Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

By J. K. Rowling

Arthur A. Levine Books, 1997. 309 pages. Fantasy.

ISBN: 978-0590353403

Reading/Interest Level: Ages 8+

Curriculum ties: Language arts

Booktalk Ideas: You have magic, now what?: Talk about how Harry was an orphans with special abilities.

 

Challenge Issues: Magic and sorcery, racism

Challenge Response: First Defense File

Reader’s Annotation:

Orphaned at just a year old, Harry Potter lives a miserable life until his eleventh birthday when he discovers that he’s a wizard. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry learns about the magical world he never knew existed, and the evil wizard who wants him dead.

Plot Summary:

At just a year old, Harry is left on his aunt and uncle’s doorstep. He grows up in the cupboard under the stairs, neglected, while his spoiled cousin Dudley gets all the affection. Then, on his eleventh birthday, everything changes when a letter arrives from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry discovers that his aunt and uncle, who are non-magical, have been hiding Harry’s true past. The truth is, Harry is a famous and everyone at Hogwarts knows his name. He befriends Ron, who comes from an old wizarding family and is overshadowed by his five older brothers, and Hermione, a brainy girl who was raised by non-magical parents and is the voice of logic among them.

In general the magical world is a mystery to Harry, but he finds out that Hogwarts is hiding a big secret. A secret that someone is trying to steal. It’s up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to figure it out first, lest a dark wizard gets his hands on it.

Critical Evaluation:

This is the compelling start to a series. Rowling has crafted a believable world with well thought out rules for the magic system, a definite and clear history, and wraps it all up in a way that feels like it could exist alongside the real world. It easily feels like Rowling’s world could exist alongside our own.

The characters are easily relatable and deal with issues normal for their age. The language used is common, appropriate, and easily understandable for the intended audience. The plot is well paced and keeps the reader engaged with just the right amount of drama and suspense. The battle of good versus evil is very clear, and the characters are obviously on one side or another. Recurring themes of bravery, sacrifice, hope, and love are inherent in many plot points, inspiring the reader without being preachy. 

One of the things that Rowling does exceptionally well is include many clues and hints about what is to come without being obvious. Not only is this apparent in her individual novels, but also throughout the series as a whole.

About the Author:

Joanne Rowling was born in July 1965 in England and grew up in Chepstow. She attended Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, her course including one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London and worked as a researcher at Amnesty International among other jobs. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.

Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to a daughter in 1993. When the marriage ended, she and Jessica returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone was eventually completed.

– from author’s website-

Justification of Selection:

Rowling’s Harry Potter series is one of the most well-known and beloved YA novels in the last few decades. It teaches through example positive character traits and the meaning of friendship. Though it may be challenged for its inclusion of magic and sorcery, it is overall a positive and inspiring work about the battle between good and evil.