Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

By: J.K. Rowling

I didn’t read the Harry Potter books as a kid. My parents decided they didn’t want my brother and I to read them, and I respected their choice. I trusted them to make these decisions with my well being in mind. And honestly, I was the kid that got spooked by Winnie the Pooh, E.T., and Scooby Doo, so I think they made a wise choice. While my friends went to see each new movie and went to each new book release, they would invite me and I would obediently say that I couldn’t.

And then I went to college. A lot of my friends there grew up with Harry Potter and they eagerly awaited the final installment of the movies. I decided that I was old enough to make my own choices and watched all of the movies with my roommate. I’ve seen them all now, and the last one in theaters. I enjoyed them. But I didn’t feel a fire to read them. I had tried, but the reading level felt so low that I couldn’t get into it.

This past summer I decided that I needed to read the Harry Potter books. If I really wanted to write in that genre and for that age group, I had to read the series that revolutionized it.

I wish I read the books first. I think the magic could have been more vivid for me. Instead I read with a certain amount of anticipation—I was looking for landmarks. Unfortunately, I don’t know the movies well enough to really predict anything though. I was looking for things from the third movie in the first book. This made reading a little frustrating—but that is all on me.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is a vivid and imaginative story. I found myself wrapped up in the language. Rowling knows how to tell a story, and she is a master of the craft. I never felt myself kicked out of the world by grammar issues or hiccups in perspective. It was a clean and easy read, which I appreciated.

One thing I enjoyed was how real the characters were—even though Harry Potter is obviously this important person/celebrity, he makes mistakes and is selfish sometimes. He wasn’t perfect. None of the characters are. And I think that charmed me as a whole.

I think Rowling did a great job wrapping a certain amount of intrigue around Harry Potter. She creatively unwraps the mystery as Harry Potter learns little bits about himself. It works well because the reader gets to learn more about him with him—except that the reader is maybe one step ahead because of early chapters.

I’ve grown to love these coming of age books. And I’m very excited about the rest of the Harry Potter books.

Don't forget to leave suggestions below! They really are added to my list of books to read!