperfield, there are dozens of minor characters who are introduced to the young orphan and are just as lovable and endearing as the lead. From kind schoolteachers to fast friendships to friendly giants to unicorns to ghosts, there are so many characters that immediately immerse you into the magical world and make you wish it really existed. Photographs that move, magic spells for every occasion, broomstick lessons for a special flying sport, a three-headed dog, magic potions, a special shopping center where you can buy pet owls and magic wands, and a special goblin-run bank to keep your gold. Everything in Harry Potter’s world is fantastic in every sense of the word, even though sometimes it doesn’t make sense. For example, there’s a spell to fix a pair of broken glasses but not to fix someone’s eyesight. In the modern age, people can stir their coffee with automatically moving spoons, but students write papers for class on parchment using a quill and inkwell. If you love the book, you won’t worry about the details.
For every kid who loves the fantasy genre, or who doesn’t fit in and wishes an owl-delivered letter would sweep them away to another world, this will probably become your favorite book. And we haven’t even started talking about the movies!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 2001 film adaptation here!
More Harry Potter book reviews here on Hot Toasty Rag!
In this incredibly famous fantasy world that now has theme parks and endless merchandise to collect, J.K. Rowling introduces young readers to a magical school for young witches and wizards in England. If you’re ten years old and don’t fit in, never fear: you might get a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry letting you know that you have magical powers and belong in a completely different, secret world! The hero of the story is an endearing orphan boy who lives with his emotionally abusive aunt and uncle. His introduction to the magical world, and also the reader’s, is very exciting, as is the special school. Similar to David Copperfield, there are dozens of minor characters who are introduced to the young orphan and are just as lovable and endearing as the lead. From kind schoolteachers to fast friendships to friendly giants to unicorns to ghosts, there are so many characters that immediately immerse you into the magical world and make you wish it really existed. Photographs that move, magic spells for every occasion, broomstick lessons for a special flying sport, a three-headed dog, magic potions, a special shopping center where you can buy pet owls and magic wands, and a special goblin-run bank to keep your gold. Everything in Harry Potter’s world is fantastic in every sense of the word, even though sometimes it doesn’t make sense. For example, there’s a spell to fix a pair of broken glasses but not to fix someone’s eyesight. In the modern age, people can stir their coffee with automatically moving spoons, but students write papers for class on parchment using a quill and inkwell. If you love the book, you won’t worry about the details.
For every kid who loves the fantasy genre, or who doesn’t fit in and wishes an owl-delivered letter would sweep them away to another world, this will probably become your favorite book. And we haven’t even started talking about the movies!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 2001 film adaptation here!
More Harry Potter book reviews here on Hot Toasty Rag!