Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
by J.K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure/Magic
Reading Grade: Middle
Grade
Publication Date:
October 1, 1999
Source: purchased
paperback
Age Rating: all ages
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.
My Review
I finally read my first
Harry Potter book—I know. That took me a while, to say the
least. Join the rest of the literate world, Cathy—right?
Well, now I have. I bought this book on a whim at Wal-Mart one day,
long ago, but never got around to reading it. I really am not all
that into Middle Grade fiction, so this never had much appeal to me.
But, now that I've read it, I do see what all the fuss is about. This
really is an amazing story like nothing else out there.
Whoever is reading this
review has almost certainly read this book by now, so I'm not going
to write this review the same old way I normally write them. It's not
meant to get anyone to read this book. I'm just going to give my
opinions on what I know IS definitely a crowd already familiar with
it.
This is my opinion on
why this book is a classic, and will stay that way for a long time to
come: this exact narrative voice, this exact way of telling this
story, and this exact mixture of these particular characters can
never be duplicated. It is like eating The Colonel's country
fried chicken, and loving it, but coming up empty on trying to
duplicate his recipe for his succulent chicken. Only this author,
J.K. Rowling, can do what she has done in this modern era. The only
other author like her that even comes close is Charles Dickens (who
surpasses her, in my opinion), and he's long dead. (By the way, I
detected the Dickens influence in this book.)
When you're not only
the first to do something, but you're the only one who can do it,
then nobody ever forgets you and what you did. This is what makes
this novel so lasting and probably the best-selling book in human
history (excepting, perhaps, the Bible, which has a 2,000-year head
start). Rowling is a fascinating iconic celebrity to me—she's much
more interesting than any British Royal. She has an incredible gift
that no one else has even had for more than 100 years. It's like
she's a sort of reincarnated writing spirit in the form of a human
avatar.
Anyway, I won't say
this is my favorite book now because that wouldn't be true. I happen
to have a lot of favorites, anyway, but I will be filing this one
under the stack of my many favorites now. I figure this book is so
great that, if I were a small child right now, I am positive it would
be my most favorite book in the whole world. Certainly, if I had
children, I'd make them be all up in this business, and I'm sure
they'd want to be. What a wonderful way to bond with your children!
For all its
amazingness, I award it extra points (referencing the awarding of
points to the Hogwarts Houses, if you didn't quite get that). It is a
magical fantasy world for children and adults of all ages to escape
into. I want to move into the Griffyndor dormitories, and I hate
dormitories. That has to account for something. But, I find that I
can't connect with the book the way I need to in order for it to be
an ultimate favorite. It might be my age, or my problem with not
completely loving Middle Grade fiction—I don't know. But, it is the
best Middle Grade fiction that exists in the entire world, so you'll
probably never read better than the early Harry Potter books.
And, I do intend to
read the rest of the books in the series, for sure. Hopefully, I'll
connect better with the later YA sequels....
My score: 4.5 out of
5 stars. (I really liked it. Pure magic.)
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I hope you do read the rest in the series because it really does get more complex. So many people of all ages enjoy this book and I think it really is a once in a lifetime book. Can't wait to see what you think of the next books.
ReplyDelete@Lan: Yes, this book really is something so rare and unusual. I'm excited to read the rest of the books!
DeleteYou're right about it being a wonderful book to bond over with your kids! I was reading the series aloud to my two eldest boys, until my firstborn grew bored with how slow we were and devoured the rest of them on his own - except the last book. He decided to wait until he was older. (Kid was seven at the time. LOL Yes; I have a precocious reader on my hands...)
ReplyDeleteLovely review! I still need to read past book #3, but I might wait and do so with the youngest kids...there's just something about seeing the story through their eyes that makes it even more magical.
@BJ: Reading them with your kids has to be incredibly exciting! You definitely have a precocious kid if he knew he wanted to wait until he's older to read the last book. I'm sure he'll be in for a treat, as will I!
DeleteI'm so happy you loved this book. Rowling definitely captured a magic that can't be replicated. I can't wait to see what you think about the rest of the series.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
@Andrea: Thanks a bunch. I wish I didn't have so much to read already so I could get to the rest of the books sooner.
DeleteI love Rowling's world -- it's so magical, so fully realized, and so full of colorful, memorable characters. But I also experienced that lack of connection you mentioned, which I chalk up to my age. :)Still, I appreciate Rowling's work and look forward to reading HP to my daughter when she's older.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought -- do you ever listen to audio books? I listened to this entire series on audio, and it was pretty incredible.
@Camille: I do listen to audiobooks, as I have a few, but I'm not really into them. If I don't like a voice actor's voice and delivery, it will ruin the entire story for me. I'm super picky about voices like that.
DeleteThanks for your comment!
I didn't know there was anyone left in the world who hadn't read Harry Potter lol. Seriously though, great review. There really is no one else like JK Rowling, and after reading all seven of the books and knowing there's no more, I feel a little lost. I've re-read books 1-5 multiple times, and hope to re-read the whole set at some point this year. I hoarded book seven and didn't read it until just before the movie came out because I was dreading having the series be over. They do get even better as they go, and maybe as the kids age, you'll be able to relate to the stories more. :-)
ReplyDelete@Marie: I know, right? Some literate person out there hasn't read HP yet? It's hard to believe, but it was true. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the books, as I hope I'll be able to relate better to the characters as they grow older. I'm perfectly fine with YA, after all.
DeleteThat's okay, Cathy -- I haven't read the Harry Potter series either LOL!!!! x) Like you, I've gotten so many recommendations to start this series (especially since the last movie just came out!) and even though I've said I'd start for a while now, I haven't found the time.... but your review makes me want to change that!! The fried chicken comparison was just AWESOME! x)
ReplyDeleteAwesome review, Cathy! :) I'm really happy you liked this first book, and now I'm one step closer to joining you with the masses too! ;) <3
@Mimi: I'm surprised someone so young, like you, hasn't started the Harry Potter series yet! But, it's a relief to know I'm not alone in being so late. I'm sure you'll love it, too, Mimi.
Delete