Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Arthur A. Levine, 1997. Tr. $20.25, ISBN 978-0780797086

(Published in the U.K. as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

What’s it about? (In case you’ve been stranded on a desert island or studying orangutans for the past 14 years)

Harry Potter is the boy who lived, having survived Voldemort’s attack, which orphaned him, and also made him a legend in the wizarding world. Reluctantly raised by his muggle (non-magic folk) relatives, Harry is surprised to meet a giant named Hagrid, who tells him that he is wizard and will study his craft at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

Find out more:

Harry Potter was orphaned as a baby and brought up by his loathsome aunt and uncle, the Durselys, who treat him as a sub-human. When he turns eleven, however, everything changes for Harry. A larger-than-life visitor, Hagrid, scares the daylights out of the Dursleys and tells Harry some exciting (and disturbing) news. Harry is a wizard, and mysteriously survived the attack that killed his parents and left him with a lightening-shaped scar on his forehead. The attack was at the hands (make that wand) of an evil, powerful wizard, He That Shall Not Be Named, aka Voldemort. Because he survived, Harry is a legend, and there are hints throughout this first book in the seven book saga that Harry is destined for great things. In the first book, he makes his mark in Quidditch (a game that seems like a cross between basketball and baseball, if either sport was played on broomsticks) and risks his life with his friends Ron and Hermione to prevent the powerful sorcerer’s stone from falling into the wrong hands.

Harry Potter deals with some heavy subjects, namely his mistreatment at the hands of the Dursleys (which was essentially child abuse), his parents’ deaths, and the sinister rumblings of Voldemort. This is not an overly serious book, though, because it is infused with humor and breathtaking world-building. Rowling does a fantastic job of creating the world of witches and wizards, which co-exists with the Muggle (non-wizard) world. Her descriptions of the Hogwarts are rich and detailed, and transport the reader into this magical world.  The characters, while not particularly layered, are enjoyable and relatable. The good characters have flaws enough to make them quirky, even the heroes, while the bad characters (with a key exception) are bad through and through.  

Critics of the Harry Potter books point to the “flat” characters and pedestrian writing as the reasons they dislike the books. I agree the writing of the first book wasn’t the best, and could have done with more editing. However, the plot and setting shine through anyhow. With the exception of most of the “bad guys,” I disagree that the characters are flat. Maybe a tad stereotypical, but each has very human vulnerabilities. Hermione seems insufferable at first, and never stops being overly concerned with her grades, but she also turns out to be someone who cares about what others think, puts her neck out for others, and ends up showing that she’s very brave, and can use her knowledge under pressure. Besides, the genre is fantasy, not realistic fiction. Fantasies are full of archetypes. Some say Rowling “ripped off” ideas from literary classics. But all literature references previous ideas to varying degrees. I don’t think she plagiarized or copied ideas; I think she paid homage to previous authors.

Genre: Fantasy

Reading level: 5^th-6^th grade

Interest level: All muggles, particularly those in grades 4-9

Subjects: Wizards, Magic, Boarding School, Good vs. Evil

Awards:

Winner of the United Kingdom’s National Book Award (1997)

ALA Notable Book

New York Public Library Best Book of the Year (1998)

Read-alikes:

For children: Collins’ Gregor the Overlander series

Dahl’s BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, & Matilda

Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series

For adults:

Grossman’s The Magicians

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series

Many Harry Potter fans also enjoy the TV shows Dr. Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Series information:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Companion books:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Quidditch Throughout the Ages

Tales of Beedle the Bard

See my book trailer here!