Man, I'm so glad Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood growing up.
Stephen Fry was bloody brilliant.

I knew I couldn’t go wrong if I picked up this gem!
I’ve literally owned this book since it came out in the 90s and I FINALLY have gotten around to reading it and I’m so happy I made the time to. I heard from someone that between the Halloween season and Christmas season is the best time to read the HP series so after being in a months long reading slump I figured it was worth a try especially right now.
Of course I’ve seen the first movie a million times (the others movies-less and less as they go on), but I didn’t feel I enjoyed this less already knowing how things play out. There’s plenty of scenes that are different from the movie so it was unique material and the writing is so descriptive that reading about the delicious feast or the battle or the quidditch game can make you feel as though you’re there instead of watching it on the screen. The joy of reading is the places it can take you-real or imaginary.
I loved it. I will immediately be starting book two asap.

Current project: re-reading HP.

My history: I was a young adult when this first book came out, and the print book never really grabbed me when I gave it a try. I found that I very much enjoyed the American audiobooks with Jim Dale narrating, however, so I read the first few books this way. But this came to an end when I misplaced the fourth book and no longer had a long commute--I never did reach the end of that wretchedly long quidditch game, so I gave up.

But here it is, 2015 and I'm trying again! This time I'm doing the wonderful Stephen Fry narration on audio. It's interesting to come into these books after all this history, both in the sense of the cultural impact of these stories as well as the knowledge of how much children's lit, as art and as industry, has changed for the better because of them.

Re-read reaction: 3.5 stars

With this first book (and I suspect with the next few), I still feel the way I did before. I admire the incredibly imaginative ideas so much, but the writing isn't quite as rich or the character development isn't quite as deep/emotional as I'd like just yet. It's a pretty straightforward story, albeit one embellished with fantastic details.

But I LOVE HERMIONE GRANGER, always have, and I've heard the later books are much darker. And it's still a lovely experience to have the books read to me like a bedtime story.

My favorite parts of this book:

The mirror of Erised, owl post (pleeease may I have an owl), and the thing hidden under the turban. And:

n  It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.n

Well done, Neville. You deserved the same number of house points as the other children, in my book.

There are no words to do this book justice.

n  “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”n

This book was as enchanting as it was to 11 year old me when my sister put Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in my hands and told me I simply have to read this series.

Harry Potter meant so much to me as a kid as it did to millions of others. It was a magical world I could fall into and experience Harry's amazing adventures with him. I read them over and over and it took me many years to finally come out of my Harry Potter bubble and realize that there are other books for me to read and love as well.

I haven't done a reread since I was 16 so it has been 7 years since I've read any of the HP books.

I'm sure you all know how this story goes but bare with me as this will officially be the first time I review this book.




Harry Potter lives with his horrible aunt, uncle and cousin (the Dursleys). Forced to sleep in the small room under the staircase, he is reminded everyday of his life that he is nothing more than an ordinary boy and an inconvenience. No matter what the Dursleys say, strange and inexplicable things always seem to happen to and around Harry.



And though his uncle and aunt try to stop events from unfolding, one day a giant stranger arrives at their door to finally tell Harry the truth about who he really is and to invite him to attend the prestigious, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.



But even in the magical world Harry is not ordinary. He is the boy who lived. The boy who the dark sorcerer, Lord Voldemort, failed to kill and who's impossible survival caused Voldemort to vanish.



Life at Hogwarts is great, Harry has finally found a place he belongs. But his wonderful life at Hogwarts is disrupted when Harry and friends, Ron and Hermione, stumble upon clues to strange happenings that they simply cannot ignore. Something important is being kept safe at Hogwarts, but our trio know that it won't be safe for long and take it upon themselves to investigate and stop it from falling into evil hands.




I was a bit surprised by how short the chapters are and how fast the plot moved. As a kid it seemed so much longer, but I should have expected that now that I am a faster reader.

Yes, I've been living under a rock.

I will never ever rate this lower than 5 stars. BEAUTIFUL.

n  n

I'm 30 years old and I've finally started the Harry Potter series. I know what you're thinking- it took me long enough! I say better late than never! I remember when the first movie was released in 2001. My sister was reading the books and so was my best friend. In 2001 I was in high school, and though I loved the movie, I was reading Sylvia Plath and Wally Lamb and had no interest in the young adult genre. Now, totally different story! I'm all about reading some YA.

Since I've seen the movies, there wasn't a ton of new material in this book for me (though my I've heard that the further I get into the series, the more new material I'll come across). I enjoyed reading this one lots and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the magical Harry Potter books this year!

Rereading for the 3rd time for the group read.

Once upon a time, there was a 10th grader named Khanh who didn't get along with people very well. She wasn't an outcast in school, and all the bullying and teasing stopped with the commencement of high school, but she had always been a bookworm and has generally preferred the company of her own thoughts.



Lunchtime had always been dedicated not to eating, but to sitting in the library, browsing through books.

(Not to worry, she got her nutrition in 5th period in the form of a giant 6-inch M&M studded cookie and a package of Sour Patch Kids and/or a package of Reese's Pieces. Ah, the effortless metabolism of youth.)

One day, there were shiny new books on her school library's "New Releases" shelf. Harry Potter, books 1 through 3. She had heard of the books before, of course, since they were a constant presence on the NYT bestsellers list, but she had always avoided them, thinking of them as children's novels.

At the grand age of 14, surely she was too old for a little kid's fantasy novel. She had read the Outlander series earlier that year, after all. And it had sex in it. SEX! She didn't really quite understand everything in the book, but the point is, she had read them. Surely, at 14, Khanh was ready for more mature novels.

And that did not include Harry Potter. Harry Potter is 11. Khanh is 14. There is a vast difference in their ages. Khanh was a teenager, dammit.

But the Harry Potter books were new. Brand new. They were shiny, they had never been touched by another reader. And Khanh was tempted.

She picked up the first book in the series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

The end.

Or rather, the beginning.

“He’ll be famous, a legend, there will be books written about Harry, every child in our world will know his name!”

This line was written 1997, in the very 1st chapter of the very 1st book of a series that been rejected by many publishers. But I've talked about that before.
So let's see here, with this beautiful Illustrated Edition,

chapter by chapter, Reviewing & Analyzing -from my simple reader perspective- of the first Harry Potter book, why this line isn't exaggerating. Why this line came true..

Chapter One : THE BOY WHO LIVED

A two sides chapter..
First, It starts “Perfectly Normal,Thank You Very Much”. What's supposed to be a normal day for a very normal man, Mr. Dursley..

Mind his encounter with a peculiar Cat that won't be “shoo”-ed.
(n  -Fun Trivian; that's the only encounter between the 2 stern characters, Mr. Dursley & Professor McGonagall.-)

Mind the Owls’ hyperactivity during the day, Mind those weird men in weirdest costumes.
(-okay, in case you didn't read it before, it's October 31, 1981, he may didn't mind much because of, you know, it's Halloween day.)

Stranger things started as we move to The Other Side, with the arrival of an old Wizard to this Normal street at night.
And the Cat is a professor, a huge man in flying motorcycle, and a little boy became an orphan by an evil man's last curse.

How and why, we don't know.. But this Boy who lived that Strange thing, must now lives with his last family, at this very Normal man's.
Good luck Harry, Doorbells Dumbledore!!

A very interesting Epic beginning. A fine example of how to grab attention without confusing readers with too much strangeness and complicated peculiar, invented names as most YA novels does.
-for example the “Put-Outer” that put out the light off street lamps, has a more complicated name but it used way later in the books-

Also it's very well paced, perfectly split between Normal life and Magical one, which is the essence of the series..
..in this Breaking Dawn of URBAN FANTASY as we know it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 2 : THE VANISHING GLASS
Chapter 3 : LETTERS FROM NO ONE
Chapter 4 : THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS

n
These chapters (First Episode) are like normal, miserable drama.
The boring -with minor strange events- life of the "seems normal / yet Special" orphan boy who lives in the cupboard under the stairs at his mean relatives'. Teased by his greedy, selfish, spoiled by parents, cousin “Duddly”.


(n  -Fun Trivian; these chapters full with HUGE Easter Eggs of later books, Mrs Figg of book five/ Snakes talk of book Two “no Snakes winking though”, & did you notice the motorcycle's owner name in the 1st chapter?-)

But this drama still very funny written in a way, Aunt Petunia stern acts and expressions for Harry, Harry’s wet responses, Uncle Vernon’s spoilings for Dudley.. It's really full of wet, funny unforgettable lines.

And these letters that came to Harry when he turns 11, well, changed everything.

(-Fun Trivia; Urban Myth that Uncle Vernon believed in; Witches & Wizards can't cross the water.. well, how wrong that can be!-)

And this episode ends with the big Revelation;

And the pretty Normal life is going to change forever for Harry, Thank you..very much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 5 : DIAGON ALLEY
Chapter 6 : THE JOURNEY FROM PLATFORM NINE AND THREE-QUARTERS

Now you know pretty enough of the Harry Potter back story, the dark vanquished wizard. and why everyone in this community were celebrating 10 years ago ‘the 1st chapter’, and why Harry Potter is famous.

So Here, bit by bit you step into this Magical, Unique world.
Cleverly, interestingly, this world is revealed to you, slowly as if told to 11 years old boy who has no clue of it.
This WIZARDING WORLD , is no Normal at all, thank you very much. It's huge realm and community, yet cleverly hidden in our own Normal world.

It'll give you Wonder and Fascination from how to reach it, till being part of it.

And as Harry learns about it, he will also meet these diversity of characters, specifically this amazing family, The Weasley’s.

Yeah,this last line makes you feel that the author joining you the fun herself. It's hard to miss the fun sarcastic tone.

And, Now you see, Harry first lesson before getting to this Strange School is this ;
Wizards and Witches are pretty Normal.. the same as you and me, everyone has the good and bad.. just what you choose to be is what define who you are.


(-Fun Trivia; there's many Easter Eggs in the small details “like Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog information, which is vital this book, last book and even the next series” also for later books “like the silly Rat spell that won't work on The Rat”-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 7 : THE SORTING HAT
Chapter 8 : THE POTIONS MASTER
Chapter 9 : THE MIDNIGHT DUEL

n
Now, amidst the Strangeness of the Wizarding World.. the humans there are so true and real. Hence all the situations are true and realistic..

These first 3 chapters at Hogwarts gave me a strong Nostalgia to my first days of almost every school, the college even workplaces.

Harry is 11 and his past Normal life didn’t prepare him to Hogwarts, this magnificent Fantastic Magical School. So the author's lingering on how Harry feels, even how every first year students acts in totally perfect way, and funny too.

No matter how was your experience, you will re-live it but in this Magical atmosphere..
Even you might feel you have acquaintances, colleagues or friends like one of those Harry Potter's characters in one point or another,

There's always this simple true friendly type “Ron”,


eager ambitious knows-it-all “Hermione”,


smug bully Peacock “Draco”,


always lost and confused “Neville”,

funny troublemakers “George and Fred”,

authority lover “Percy”,

this older "pet lover" who knew one of your relatives and being so kind to you as an uncle “Hagrid”,


this older guy you feel he hates you for no reason at all “Snape”,


this stern, all powerful yet super kind older woman “McGonagall”,


and you don't meet the Headmaster ‘or the Boss’ pretty often when it's your first year..but he may be like a Godfather to you later “Dumbledore”.


These chapters of the first weeks, first encounters with different so real, so human characters, first lessons, all are pretty remarkable and nostalgic.
Unforgettable lines; The Potion Master greeting Harry.

And very funny; Harry confusion about Midnight Duel with Malfoy.

And Hermione classic that the Movie Trailer made it even cinematic classic that many has been copying since.

(-Fun Trivia; Argus Filch.. his first name in Greek myth is to a guard with hundreds of eyes all over his body to see everywhere. Well, Argus alone-with a cat- watches the whole vast buildings and hallways of Hogwarts..and you really can't escape him.
There's also this theory about Snape’s first 3 questions to Harry is all related to the love of his life!!.-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 10 : HALLOWEEN
Chapter 11 : QUIDDITCH
Chapter 12 : THE MIRROR OF ERISED

n
Now, first half of the book is over -that fast?!!-, the second half has been brewing slowly since early first half..
Remember there's some small package in Ch.5, you read something about a failed stealing attempt in Ch.8, then suspecting it might be the school's heavily guarded item in ch.9.
With pure chances our Harry Potter witnessed it all so far.
Now, also by chances, Harry start to suspect someone trying to steal it, from the school.

It all start with a sequence of events that may some of it give you Nostalgia, like having annoying knows-it-all colleague.

Well, then, one thing after another,

And we have a Trio ;

I want to be back in school already.Told you, it's perfect blending Between Normal, and Magic.


And with this Troll accident, this Trio start suspecting the safety of whatever in the package at the third floor.
In a Agatha Christie Mystery style, Investigations starts in Magic School,

While playing Magical Sport that once you read its rules -twice-, you'll wish to play it,

even if against the worst team ever, Slytherin.


And While staying at school during Christmas, this intimate atmosphere, The Blessing of having wonderful friends who like a new family to you..

even having family however they might be, but they're still your blood.. (as we’ll discuss that in later parts.)


And above all, if we miss someone, the importance of Not “Dwelling” in the past,

as Dumbledore said…


(-Fun Trivia;; The Mirror of Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.-)

And back to the plot.. Harry is not only investigate the safety of the parcel, or why Snape -Harry’s main and only suspect- wants to steal it ; the Trio also investigate the second owner of the parcel; He-who-next-Chapter-is-named-after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 13 : NICOLAS FLAMEL
Chapter 14 : NORBERT THE NORWEGIAN RIDGEBACK
Chapter 15 : THE FORBIDDEN FOREST

n
With this Magical Urban Fantasy Novel, comes a minor element of Real Historical figure and real life myth. Nicolas Flamel, and His Philosopher’s Stone.

(-Fun Trivia; And this is “The One when every child in our world knows about the Philosopher's Stone” -expect in America. They insisted that it's just Sorcerer’s Stone.)

That's may be one great aspect of mixing this Fantastical Fictional World with our Real Not-Normal Life, Flamel is a real life Alchemist, that mix of Chemistry and Magic.
That's what makes Harry Potter a fine example of Urban Fantasy.

And in these 3 Chapters the investigations get more tense, with some events that put it in halt like, bad Quidditch referee.

Or Hagrid’s Dangerous, forbidden Hobbies.

-well, that's rich-


Which get them- as Flich would say -“in trouble”, A detention in the forbidden forest, meeting the Centaurs and their mystic creepy speakings of how “Mars was Bright that night”.


And finally there -which happens again by mere chance-, they will learn the real reason of the whole fuss around the parcel, The Philosopher’s Stone and who is behind the attempts to steal it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

n

Chapter 16 : THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR
Chapter 17 : THE MAN WITH TWO FACES

n
So now the perfect well structured Mystery and investigations, and the cleverly paced School year comes to an end.
Right after the fast “nostalgic too” summing up of the Exams days, which was so realistic,

So Classic,

And then, the plan is On after the exam. For the big Action of this Magical enchanting plot of the first book ; and with all the tension there, the spontaneous, natural, fun lines between the friends never ceased.

Even in the hardest parts can makes you smile.


This amazing ultimate real meaning of friends completing one another.

That’s what can really help in facing Evil.. and not fearing death.. And choose well,

As Professor Dumbledore’s wise talk;

And Love, and being Loved is the strongest power of all to face anything.


So it was story of Love, Friendship, Family and Bravery.


A perfect conclusion for a Perfect First Book in Unforgettable Breaking Point in modern Fantasy, Young Adult Novels. And in novels History generally.

A story that touched me personally, and may touched so many.. felt so connected to those amazing realistic characters..

And as the investigations part ends finally, it was moment for Truth.

-that may remind you with Agatha’s Poirot Quote ; “The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it.”

So, we still won't have the full answers we seek and have in our mind such as;
If this is a great story, Why would a Man even so evil as Voldemort would be that keen to kill baby Harry that much in the first place?
Will he return? Will it be convenience one?

Well, in later books you'll see that everything is connected, mostly -NOT TOTALLY-planned from the beginning.


Well… if you still think this is an overrated Book Series..and doubt the accuracy of this first line, then you're seriously have some Uncle Vernon Dursley blood in you.

But cheers, you are Perfectly Normal,Thank You Very Much.

Mohammed Arabey

First Read : Sep. 2002

Illustrated Ed. Read : from 11 Nov 2015
To 27 Nov 2015

Full review of book one written in Nov. 2016

n

Stuck at home? Got some time on your hands? Want to start a long series? But you don't want a dud?

Check out thisn   booktube videon all about which series are worth your time (and which ones aren't)!

n  Here's the Written Review!n


Can you hear me screaming?

As expected, the illustrations brought this book to a whole new level. I legitimately want to buy another copy, solely to take it apart and frame it.

Each page is just bursting with new life. Honestly, how could you not love such beautiful images?


Hogwarts, Hogwarts. Hoggy Hoggy warty warts.

I think at this point, everyone and their great-great-grandmother has heard of this book.

Harry Potter, orphaned before he was one, was sent to live with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. He was always a bit of an odd child - much to his family's dismay.

Things just... happened ...around him. Like when he was running from bullies and jumped to the school roof. Or when he got an atrocious haircut (courtesy of Aunt Petunia) and all of his hair grew back in a single night.

On his eleventh birthday, a letter comes to him and a whole new world opens in front of his eyes.

In short - I LOVED THIS ONE. I thought I loved the Harry Potter books when I first read them, but when I bought the illustrated version...well, that love instantly quadrupled.

The fully illustrated Philosopher's Stone still has all the wonder and amazement as the boy-turned-wizard embarks on a harrowing 7-book-adventure and the illustrations bring a whole new dimension.

Seriously, I can't emphasize enough how much I love this book. Just look at these images - they're magnificent:


Ahh! Just look at sad, tiny Harry. Don't worry kid - life will get better!

Not only are these full-color, high quality images but there are so many of them.

Often, illustrated books have a picture here or there but not HP. There's pages and pages of pictures like this - and often the pages without full-sized images will have a small illustrations here and there between the large ones.

Words cannot express how highly I recommend this one. If you haven't read HP recently...I strongly urge you to check out this book.

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This book was okay. I didn't hate it or love it either way, though towards the end I realized how lukewarm I felt about the story since I would prefer to read any other book I had on hand. I appreciate the level of novelty in the world-building during the time this was first published. The friendship between the trio is cute. Hermione and Ron are fun characters and I might have enjoyed the book more if they had been the main protagonists. Downsides: I cringed at the excessive fatphobia, anti-semitism, and the turban part. I also didn't like that the final action of the book got skipped over quickly by having a fade-to-black moment and then a lengthy explanation told by one of the side characters. It felt like such an abrupt way to end the story... but TBH, I was glad to be done with it so I could move on to other books lol.