Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Fun characters. Fun setting. Just plain fun!

Cons: Setting up Harry's world slows down the first half.

The Bottom Line:

New world created

Story slow to get going

But book immerses

Almost Magical Introduction

Yep, I'm coming late to the party. I have had every intention of reading these books, but I've been waiting until I knew when the last one was coming out. Since I've run out of excuses, I've decided to read them and discover the magic for myself, starting with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry Potter is a miserable orphan. True, he's not living in an orphanage, but that might be an improvement. His uncle and aunt treat him horribly. He has to live in a cupboard and watch as his spoiled cousin gets everything he wants.

All that changes one day when he starts getting mysterious letters. Every day, his uncle destroys them, but more arrive the next day. Finally, Harry learns the truth - he is a wizard and a relatively famous one for surviving the attack that killed his parents. And he gets to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to learn to use his skills. Once there, Harry begins to make friends for the first time in his life.

But all is not as it seems at the school. Harry begins to pick up little clues that evil is lurking somewhere in the building. And one of the professors seems to have it in for him. What is going on?

I can certainly see why these books are so popular. They are fun, escapist books. J. K. Rowling has written a book that can capture the imagination of kids of all ages. After all, who doesn't want to have special powers and be a hero? Harry comes across as a normal kid who makes mistakes yet gets involved in events far beyond his experiences. It's every kid's (and most adults as well) dream brought to life.

Add to that the other characters. There are new best friends Ron and Hermione, Hagrid the friendly giant, and Draco Malfoy, the arrogant bully you want to see brought down. Yes, they are a bit stereotyped, but most of the time they come across as very real.

My only complaint is the pace of the plot. The first half moves rather slowly as we are introduced to Harry's world. While that background is needed and fun, I was certainly ready for things to start moving forward by the second half. Fortunately, things do speed up in the second half. Harry and his friends do spend plenty of time breaking rules, but this is nothing new to children's literature. There are some frightening scenes, but I don't think they fall outside normal children's literature boundaries.

The book is well written. Since I'm an adult, I breezed through it. The writing should be easy enough for any kid to read and get lost in the story.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will entertain the kid in anyone. I already have plans to enroll in the next year at Hogwarts.