Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: The Book That Started It All

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Today we’re looking at a classic. The moment I say that you’re probably are thinking Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, or Huckleberry Finn. But I’m talking about something a bit more modern that has become a classic due to the readership, praise, and bizarre phenomenon it sparked. This book is called Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone by JK Rowling.

In case you’re too young to know or have been living under a rock the last ten years, Harry Potter is about an orphan boy who is a wizard. It begins when Harry is taken in by his aunt and uncle after his parents were killed by the dark wizard lord Voldemort. And his aunt and uncle are so pompous and straight laced, that they raised Harry as though he not worth the very air he breathes because they know he may be a wizard. They hate wizards and witches. So they tell Harry nothing about what he is and they often punish him when something magical accidently happens. It isn’t until a giant man named Hagrid tracks Harry down with a personal invitation to Hogwarts, a school for wizards. Harry first things it’s a mistake, but he soon learns it’s all true. When he goes to school he makes friends with Ron and Hermoine. And the trio stumble across a conspiracy concerning Professor Quell, Professor Snake, Unicorn killings, the philosopher’s stone and the possible resurrection of the dark wizard Voldemort.

The good? This is a charming little read. It flows at just the right pace making it surprisingly meaty book for adults. Also this is a great for kids too. And if you’re a fan of the series, it is always good to be reminded about how it all started. The characters are fun and there’s such a whimsical nature to all of it.

The bad? Going back to read this after all the other books, I realize I forget how simple the first book was and that the trio were just little kids. There’s no epic nature to this tale. It at no point has any sense of danger to it. There’s no cliffhanger or clues as to big things to come. It’s by very definition a fluff read and nothing more. I really believe that this was nothing ever meant to be a series in the beginning but instead evolved into one later on.

Overall, it’s a cute fluff read for all ages. It is by no means is a spectacular must read like. Some of the later books are, but it is the book that started it all. So if you have may interest in Harry Potter or fantasy you have to give this a look. If you like fantasy in general and was curious you’ll want to check this out. But fair warning, this first book was written for kids. The books grows up in writing style with each following sequel. So this book is not for everyone. Some people may want to skip into the further series for that reason. But would I never recommend that personally. I like reading books in order.

Overall Rating: The Book That Started It All

2 Smoothies out of four