Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

 by (the one and only) J.K. Rowling

 Length: 249 pages

Format: Paperback
Price: A student gave it to me - it's autographed!  I didn't see it get autographed, but it looks pretty real to me! Go to her website (below) and see her signature - looks pretty good!

 Author Website: www.jkrowling.com

Basic Premise: Harry Potter leads a miserable existence until a giant shows up on his doorstep to tell him he is a wizard.  He is whisked off to wizarding school where he learns about magic, friendship, and his own dark history involving the most evil wizard of all time.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
I read this book for the first time when I was in college.  My friend Kristin, who was a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, had tried to convince me to read them for some time, but, not being a huge fan of fantasy, I passed.  However, when she offered to read the Narnia series (a favorite of mine since childhood) in exchange for me reading the Harry Potter series, I took her up on it.  I read the whole series (well, books 1-5, which were all that had been released at the time) in, like, three months, which was lightening-fast for me at the time.  I also got in trouble with my mom because while she was planning my wedding "You're upstairs with your nose in that book!" (Sorry, Mom.)

Anyway, the book.  I've read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the American version, as "philosopher" means something different here than it does there), but this time I read the British version and was thoroughly delighted at all the references to jumpers, hoovers, rubbish bins, cinemas, timetables, etc.  I also enjoyed seeing the growth that occurred from book one to even book three, and on.  JKR was a talented writer in her own right at the time, but the appeal of this book is originality and concept.  As the books go on, the storyline continues to be impressive, but the way in which it's told - the masterful characterization, the quick-witted dialogue, the attention to detail (not so much that it feels tedious but certainly enough to put a picture in my head) - makes the books stand out head and shoulders above the rest of fantasy - heck, of all genres of literature!