Book Reviews

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Warnings: Mentions of death, mentions of abuse

        One of the most well-known and loved book series I've ever heard of is the Harry Potter books. There's magic, there's teenagers, there's Romionie, what's not to like? On his eleventh birthday, a skinny, black-haired boy with green eyes and dorky glasses called Harry Potter gets a visit from a very tall and very hairy man named Hagrid. He's then taken away from his abusive uncle, aunt, and cousin and his life of servitude, to a magical school called Hogwarts. There he meets Ron Weasly and Hermionie Granger, who become his best friends, and Draco Malfoy, who doesn't play much of a part in this first book. His main point is to be the school bully and show what "pureblood" wizards are like. Harry learns a lot about his parents and their deaths from Hagrid. They were murdered by a Dark Wizard called Voldemort when Harry was a baby. Voldemort tried to kill Harry too, but the spell failed and Harry only got a scar shaped like lightning on his forehead. That's kind of going to be a big part of the storyline. Harry gets chosen to be on his Quidditch team (a sport involving broomsticks and giant basketball hoops that are vertical instead of horizontal), specifically a Seeker (their job is to catch a golden, walnut sized ball called the Snitch), and gets a really expensive broom to use. His team wins a lot, and at one of the games the Potions teacher, Snape, is seen staring at Harry's broom and chanting something, and the broom's going crazy. Hermionie sets Snape's clothes on fire, causing a commotion and the broom goes back to normal. At Christmas, Harry gets a mysterious cloak that makes him invisible. While using it one night, he finds a mirror that shows him what he desires most, which is his family. Throughout the school year the trio of friends pick up hints toward something called the Sorcerer's Stone, that can make the user immortal and turn any metal into gold. They learn it was made by a guy named Nicholas Flamel. At the year's end they have to fight their way through a series of magical obstacals like Hagrid's three-headed dog and a life-sized chess set so they can keep the Stone from being stolen.

        The main character, of course, was Harry. He was a kid who just wanted to get away from his home life because they were jerks, and his self-esteem wasn't very high. But, he ended up being one of the best wizards ever. Ron was the best friend type of guy, who had some school issues. Hermionie was described as a nerd by a lot of fans, as in she was REALLY smart. My favorite was probably her, because I could really relate to her. and stuff.

        The plot is one that's kind of hard to explain. You really just need to read it to get it. I'd rate it at PG or PG-13.

        Another great read that I think you all should try out if you haven't yet.