Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1997
Pages: 309
Goodreads Rating: 4.48
Rating: 7/10
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Rowling introduces us to a magical world filled with witches, wizards, magical objects, and much more! We follow three students, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, during their first year at Hogwarts, a magical school. With dark wizards, dangerous spells, and a sought-after stone, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine have plenty to deal with. Oh… and they need to pass their exams and avoid too much mischief so they don’t get kicked out of school while trying to save their world. It’s a ton of weight to carry on the shoulders of three first-year students.
Pros:
Interesting world
The story is set in England where there are witches, wizards, a magical school, Hogwarts, and a magical government, The Ministry of Magic. At Hogwarts, when young witches and wizards get their invitation to join, they are introduced to the wonders of potions, transfiguration, the dark arts, and more. The responsibility of keeping all of this a secret from non-magical people (a.k.a. muggles) falls on The Ministry of Magic. With spells, owl messengers, unicorns, and charms… there’s plenty to fall in love with in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
More detail than movies
As is typical with book-to-movie adaptations, movies can’t cover all of the details that are provided by the book. Harry Potter is no exception. In the book, we get more detail around Snape and Harry’s relationship, class experiences, background info, and conversations between Harry and Dumbledore. While most of the information wasn’t needed or essential, I feel like the movie left out some important information provided in the book.
Fast moving storyline
Almost too fast… The book moves quickly. At certain parts of the story, I wish Rowling had taken more time to cover extremely unique aspects of her world like Diagon Alley and the history behind the Hogwarts houses. Luckily, Harry Potter is a series and there are more opportunities to cover parts of the world that didn’t get a huge piece in the first book.
A Pro and a Con…
When I think about the movie vs. the book, I prefer some things about the movie and some things about the book. In my opinion, Ron was better in the book because of his sense of humor and his confidence. With that in mind, the book also included my least favorite character who is missing from the movie… Peeves. His personality was interesting at first but quickly became an annoyance.
Cons:
Questionable element
One of the essential parts of the story is that Hogwarts and the magical world are a well-kept secret from the non-magical world. Yet muggles are able to have children who have magical abilities and end up going to Hogwarts. Rowling does not go over how the muggle parents don’t accidentally or intentionally tell others about the magical world. She also doesn’t dive into how the Ministry of Magic keeps the magical world a secret. There are more books in the series and I’m looking forward to seeing if she covers this issue in more detail going forward. With so many opportunities for the secret to be let out, I wonder how the Ministry of Magic handles it.
Overall…
Harry Potter is the definition of nostalgia for me. I read the books and watched the movies when I was a kid and the first movie is still one of my absolute favorites. In my opinion, the Harry Potter series is a staple of the fantasy genre and is a must-read like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Caroline’s Library 