Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Volume 1 (Harry Potter, #1)

by J.K. Rowling

Minalima Design (Illustrator)

• ISBN10: 1338596705
• ISBN13: 9781338596700
• Publish Date: 20 October 2020 (first published 26 June 1997)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Scholastic Inc.
• Edition: Minalima ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[elvinagb]

It was good to finally go back and re-read this book. I had forgotten so much of the story and revisit characters that are so important to the story in later books. I had forgotten all about Peeves and wish that his character had of made it into the movies.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series this year with some of the book bloggers I follow.

[Mercy]

Una historia mágica, divertida, entretenida... ahora sé bien porque es adorada. Me hubiese encantado leerla desde niña :3

[celinenyx]

Great book, awful author.

[sa090]

This was my first ever series and ironically the third book in the series that I actually read, so because I want to read a childhood favourite for my 2018 challenges, it was about time I picked up the book and what a fun time it was.

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I’m sure that my reading this time around was filled with nostalgia, either from what I remember of my previous reading of this book or what I know of the films, “which one was better?” Is the most common question when taking in a form of entertainment and it’s adaptation, which makes the diplomatic answer that “both were great for different reasons” be the best answer to this question every single time. Now that I am finished trying to be philosophical, let me get into my thoughts of the book which honestly makes me feel like I’ve been away from this world (a world I also considered and still consider a home) for a much longer time than I really was.

As I was about to pick up a copy of the book, I learned about the existence of an Enhanced edition on iBooks’s store which was a very easy choice to make to satiate my curiosity. Was it worth it? Hell yes. The book itself is the same, nothing of the actual content was changed, but only illustrations were added to emphasize a few things or make them clearer. Even better was when the illustration moved, which felt like it was a creative take on the movie pictures that exist in J.K Rowling’s amazing world. The main thing to note when reading this book is how close yet far the film is to the source material when taking in the happenings, in the book, thanks to the format that allows for a lengthier narrative, the book added more to the journey of their first year than what was shown in the film.

Specifically when taking in the never before seen subjects like astronomy, the extra encounters Harry had with some of the students, the development of the friendship between our Golden Trio and the extra knowledge on some of the locations in both the castle and outside of it. Of course, the extra information is a surprise treat that will await those who want more after starting with the film, but sometimes I’ll be reading a paragraph and kind of feel downhearted that it wasn’t included in the film version like Harry’s more specified trip in Diagon alley, to name the most non-spoilery event in the book despite me really not seeing how this book could ever be spoiled at this point.

J.K Rowling is really amazing, I like the way she blended in the povs and how she went about showing her brand new world to a boy who didn’t know any better. Starting with the Dursleys’ rejection of the notion, to taking a stroll through Diagon alley to riding the Hogwarts Express, to taking classes at Hogwarts, Quidditch, the stone and finally the house cup. Despite the many things happening in the book, it remains fast paced and gripping without things being info dumped regularly without end. The world building is done appropriately through this method, while making sure the characters aren’t idle and the best thing about it is that it promises way more interesting stuff to see once Harry gets more acquainted with the world.

The two things that I didn’t recall about the book though was the amounts of subtle humor that J.K Rowling would reveal either through dialogue or an encounter (I absolutely loved the one between Vernon and Professor Mcgonagall in the first chapter) and the fact that despite the performance of magic in some instances, some spells out of the bunch weren’t actually yelled out to be recognized later on which was a bit odd tbh, but it’s probably because of how too many of them would actually be somewhat confusing for those who have just entered the world.

I’m being mostly vague in these thoughts because I need a little bit more than “ IT WAS GREAT AS EXPECTED!!!!!!!!” For it to actually have some worth lol. I loved this experience and I will be trying to finish the series this year since I don’t have many upcoming releases that I know of that I’m very interested in as of now so we’ll see how that plan goes. Definitely continuing with the Enhanced edition though, it was really fun to read while seeing the provided illustrations.

Final rate: 5/5
Reread Date: 3-5 May 2018

[CrowNoYami]

This book series was my childhood, and this one is what started it all. For those of you who haven't yet, everyone should give this book a try. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but I know that a lot of who I am was developed from this book, I owe J.K. Rowling my childhood.

[clementine]

Okay, so, last time I read through this series spanned from July 2010 to July 2011, so I figured it was ABOUT TIME I did it again.

I must say, in general I grow to appreciate the Harry Potter series and JK Rowling's immense genius more every time I read the series, but the first two books are a notable exception. They are very clearly children's books - and good books, at that. But they aren't as magical for me as they were when I first read them at age 6. The series does absolutely grow with the reader, and the first two books are very indicative of the age range Jo was initially targetting.

So, Philosopher's Stone is good, but it's not as brilliant as the later books (in many ways, really), and it's a bit tedious. Once I get to PoA we'll be laughing.

(Oh, also, probably worth noting for the record that I have PROBABLY read Philosopher's Stone at least 6 times by now.)

[Jyc]

★★★★

[layawaydragon]

Read Harry Potter as a child and loved it. Not diehard or obsessive but I was a fan. Now it is what it is. Now I avoid anything Harry Potter to keep its author from profiting more. Rowling is transphobic. I can't support her in any way.

[mbtc]

I'm one of the few who hadn't read a Harry Potter book or seen a movie. I wish I would've started the series 10 years ago. Cute, charming, likeable characters, great plot. I loved it.

I remember that I started reading these in Junior High after the first movie came out, which I enjoyed. And I just loved these books that I had to read the first four books, that was how many were out at the time, and I read them all in probably a week. I love the main characters, the plot and it was just an easy read and definitely a page turner.

I would recommend these series of books to anybody.