Harry Potter and and the Philosopher's (Sorcerer's) Stone

A review featuring Bit (Bibliophile in Training), age 6

There are tons of HP reviews out there I know, but I have one excited little girl who has just finished her first journey to Hogwarts and back so we are adding another one. The Harry Potter books have been drawing Bit to their shelf like a lodestone since she was about three. By the time she was four she knew how to put them all back in the correct order she had spent so much time with them. She was understandably thrilled when I told her we could finally read the first two (but only the first two). I was a little concerned she had built them up in her mind so much she might be disappointed, but that wasn't a problem. At all.

The Story
(Included as a matter of form as you shouldn't need to read this part unless you've been held prisoner in a cave for the past decade and more.)

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 tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all of 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.

Bits Thoughts
I LOVE the entire book. Some of the parts were sort of creepy but I still loved it. I like Harry Potter because it's funny, magical and different. I like Harry's best friends, Ron and Hermione. Hermione is my favorite. I think Hogwarts is pretty cool. I wish I could have a magical wand and go to Hogwarts too. I think it's surprising that Hogwarts is so big that they get lost in it. I thought it was funny when all the letters poured into the house. I have lots of favorite parts. I even got to watch the movie! If you read it, I hope you enjoy it too.

My Thoughts
It has been a long time since I've read The Sorcerer's Stone for the sake of just reading it and not as the first step on the way to The Deathly Hallows. I had forgotten how wonderful it really was as its own story. And I had forgotten how wonderful the first time experiencing the magic of it was. Watching Bit's reactions was the best part of this rereading.

Comments

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