Click on the down
arrow and select books,
type in Harry Potter and click the
GO
button to go directly
to the Harry Potter book section of Amazon .com
Reviews
Amazon.com
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs
of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate
you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a
phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor,
including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you
discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to
young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the nonmagic human
world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by
the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents
were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small,
skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him.
He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously
refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that
he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled,
piglike cousin Dudley.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches
Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to
inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry." Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most
unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD
FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however,
Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where
the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major
awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the
Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the
Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This
magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave
kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! (Ages
8 to 13) --Karin Snelson
BUY THIS BOOK AT AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE
The New York Times Book Review, Michael Winerip
...Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is ... funny, moving and
impressive.... Like Harry Potter, [J.K. Rowling] has soared beyond her
modest Muggle surroundings to achieve something quite special.
The Washington Post Book World, Michael Dirda
Obviously, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone should make any
modern 11-year-old a very happy reader. The novel moves quickly,
packs in everything from a boa constrictor that winks to a melancholy
Zen-spouting centaur to an owl postal system, and ends with a scary
surprise.
From Booklist , September 15, 1998
Gr. 4^-7. Orphaned in infancy, Harry Potter is raised by reluctant
parents, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon, an odious couple who would
be right at home in a Roald Dahl novel. Things go from awful to hideous
for Harry until, with the approach of his eleventh birthday, mysterious
letters begin arriving addressed to him! His aunt and uncle manage to
intercept these until a giant named Hagrid delivers one in person, and
to
his astonishment, Harry learns that he is a wizard and has been
accepted (without even applying) as a student at Hogworts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. There's even more startling news: it turns out
that his parents were killed by an evil wizard so powerful that everyone
is afraid to so much as utter his name, Voldemort. Somehow, though,
Harry survived Voldemort's attempt to kill him, too, though it has left
him with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and enormous celebrity
in the world of magic, because Voldemort vanished following his failure.
But is he gone for good? What is hidden on the third floor of Hogworts
Castle? And who is the Man with Two Faces? Rowling's first novel,
which has won numerous prizes in England, is a brilliantly imagined and
beautifully written fantasy that incorporates elements of traditional
British school stories without once violating the magical underpinnings
of
the plot. In fact, Rowling's wonderful ability to put a fantastic spin
on
sports, student rivalry, and eccentric faculty contributes to the humor,
charm, and, well, delight of her utterly captivating story. Michael Cart
Copyright© 1998, American Library Association. All rights
reserved
BUY THIS BOOK AT AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE
From Kirkus Reviews , September 1, 1998
In a rousing first novel, already an award-winner in England, Harry is
just a baby when his magical parents are done in by Voldemort, a
wizard so dastardly other wizards are scared to mention his name. So
Harry is brought up by his mean Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia
Dursley, and picked on by his horrid cousin Dudley. He knows nothing
about his magical birthright until ten years later, when he learns he's
to
attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hogwarts is a lot
like English boarding school, except that instead of classes in math and
grammar, the curriculum features courses in Transfiguration, Herbology,
and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry becomes the star player of
Quidditch, a sort of mid-air ball game. With the help of his new friends
Ron and Hermione, Harry solves a mystery involving a sorcerer's stone
that ultimately takes him to the evil Voldemort. This hugely enjoyable
fantasy is filled with imaginative details, from oddly flavored jelly beans
to dragons' eggs hatched on the hearth. It's slanted toward
action-oriented readers, who will find that Briticisms meld with all the
other wonders of magic school. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1998,
Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
From Horn Book
Orphaned Harry Potter has been living a dog's life with his horrible
relatives. He sleeps in the broom cupboard under the stairs and is
treated as a slavey by his aunt and uncle. On his eleventh birthday,
mysterious missives begin arriving for him, culminating eventually in the
arrival of a giant named Hagrid, who has come to escort him to the
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that his
parents died saving him from an evil sorcerer and that he himself is
destined to be a wizard of great power. Harry's astonished introduction
to the life of wizardry starts with his purchase, under Hagrid's guidance,
of all the tools of an aspiring sorcerer: wand, robes, cauldron,
broomstick, owl. Hogwarts is the typical British public school, with
much emphasis placed on games and the honor of the House. Harry's
house is Gryffindor, the time-honored rival of Slytherin: he becomes a
star at Quidditch, an extremely complicated game played with four
different balls while the whole team swoops about on broomsticks. He
studies Herbology, the History of Magic, Charms, Potions, the Dark
Arts, and other arcane subjects, all the while getting closer to his destiny
and the secret of the sorcerer's stone. He makes friends , goes through
dangerous and exciting adventures, and justifies the hopeful predictions
about him. The light-hearted caper travels through the territory owned
by the late Roald Dahl, especially in the treatment of the bad guys-they
are uniformly as unshadedly awful as possible-but the tone is a great
deal more affectionate. A charming and readable romp with a most
sympathetic hero and filled with delightful magic details. -- Copyright
©
19 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
BUY THIS BOOK AT AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE
Synopsis
What did Harry Potter know about magic? He was stuck with the
decidedly un-magical Dursleys, who hated him. He slept in a closet and
ate their leftovers. But an owl messenger changes all that, with an
invitation to attend the Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches,
where it turns out Harry is already famous.. . . Full color.
The publisher, Arthur Levine (ALevine@Scholastic.com) , June
18, 1998
Awards for Harry Potter!
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE continues to
win major awards in England, where the book made its debut a few
months before the American edition. So far it has won the National
Book Award, The Smarties Prize,and the Children's Book Award
(voted on by thousands of kids in the U.K.). It has been shortlisted for
the Carnegie Medal (Britains equivalent of the Newbery.) Look for a
preview chapter online at Scholastic.com in August! The beautiful
hardcover edition will be available in September with chapter openings
illustrated by Mary GrandPre.
Click on the down
arrow and select books,
type in Harry Potter and click the GO
button to go directly
to the Harry Potter book section of Amazon .com
Thanks for Visiting...