Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Book Review

by Briar Shaw
(Wales)

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is altogether brilliant.

Harry Potter himself is that archetypal character: a downtrodden child who turns out to be special.

We see him rising above his difficult beginnings and showing heroism in the face of adversity. On top of this, the Harry Potter books are a lot of fun!

J.K. Rowling has a gift for mixing the fantastic with the normal. All kinds of outlandish, and comical things happen, but are put into a recognizable context.

For example, at Hogwarts School, "Potions" lessons are rather similar to Chemistry lessons, and "Transfiguration" is like Physics.

Harry's friends are at both thoroughly unusual and reassuringly normal.

For example, forgetful Neville never can remember the password that will open the portrait and let him into the Gryffindor common room. Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper is both very sympathetic, and outrageously huge.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry comes up against 'He Who Must Not Be Named' and wins.

The underlying story is quite serious, but the adventure, and most of all the laughs, make this book irresistible to the most reluctant reader.

Note from Megan, Editor of The Book Club Guide

Thanks for the fun review, Briar. The Harry Potter series is a must-read for children and adults alike, and will likely be around for a long time to come.