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Book Review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, Bk 1)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, Bk 1)
reviewed on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


After all the hype ends and the movies have been made and forgotten, these books will still be on the lists of "Children's Classics." This book is the fairy tale, the boy who spent his first decade locked in a cupboard who discovers he can fly; the boy who was unloved who discovers the greatest friends. With only hints of some of the compexities and darkness of the later books, there is a charm to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that makes it my favorite of the series, even though my son and my friends who have read it find it a bit childish compared to the sequels.

Parents: the above-mentioned movies, hype, marketing crap, etc. seem to be targeting children who may not be old enough to actually read the books. Book 1, I believe, can probably be read by average 4th or f5th grader, and probably enjoyed by 3rd or even 2nd graders who are either advanced readers or have the books read to them.