J.K. Rowling writes a marvelous tale of a young boy in London, living with his aunt, uncle and cousin as he learns of his heritage. For Harry, the main character of this story, is a wizard. After the death of his parents during the classic war between good and evil, he is sent to live with non-magic relatives who try daily to deny the existence of magic and prevent Harry from learning the truth. The Dursleys (Harry's relatives) hate everything that isn't "normal" and magical family is definitely NOT normal. When Harry is invited to attend Hogwarts, the English Magic academy that exists to train young witches and wizards, he learns that there is a totally separate world alive in England and throughout the world.
The Magical world in J.K Rowling's book, is hidden from the non-magic people (Muggles) to protect both the witches and wizards and the muggles. While at Hogwarts, Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and several other young wizards as they work through classes, get into scrapes with the teachers and other young wizards (peer pressure is alive and well in the magical world just as in our world).
Most important for Harry, he learns during his year at Hogwarts the truth of his parents death and why he is known as the "boy who lived". This status bothers him since he feels he didn't do anything to earn the title. His parents were killed while protecting him from the head of the evil faction, Lord Voldemort. When Voldemort tries to kill Harry, the spell doesn't work and injures Voldemort instead. For the magical world, this has never happened before and makes Harry a celebrity at age 1.
The end of the book entails a growing experience extraordinaire for Harry and a few of his friends. In the end, he again defeats evil although it is once again only temporary.
Ms. Rowling has truly spun a magical yarn with appeal to young and old alike. While geared to the tween age kids, the timeless story of good versus evil shines through to anyone of any age.
Definitely a book worth reading.
Age Range- 9 to adult
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcer's Stone. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, 1998.
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