Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

Summary and Reviews of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

1st Published in UK as Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone

by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Sep 1, 1998, 309 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Sep 1999, 312 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Book Summary

Harry hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years - but all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives with an invitation to an incredible place.

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry ­ and anyone who reads about him - will find unforgettable.

For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

Chapter Two
The Vanishing Glass

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets - but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.

Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at ...

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Reviews

Media Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Michael Winerip
A wonderful first novel....Harry is destined for greatness. Much like Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling has a gift for keeping the emotions, fears and triumphs of her characters on a human scale, even while the supernatural is popping out all over.

The New York Times Book Review - Michael Winerip
A wonderful first novel....Harry is destined for greatness. Much like Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling has a gift for keeping the emotions, fears and triumphs of her characters on a human scale, even while the supernatural is popping out all over.

Newsweek
The true hero of this summer's reading season is likely to be Harry Potter.

Newsweek
The true hero of this summer's reading season is likely to be Harry Potter.

USA Today
You don't have to be a wizard or a kid to appreciate the spell cast by Harry Potter.

USA Today
You don't have to be a wizard or a kid to appreciate the spell cast by Harry Potter.

Publisher's Weekly
Readers are in for a delightful romp with this award-winning debut from a British author who dances in the footsteps of P.L. Travers and Roald Dahl.

Reader Reviews

Logan Weilert

I LOVED Harry Potter
I liked Harry Potter. You should read it.
Auds

Absolutely thrilling and magical!!!
This story is about Harry Potter, a normal 11 year-old boy, who lives with his aunt’s family on 4 Privet Drive. He is mistreated horribly by her son, Dudley, along with everybody else. Harry thinks that his life will always be the same, that he will ...   Read More
Belle

Harry Potter
I've probably read this 100 times but I never get tired of it!
Patrick

The sorcerers stone
Amazing, amazing, amazing!

Write your own review!

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

If you liked Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, try these:

We have 8 read-alikes for Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member.
More books by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling
Search read-alikes
How we choose read-alikes
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Our Evenings
    Our Evenings
    by Alan Hollinghurst
    Alan Hollinghurst's novel Our Evenings is the fictional autobiography of Dave Win, a British ...
  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..