Let's go back, to where it all started... (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling)

Member Name: Belfastgirl

Product:	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling
Date:	05/08/01 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun for all

Disadvantages: None that I can think of!

Harry Potter always thought that he was a normal little boy, yes he was unfortunate to be an orphan and have to live with his terrible Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, but he never thought that he was all that different to other kids his age.

That is until it comes around time for him to go to secondary school. Harry thinks that he is going to an ordinary comprehensive school, but then all of a sudden letters start to arrive for Harry - Harry never gets letters! Immediately his uncle gets suspicious and starts taking the letters off him before he can even read them, Harry is dying to find out what his Uncle is trying to hide from him.

After much hassle, he eventually gets to read them - what he finds will turn his world upside down, and change him forever - it's an invitation to Hogwart's School of Wichcraft and Wizardry!

Harry is a Wizard!

What Harry doesn't realise, that from the moment he was "abandoned" on his aunt and uncle's doorstep, they have been trying to keep the truth from him, but the wizards at Hogwarts don't give up easily!

This is the start of an amazing journey for Harry - starting a new school is always full of excitement, but for Harry it's not only starting a new school - it's finding out all about his family - the mum and dad that he never knew, and about life as a Wizard.

A trip to Diagon Alley is Harry's first glimpse of wizarding life, where he finds out that his parents have left him a lot of money, and that there is some secret in Hogwarts that Hagrid (a giant who works at Hogwarts) is anxious to keep hidden from Harry.

Hogwarts is like no other school. In Hogwarts to find out what school you will be placed in, you have to sit under the sorting hat - a magical hat. There are 4 houses in Hogwarts: Griffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Harry found himself placed in Griffindor, the same as his parents - the house for the noble and b
rave.

Quidditch, Spells, potions and care of magical creatures are just some of the subjects that Harry finds himself facing alongside his new friend Ron Weasley, while they find themselves constantly harassed by the year Swot, Hermione.

With all the trouble that Harry's midnight adventures get him into, it soon becomes apparent that having a friend like Hermione who can carry out all manner of spells might actually be quite useful.

Soon Harry's attention turns back to the secret of Hogwarts and he is determined to find out what it is, especially since it is so heavily guarded. But someone else is interested in the secret, someone with a more harmful intention for whatever it is that is being hidden, something that could bring back something very bad from the past, something that all wizards and witches alike fear.

This book is absolutely brilliant, a wonderful introduction into the life of Harry Potter, setting the scene excellently for the subsequent books. Many of the events that happen in this book are referred to in subsequent books and is very important to read for those who want to get a real grasp of the whole Harry Potter series.

J.K.Rowling shows her ability to capture the imagination of both children and adults, with this book she provides fun, excitement, adventure and just a little touch of the scariness that makes a book well worth reading.

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