Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling Series: Harry Potter #1
Published by Scholastic on September 1, 1998
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 309
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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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 cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.
But all that is about to 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.
Wow. I know, right? You’re probably thinking, “Wow. It took Jana a REALLY long time to review this book, since SURELY she read this ages ago.” Well, you’re wrong. I just read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time in my entire life! FINALLY, right? I was scared of this book. I was not a fantasy fan when these books came out, so I could not have cared less about reading them. And then when I finally became a fan of fantasy, the books had received so much praise and proclamations of undying love, that I was too scared to read them! Of course, no book could EVER live up to the hype generated by millions and millions of devoted fans! I wanted to pass that right of passage, though. I’m going to school to be a young adult librarian! How could I not read these? So, I lowered my expectations and forced myself to begin. And much to my surprise…
I LOVED IT.
I SO wish I had been interested in these books as a child, because every child needs to believe in the possibility of magic. Every child who hates their life (not that I did, I’m just sayin’), needs to believe that there’s more waiting for them out there in the world.
Hogwarts is just… magical! This world is so exciting and dynamic and it feels HUGE. I finally know what muggles are! And I finally understand why people are waiting for their Hogwarts letter. And I get the owl thing. And I understand who this creepy Voldemort guy is. And Hagrid! I love him! And Hermione is quite annoying. And Ron is adorable. And I want to smack Draco. And Harry is this sweet little skinny thing who I just want to hug because of his terrible childhood. I love that he became special, and recognized it.
I was not expecting Harry Potter to be a funny story! But it is! Hagrid had me laughing so much. And some of the things these kids say to each other is hilarious. Even the professors have their little jokes. I was not expecting my imagination to be so stimulated. This book made me hope that all this magical stuff is real. I was not expecting Harry Potter to read like such a universal book. I mean, these kids are little young things but I did not feel like I was reading a book for children.
I don’t really know what to do. I’m jumping from thought to thought, and there’s really no organizational schematic to this post. Harry Potter has been reviewed and reviewed and talked about for YEARS. There is nothing else I can say. So basically, I’m going to cut this thing short, say “ditto to all the 5-star reviews”, and go stalk the mail for my really pretty 15th anniversary boxed set I just bought. J.K. Rowling has another fan! I’m a cool kid now! I can’t wait to finish the series. :)
Okay I am SO glad you loved it. I was about to rescind our friendship if you didn’t like it (kidding!) but in all seriousness, I’m so happy that you are finally reading the series. Yes Draco is a little snit. Yes, I still think my Hogwarts letter got lost in the mail and yes you need to read the next six books.
Alexia @ Adventures in Reading recently posted…Review: Unhinged (Splintered #2) by A.G. Howard
I’ve never read the Harry Potter books, but I do own all of them. Lol. I want to read them, but I’m afraid that if I do, I won’t like the movies anymore. The books are almost always better than the movies.
Love your review, Jana! I read the first books in the series when they came out, long before they started getting all the hype. I remembered liking them, but the more hype they got, the less I remembered why I liked them. Your review makes me think that maybe it’s time for a re-read. =)
Hazel Lee recently posted…Tune In Tuesday : Love Song Edition – I’ll Be There
Bahaha! Mel Mac’s face is killing me! That’s perfect. Yayyy HP!
Jen recently posted…Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt
This review actually made me so happy. I love seeing what people think when they read Harry Potter for the first time. It’s so fun to see their reaction. I look forward to hearing what you think about the other books in the future.
Haley Keller recently posted…Book Review: Silence by Natasha Preston
Yay for finally reading them. I read the books, listened to the audio, and reread the books when they were finally released on eBooks. Listen to Jim Dale reading the books, he’s so good with all the voices! You can borrow them from me :)
Haha, no worries! It’s never too late to read a book. I didn’t pick them up until the third book was out, if it helps. (And it was because my British 4th grade teacher had us read them as a class and got the audiobooks shipped over from the UK ahead of the US audio release.) I still have fond memories of those first three books, though the series and I had some disagreements in later volumes. I hope you have fun and enjoy the rest of the series! :D
Kel recently posted…Booked Updates: Confession of a BBA
Did I know that you hadn’t read this before? If I did and didn’t throw the book at you (virtually) I am sorry. I should have. I (and a bunch of other, mostly Toronto area bloggers) am rereading the series this year. I haven’t had time to fit in book two yet but I’m so excited to reread all the books again. Oh, to experience them all again for the first time! You’re living in a special time right now, Jana!
I’m really jealous of you. One of the things I’d love to experience for the first time again is read Harry Potter. It was such a magical experience for me. I still love it, every time I reread it, but that first time was something else. I’m glad you enjoyed the first book. I hope you enjoy the rest. But, from someone who wishes she could read them for the first time again, savor your first time, hold on to these feelings. You’ll wish you had.
Jenni Elyse recently posted…LTUE Writer’s Conference
Yea! I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying these books. :)
Pamela D recently posted…Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken: Review
Wow Harry Potter. I wish I could read those books again for the first time. When I first bough HP I thought for sure it would be a DNF for me. It was right after the 1st movie came out and I thought I’d give the book a whirl… but I was totally figuring that it was going to be a young children’s book. Like it would feel like I was reading a book meant for 4th graders like Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing or Goosebumps or something. But then I ended up staying up all night reading it and running to Wal-Mart at 4 AM to buy the 2nd book (because I am crazy like that). So yeah I learned a big lesson there… and that is that HP is truly for ALL readers. Any age, any country, any gender… whatever. If you like to read, you will like these books :)
Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Book Blog) recently posted…DNF Mini Reviews
Oh and PS- your credibility as a YA Librarian just went up like a million points!
Michelle (Pink Polka Dot Book Blog) recently posted…DNF Mini Reviews
JANAAAA! I’m so happy that you read this AND that you loved it! That makes me so happy! Now go read the rest of the series! go go go go! Haha :)
Brittany @ the Book Addict’s Guide recently posted…NIL Blog Tour: Interview with Lynne Matson!
YAYYYYY!! :D I’m SO happy you loved it!! :D
Also, you’re making me want to re-read this whole series :D
Daisy recently posted…Review of Dark Star by Bethany Frenette
It always makes me happy to read the reactions of first-time readers of the Harry Potter series! I wish I could have that magical first read all over again, just so I could fall in love with this incredible world and these characters that Rowling concocted. Can’t wait for you to continue the series. Happy reading!
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