If you have never before heard of Harry Potter, let me be the first to say, "Welcome to Earth, dear alien friend!" The first book of the series. The movies do not do justice to the books. The English sense of humor is just fantastic. I bought this for me, not my kids, by the way. They have their own copy!

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Wonderful and imaginative first book of an even more amazing series. If you haven't read the series then you should start. Great for adults, children, and teens. :)

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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.

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I enjoyed the creative diction and wonderful subplots

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The first book in the Harry Potter series. Harry finds out that he is a wizard and heads off to Hogwarts for his first year of magic learning. Little does he know that he will be become famous by the end of the year, and not just for what happened to him when he was a baby.

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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first book in a series of seven that tells the story of a young boy who is orphaned as a baby when his parents are killed by a dark wizard who tries to kill Harry too, but Harry survives the attack and all he is left with is a scar on his forehead that identifies him as the only living wizard known to be able to survive Voldemort. After the attack as a baby is sent to live with his human or "muggle" relatives where for ten years, he is never told he is a wizard; and he receives harsh and cold treatment from them because they desperately want to fit into the "normal" world and Harry is anything but ordinary.

Harry only finds out about his past ,his wizard lineage, and how his parents died, when he gets his letter from Hogwarts; an academy for young wizards and witches. Then the real adventure begins, as Harry discovers a world of magic, makes friends, and enters a world where instead of being invisible, he is a virtual celebrity and his name is known by every magical being he comes into contact with. This was a charming first book to kick off the series and I enjoyed it much more than I expected to. The characters were very easy to picture as you read the book, and the plot was exciting enough that even if you had never heard of the movie or had an idea beforehand of what was going to happen you would want to continue to read because the story was very well written.

For more of my reviews check out my blog at www.booksalicious.blogspot.com

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Gave it to Grandson

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love them all

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I just finished reading this book for the first time ever and I am really very impressed and totally taken with the Potter universe!
I actually watched all eight movies before starting the books and I am glad I decided to do this.

The first thing that struck me about this series was how creative it is. The world that J.K. Rowling has created is so incredibly imaginative and fun. It really draws you in.

Harry Potter, who is around eleven years old, is living with relatives who really don't like him or want him around. His parents died when he was a baby and he does not know anything about them other than that they supposedly died in a car crash. His life changes when he gets a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has been accepted into this school even though he has no idea that he possesses any kind of special powers. Other than a few "coincidental" odd things happening to his adopted family, he has not shown much of magical ability. Off he goes to Hogwarts, where he encounters an entire world which he did not know existed. At first he is afraid he will be behind all the other students, but when he begins classes and training he finds his place and begins to show many talents.

This book is not as "dark" as some of the later books, which is nice. The characters are so lovable and the book is a very quick and easy read.

Fantastic story! I will likely not be able to help measuring future fantasy/sci-fi books that I read up against this because it is just so incredible!

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The first installment of the HP series, SS grabbed me from the very beginning. I watched the first three movies prior to picking this up so I had a pretty good idea of the overall plot. I was pleasantly surprised with all the details left out of the movies, however. This one is the simplest and poses Harry as any other "Muggle" with a few not-so-normal traits. His home life is terrible; being neglected by his family and forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs. We are introduced to most of the main characters throughout the series, including Hagrid, who plays a critical role in Harry's upbringing. To begin with, I loved how Rowling presented the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! This was the book that kept me interested and coming back for more Harry!

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My favorite of the HP series

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Everything they say about it is true! (This is, of course, the same book as "HP and the Sorcerer's Stone"

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Best book of the whole series, in my opinion.

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Fun! Fun! Fun!

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This is my favorite Harry Potter book

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I enjoyed this book!

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Still enjoyable to listen to after all these years!

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