Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1)

Reader reviewed by 3holidaybabies

I want to be Harry! I want to go to Hogwarts! I want to do magic! Wow this book as well as the series will be a classic! I want to read them to my kids...then later to my grandkids!
Harry is living a pitiful life, w/ his aunt, uncle, & cousin. There is no other way to put it he is being abused. Then his world is turned upside down when he is accepted to Hogwarts school for witches & wizards. Rowlings is a rare talent, I am so glad she was brave enough to share Harry with the world!

Reader reviewed by janina

The novel begins with the wizarding world's celebration of the downfall of Lord Voldemort, an evil, powerful and cruel dark wizard. After he killed Lily and James Potter, Voldemort attempted to murder their one-year-old son, Harry. The magical curse rebounded and destroyed Voldemort's body, leaving only a lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead. Harry is placed in the care of his Muggle (non-wizard) relatives, the Dursley family.

The book skips the next ten years and resumes shortly before Harry's eleventh birthday. The Dursleys have kept Harry's heritage from him. However, the truth comes in the form of Rubeus Hagrid who tells Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts in the fall. One month later, Harry takes the train to Hogwarts from Platform Nine and Three Quarters at King's Cross Station. On the train, Harry sits with Ron Weasley. They are visited briefly by Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger who are in search of Neville's missing toad, Trevor. Later on in the journey, Draco Malfoy comes into Harry and Ron's compartment with his friends Crabbe and Goyle and introduces himself to Harry. After Ron laughs at Draco's name, Draco offers Harry friendship, but Harry declines.

Upon arrival, the Sorting Hat places Harry and Ron in Gryffindor House, one of the four houses at Hogwarts. After a broom-mounted game to save Neville's Remembrall, Harry joins Gryffindor's Quidditch team as their youngest Seeker player in over a century.

Shortly after they start school, they discover that someone had broken into a previously emptied vault at the Wizarding bank, Gringotts. The mystery deepens when they discover a monstrous three-headed dog, Fluffy, that guards a trapdoor in the forbidden third floor passageway. On Halloween, a troll enters the castle and traps Hermione in one of the girls' lavatories. Harry and Ron rescue her, but are caught by Professor McGonagall. Hermione defends the boys and takes the blame, which results in the three becoming best friends.

Harry's broom becomes jinxed during his first Quidditch match, nearly knocking him off. Hermione believes that Professor Snape has cursed the broom and distracts him by setting his robes on fire, allowing Harry to catch the Snitch to win the game for Gryffindor.

At Christmas, Harry receives his father's Invisibility Cloak from an unknown source. He also discovers the Mirror of Erised in an unused classroom, a strange mirror which shows not just Harry, but Harry surrounded by his entire family. Shortly thereafter, Harry gets to know that Nicolas Flamel is the maker of Philosopher's Stone, a stone that gives the owner eternal life.[3].

Harry sees Professor Snape interrogating Professor Quirrell about getting past Fluffy, which seemingly confirms Harry, Ron and Hermione's suspicion that Snape is trying to steal the Philosopher's Stone in order to restore Lord Voldemort to power. The trio discover that Hagrid is incubating a dragon egg, which shortly thereafter hatches a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon, Norbert. Since dragon breeding is illegal, they convince Hagrid to let Norbert go live with other dragons of his kind. Harry and Hermione are caught returning to their dormitories after sending Norbert off (Ron was in the hospital wing after suffering a bite from the dragon) and are forced to serve detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest. Harry sees a hooded figure drink the blood of an injured unicorn. Firenze, a centaur, tells Harry that the hooded figure is in fact Voldemort.

Hagrid, while intoxicated, tells Harry, Ron and Hermione how to get past Fluffy and they rush to tell Professor Dumbledore what they know, only to find that Dumbledore has been called away from the school. Positive that Dumbledore's summons was a red herring to take him away from Hogwarts while the Philosopher's Stone is stolen, the trio set out to reach the Stone first. They navigate a series of complex magical challenges set up by the school's faculty. At the end of these challenges, only one person can move forward and hence Harry enters the inner chamber alone only to find that it is the timid Professor Quirrell, not Snape, who is after the Stone. The final challenge protecting the Stone is the Mirror of Erised. Quirrell forces Harry to look in the mirror to discover where the Stone is. Harry successfully resists, and the Stone drops into his own pocket. Lord Voldemort now reveals himself; he has possessed Quirrell and appears as a ghastly face on the back of Quirrell's head. He tries to attack Harry, but merely touching Harry proves to be agony for Quirrell. Dumbledore arrives back in time to save Harry, Voldemort flees and Quirrell dies.

As Harry recovers in the hospital ward, Dumbledore confirms to him that Lily died while protecting Harry as an infant. Her pure, loving sacrifice provides her son with an ancient magical protection against Voldemort's lethal spells. Dumbledore also explains that the Philosopher's Stone has been destroyed to prevent future attempts by Voldemort to steal it. He then tells Harry that only those who wanted to find the Stone, but not use it would be able to retrieve it from the mirror, which is why Harry was able to retrieve it. When Harry asks Dumbledore why Voldemort attempted to kill him when he was an infant, Dumbledore promises to tell Harry when he is older.[4]

At the end-of-year feast, where Harry is welcomed as a hero, Dumbledore gives a few "last-minute additions", granting enough points to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville for Gryffindor to win the House Cup, ending Slytherin's six-year reign as house champions.

Reader reviewed by hpatel

I love this book out of the Harry Potter series more than any of the other books. I love how J.K. Rowling starts it, ends it, and everything in the middle. My favorite part of this book was most definitely when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going through the tasks set up by the teachers guarding the sorcerer's stone. I think my favorite task was when Harry and Hermione were trying to figure out the riddle about which potion was not poisonous. I remember having to do riddles in like 5th grade. But, of course they weren't life or death questions. I'm a nerd so I love trying to solve problems. Obviously, Hermione is my favorite character.

Reader reviewed by Kayla

Harry begins life anew when he discovers that he is a wizard. He is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harrys life as a Hogwarts first-year is more complcated than that of most attendees, because he is already famous for being "the boy who lived" because he survived an attack of the evil Lord Voldemort. He is the only person to have ever survived such a thing. Many people seem to hate Harry for this, such as Professor Snape and some classmates from Slytherin.

The most important happening of Harrys first year is unraveling the mystery of the Sorcerers Stone and coming face to face with Voldemort. Of course, Harry wins, but Voldemort is not defeated forever like Harry thinks.

This book is an amazing beginning to a fantastic series. And do not think, I saw the movie so I know everything. So much more is learned through reading then watching the movie.

Reader reviewed by Gigi

Harry Potter is a young orphan boy growing up in England under the care of his aunt and uncle, who despise him, for reasons unknown to Harry. But, one day, he finds out the reason: Harry is a wizard. His parents were wizards and did not die, as he was told, in a car crash, but, rather, murdered by an evil and powerful wizard named Voldemort. As an infant, Harry defeated Voldemort and he (Harry) is famous in the wizarding world. He leaves his aunt, uncle, and cousin to enter into a world of new wonders. However, there is evil lurking in the corners of Harry's life and the supporters of Voldemort want Harry dead.
This book is awesome and if you haven't read it yet, you're missing out.

Reader reviewed by Matt Hill

This is a wonderful, spellbinding experience that'll keep readers guessing until the very end! Rowling keeps readers rivited to the page, making this experience an enjoyable read! This book captures the thoughs of an eleven-year-old misfit trying to fit into a new, magical world! A guaranteed great read! Harry Potter doesn't remeber defeating the wicked Lord Voldemort, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he has found he is an instant celebraty in the wizarding world. While at school, he discovers a plot to return Lord Voldemort to full strength, and thwarts him yet again! Don't fall off your broomstick in this charming, timeless adventure!

Reader reviewed by Sinera

this story is about how a boy named Harry Potter who is famous in the world for witches and
wizard harrys parents were killed by an evil wizard named lord voldemort harrys parents tried
to save harry but voldermort killed them but for some reason voldermort could not kill harry
nobody knows why that is one of the reasons why harry is famous he soon learns that he is a
wizard harry is a new student at hogwarts a school for witches and wizards harry makes two
new friends ron and hermoine harry figures out there is something going on about a special
stone that makes you rich and gives you eternal life and harry thinks a teacher at hogwarts is after this stone to give to lord voldermort and tries to save the day.
i like this book because it shows you who you should trust and what kind of people you should make friends with.

Reader reviewed by Maggie

Harry has lived with the Dursley's his whole life thinking his parents died in a car crash. Little did he know that they were killed attempting to save him from Voldemort

Up until Harry received a letter from Hogwarts, a wizarding school he had no idea of his past or who he was now. He was a wizard. The only wizard to survive an attack from Voldemort.

As the year goes by Harry encounters many things. Like battaling a troll and winning, becoming seeker of the Gryfindor Quiddich team, and defeating Lord Voldemort in the form of Proffessor Quarrel for the second time.

This is a great book for all ages. It is full of adventure!

Reader reviewed by Tiara

I was eight years old when my sister started bringing home the Harry Potter series. She liked them so much that she began to read them to me and my other siblings. Now, seven years later, I can't imagine my life without them! The story begins with a pompous couple, the Dursleys, and their braty son who are afraid of someone discovering a "secret" about Mrs. Dursley's sister, Mrs. Potter. As Mr. Dursley goes to work that day he observes many strange happenings, like a cat reading a map, groups of people in strange clothing, A man who informes him that "You Know who" is gone, and strange whispers about the Potters.That night a baby with a lightning bolt scar is left at their doorstep and so the tale begins. Sorecerer's Stone is full of intrigue and mystery! It's better than Agatha Christie and the ending is shocking. The charachetrs and the world are something you do not want to miss!

Reader reviewed by clarice

This is an amazing book. It is addicting from the first page. You will be left for more and suddenly go get the second book. This is the first book in the series which is amazing. Harry finds out he is a wizard, goes to a wizarding school and finds out tons of things that he didnt know about himself and his parents.