First of all, this review has SPOILERS! There are not too many, but if you are one of the few human beings who has yet to read this book or see the movie and you don’t want spoilers, then this review is not for you. 

This review has been broken down into several parts – because there is just too much to talk about! There is also a separate Sorcerer’s Stone analysis (coming soon) that delves deeper into the book and movie. 

You will first find a summary that explains the general plot of this very popular book. Next is a little background info on the author, J.K. Rowling. It wouldn’t be a Harry Potter review if we don’t discuss the magical elements in this 21st Century timeline. Is this story considered High Fantasy or Low Fantasy? The characters might very well be the best part. Get a little summary of each of the main characters, including the villains! 

Keep scrolling to the end to find links for other awesome Harry Potter posts! 

SUMMARY

The first book in the Harry Potter series introduces us to “the-boy-who-lived”. Within the first few pages, it is revealed that the evil villain, Voldemort, has murdered Harry’s parents and he is being placed with his muggle aunt and uncle by wizards who care about his future. Harry’s aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, didn’t ask to have him, and it soon becomes clear that they do not want him.

Harry Potter grows up with the Dursleys with no knowledge about his parents. It isn’t until his 11th birthday that he discovers that he is a wizard. 

WIZARDING WORLD

Rubeus Hagrid breaks into their hiding home away from the scary magical Hogwarts letters and tells Harry that he will be going to the greatest wizarding school in the world – Hogwarts. Hagrid then takes Harry from the muggle world and shows him all about the wizarding world. 

They go to the Leaking Cauldron, where Harry learns more about how famous he is. They venture through Diagon Alley and shop for all of the things Harry will need for school. 

Harry then gets to Platform 9 3/4, where he makes his first friends, the Weasleys. Ron sits with him, and they talk all about…. well…. everything. The school bullies make an appearance, and so does Hermione Granger. (Spoiler: Ron, Harry, and Hermione become best friends). 

HOGWARTS

Once everyone arrives at Hogwarts, the real fun begins. All of the new students learn about the four Hogwarts Houses and a magical singing hat sorts them into one of those houses. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all go into Gryffindor! 

Once they settle into their new home-away-from-home and get used to the super cool magical classes, trouble starts.

Harry realizes that someone was trying to steal something from the bank that he and Hagrid went to in Diagon Alley before school started. 

Flying lessons take a bad turn when Malfoy steals something. Harry, being the hero, gets it back. Professor McGonagall sees Harry flying and everyone assumes that he is in trouble. But the cool Professor made Harry the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. 

Malfoy tricks Harry into a duel at Midnight. While trying to escape from being seen by Mr. Filtch, the group runs into a room that is off-limits. They find a giant 3-headed dog and barely make it out before they are eaten. 

HOLIDAYS

Halloween brings a scary surprise…. a Troll is let into the castle! Hermione didn’t hear the news, so Harry and Ron try to find her. They all find the troll and defeat it with some great teamwork and newly learned spells. 

The first Quidditch game starts poorly, Harry’s broom is bewitched! Hermione saves the day this time, and Harry catches the Golden Snitch, making his team win! During a celebration tea with Hagrid, secrets are revealed.

Christmas comes around quickly, and most of the school leaves to go home for the holiday. Ron and Harry stay behind. They take the opportunity to do some more digging into whatever the 3-headed dog is hiding. Harry stumbles across a magical mirror. Ron gets to see it too! But Dumbledore catches Harry and takes the mirror away. 

The new term begins and everyone is back at school. The trio quickly learns about Nicholas Flammel and The Sorcerer’s Stone. 

DETENTION

Hagrid gets a baby Dragon, but they need to get rid of it before Hagrid gets into trouble. Unfortunately, Harry and Hermione are caught and get detention with Malfoy and Neville (who followed them). They all get detention with Hagrid in the forbidden forest. Harry has a run-in with Voldemort, but a very nice centaur saves him. 

Based on everything they have learned, and the scare in the Forbidden Forest, the trio realizes that they need to save the stone asap! So, they go to the 3-headed dog, fall through the trap door, and have to battle their way through several obstacles. In the end, only Harry gets to the Stone. Here, he finds out who the real villain is and has to go head-to-head with Voldemort. 

Dumbledore quickly comes to the rescue and everything ends up being just fine. Harry gets some questions answered, but not all of them.

The school year ends and we, as Harry Potter book lovers, anticipate the next adventure. 

J.K. ROWLING

Author of the infamous Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling has become a leading voice in the publishing AND film industry. Her story revolutionized those industries. Before the Harry Potter series, books could “go viral”, but never were they so popular that they became their own industry. 

Since finishing the Harry Potter series, Rowling has gone on to create numerous other stories for the Wizarding World. She also wrote several books in the crime genre under a pseudonym – Robert Galbraith. 

Books written under this fake name include:

• The Cuckoos Calling
•  The Silkworm
• Career of Evil
• Lethal White
• Troubled Blood
•  

Besides writing more exciting books and teaming with creators on films, theme parks, and paraphernalia, Rowling has also been an activist for children all over the world. She created her own charity foundation, named Lumos, and they are currently working to save and provide safe housing for orphaned children in Ukraine. 

See the full list of Wizarding World books (and screenplays) below: 

• Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone
• Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban 
• Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix
• Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
• Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
• Quidditch Through the Ages
• The Tales of Bettle and The Bard
• Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (Part 1 and Part 2)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald 

Other Books by J.K Rowling:

• The Casual Vacancy 
• Very Good Lives
• The Ickabog
• The Christmas Pig

MODERN MAGIC

High Fantasy: When magic and fantasy are normal. This is a completely fictional world with its own rules and laws and characteristics. There is no “modern” or “regular” world as we, as muggles, know it. 

Low Fantasy: When there are magical elements found in a modern/normal world. 

Which of these sub-genres does the Harry Potter world fall into? My answer…. both. The wizarding world is hidden within the normal muggle world, but it is so vast that we can consider it to be High Fantasy as well. Most of the book series occurs somewhere within the Wizarding World, so I would even say that it is MORE High Fantasy than Low Fantasy.

MAGIC AND MUGGLES

This storyline has created the perfect balance of magic within the modern world. The book opens up with wizards and witches conspiring about recent wizard events while standing in the muggle world. Harry Potter, the main character, is a wizard who lost his parents to an evil magical villain and is forced to grow up in his non-magical family’s household. It isn’t until his 11th birthday that he even discovers the world of magic. Until then, there are instances of magic, but Harry brushes them off as strange occurrences. 

Magic is brought into the modern world in little ways. But, for the most part, the two worlds are kept very much apart. Platform 9 3/4 is one such barrier between worlds. The muggles can’t enter, but the witches and wizards are free to come and go… but ONLY when school is in session. Otherwise, they need to find another way into the Wizarding World. Hagrid’s entrance of choice is through his favorite bar, the Leaky Cauldron. The bar resides in both worlds, but according to the book, muggles don’t even notice that it’s there. The other side of the bar leads to Diagon Alley, which is the #1 wizard and witches shopping spot. 

MAGIC VS. MUGGLES

There is a CLEAR difference between the muggle world and the wizarding world. Muggles wear basic outfits, while the witches and witches have dramatic robes, pointed hats…. and let’s not forget about the WANDS! The vibes are also very different. The muggle world is simple, things are practically in black and white. Once you step into the wizarding world, you step into a dark academia aesthetic. Old brick buildings, leather-bound books, and dark alleyways make up the vibe of the magical world.

Do you love an academia aesthetic? Follow the Books 4 Movies Academia Pinterest Board for inspiration. 

RELATABLE CHARACTERS

If you are a book lover, then you already know that an unrelatable character can completely ruin the entire story. 

Well, this book doesn’t have a single character that we can’t relate to. Even the villains! 

Harry Potter, the main character, feels like an outcast in his own family and is often bullied. But once he finds his “group”, his life gets so much better! 

Ronald Weasley is one of the youngest in a very large family and just wants to get out from under the shadows of his older brothers. 

Hermione Granger is incredibly smart, and no one likes her because of it. (If you are a reader, then you probably know how she feels). 

The professors at Hogwarts are anything but normal, but that’s what makes them so lovable. Some are weird and wacky, like Dumbledore. Some are scary and strict, like Snape and McGonigall. And one of them isn’t even alive! (I won’t give you the spoiler for that one). 

REVIEW

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or The Philosophers Stone) is my #1 recommended children’s/ Young Adult book. 

This is a great starter book, and series, to get young children to love reading. The characters are very relatable, the plot is interesting and complex, and the completed series is so popular, that no one will want to feel left out of the Wizarding World. Plus, the movies and theme parks are hard to miss!