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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


A young boy named Harry thinks his life is completely normal, until he finds out he's going to be one of the most heroic wizards of all time. Harry Potter, an eleven year old boy with a mysterious scar on his forehead, lives in his neglectful aunt and uncles cupboard. His cousin Dudley isn't too nice to him either. Harry has a pretty normal life, but oddly enough, peculiar things happen to him. Things that cannot quite be explained with logic. And finally one day, he finds out why. Harry Potter is a wizard and got a letter in the mail inviting him to attend Hogwarts...school of witchcraft and wizardry.
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Even those his relatives are skeptical and cynical about the whole situation, the gatekeeper of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid insists that Harry attends this school. When he takes Harry into the wizarding world, everyone knows who Harry is and he doesn't understand why. Little does he know...he is the chosen one. He is the boy who lived.

Hagrid explains who Harry is in this world. How Harry was the only person to survive Voldemort as a child; how Voldemort killed his parents and his mothers love saved him. That's why he has that scar on his forehead. When Harry gets to Hogwarts, he meets all of his friends and gets sorted into Gryffindor: the house of the brave. He meets his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and they become a group of a bunch of misfits.

They go to their classes just like every other Hogwarts student. Yet the thing that makes them different is they are always getting themselves into trouble. From three-headed dogs, trolls, to evil teachers, and forbidden forests, these kids beat it all with their intellect, bravery and loyalty to one another.
Best part of story, including ending: I really liked this story because of the character Severus Snape. He would be considered a tragic hero, and has such mystery to him. He is merely introduced in this book, but you always want to know who he really is.

Best scene in story: There is a scene where everyone goes home for Christmas and Harry and Ron stayed at Hogwarts. The imagery in this scene is beautiful. The big trees dusted with snow, the light music in the background, the cozy maroon sweaters and so much more. I really got the sense of home while reading this part.

Opinion about the main character: I like how Harry is willing to accept everything that comes his way. He always stays true to himself, regardless of what anyone else says to him. He may be the chosen one, but he doesn't let that power go to his head.

The review of this Book prepared by Maria a Level 1 Blue Jay scholar

   Harry Potter was not a very normal boy, for one, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs, and the other, was because it was his aunt's and uncle's stairs. His parents had died in a so-called "car accident", or at least that's what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon tells him. Strange things are always happening in their household, especially things involving his aunt and uncle'spoiled son, Dudley. But then one summer, everything changes with one letter.
   After many attempts to give Harry a letter from an unknown person, he finally gets it on his 11th birthday, precisely. A giant enters their small hiding shack in the middle of the ocean, and delivers the letter to Harry.
   Harry finds out that he's really a wizard, and his parents were killed by a very bad wizard named Voldemort. His parents tried to protect Harry (this was when he was still a baby), but got killed in the attempt. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, the spell rebounded onto Voldemort.
   After learning his real story,he goes to Hogwarts, where he finds 2 loyal friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. But he also makes an enemy, Draco Malfoy from Slytherin who continuosly tries to plunge Harry into trouble.
   Then the 3 friends learn of trouble, somebody is trying to steal the Sorcer's Stone in Hogwarts. When they go after him, they work together and succeed in saving it.
The review of this Book prepared by Mona Xia




Harry is staying with his Aunt and Uncle who do not treat him well. His cousin Dudley is a spoiled brat and treats him badly as well. One of Harry's happiest moments is on his birthday when he gets a visit from a very large scary looking man who tells him he is a wizard and is taking him to Hogwarts where he will learn the art of being a wizard. It is at school that Harry learns the true meaning of the scar on his forehead and the tragic truth behind the death of his mother and father. Harry will also come face to face with the one responsible for their deaths.
The review of this Book prepared by Sherrie L. Jones




Harry Potter finds release from his awful Aunty and Uncle when, on his eleventh birthday, he receives his invitation to join Hogwarts- the academy for young wizards. He discovers a hidden side to his miserable history, his dead parents were actually famous wizards who were killed by the evil Lord Voldemort and Harry himself is the only "person" ever to have defeated him; and when he was only a baby!   This book covers the first year at Hogwarts where, once again, Harry faces a great evil.
The review of this Book prepared by Sue Jeffrey




Set in a semi-fictitious England, the story chronicles the adventures of Harry Potter, wizard-in-training. Following the death of his parents, an infant Harry is left in the care of his aunt and uncle, two of the world's most devout Muggles (non magic-users). Despised by his adoptive family, Harry grows to adolescence in the cupboard under the stairs, completely ignorant of his parents'–and his own–magical abilities.

On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Harry's life changes forever. Despite a near-heroic effort on the part of his uncle, Harry not only discovers his magical heritage but also learns that he has been accepted into Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Happy–perhaps for the first time in his life–Harry bids goodbye to number four Privet Drive and makes his way to Hogwart's.

Once there, Harry finds himself in a an exciting world, a world vastly different from the one he knew. He quickly makes friends–the redheaded Ron Weasley and his mischievous brothers, the bookish Hermione Granger, and Hogwart's giant groundskeeper Hagrid–but also finds an enemy in the young Draco Malfoy.

But life at Hogwarts in not all studies and fun for Harry. Strange things begin to happen, and Harry finds himself caught in the middle of them. Aided by his two closest friends, Harry investigates the mysterious events going on at Hogwart's, unaware that they will reunite him with a figure from his past.
The review of this Book prepared by Bret M. Funk




Young Harry Potter finds out he's a wizard and that his parents were killed by an evil sorcerer. Knowing this he goes to learn magic so that he can destroy the evil causing all this trauma.
The review of this Book prepared by Lissy




Harry Potter finds out that living with normal people is not what he is supposed to do. He is a wizard, just like his parents. However, his parents were killed by Lord Voldemort...an evil wizard who is out to kill Harry. At Hogwart's, the school of witchcraft and wizardry, Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermoine, are out to find the Sorcerer's Stone before Lord Voldemort does.
The review of this Book prepared by Rebecca




A normal boy named Harry Potter is, at the age of eleven told he's a wizard. At Hogwarts, the wizard school, He and his friends must find a magical artifact- the Philosphers stone, before an evil power ever finds it and enslaves humanity! All the while his arch rival Draco Malfoy tries to ruin Harry's plans, not realising what's at stake.
The review of this Book prepared by Jimmy




Harry Potter believes his is a normal boy. He lives with his aunt, uncle, and their son, who all treat him fairly badly. On his eleventh birthday he discovers he's a wizard. He goes to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he not only learns magic but has to somehow stop Voldemort, the man who killed Harry's parents, from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone.
The review of this Book prepared by Melissa Cookson




Harry Potter, orphaned when he was a mere babe and surrounded by strange occurrences, is unaware that he's a special child, the offspring of two wizards. He lives with his Muggle (non-magical) uncle, aunt and their spoiled son, who abuse him because of his aunt's extreme jealousy of her sister. Then he gets an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; but even though he's amongst his own kind Harry's life is still far from easy. He must face an old enemy who tried to take his life once and succeeded in ending his parents' lives. The fame of his surviving that first encounter creates an atmosphere of both admiration and prejudice. Harry struggles to find himself in all this.


The review of this Book prepared by Kelly Steed




Yound Harry Potter grew up not knowing that he has magical powers. When he learns that, he goes to the school of wizardry and witchcraft where he faces the wizard who killed his parents.
The review of this Book prepared by irina




In this book a boy named Harry Potter discovers that he is a wizard. He gets to go to Hogwarts(a school of witchcraft and wizardry). There he discovers that an evil wizard named Voldemort killed his parents when he was a baby. Voldemort is after Harry now. Will Harry survive again? You have to read this book.
The review of this Book prepared by Danielle Rieckhoff




Harry Potter beat one of the greatest magicians of all time, losing his parents in the process, without any recollection of it for many years. He has now been accepted to a school of wizardry he had never heard of with many adventures waiting for him.
The review of this Book prepared by Aline




Harry Potter has grown up in the home of his horrible relatives, the Dursely's. On his 11th birthday, he finds out that he is actually a mage, that his parents were killed by an evil wizard, and that Hogwart's school for witches and wizards is expecting him. Harry goes on to oncover a plot to steal a magical item, and with his friends Hermione and Ron, sets out to thwart the evil do-er.
The review of this Book prepared by Bryn Pearson




Harry Potter, aged eleven and an unlikely hero, goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to become the wizard he is destined to be. His harsh upbringing amongst the anti-magical Muggles (ordinary people like us) predisposes him to some emotional difficulties, but that is all part of growing up. The evil lord Voldemort is out to get him - almost destroyed by his first abortive attempt, will it be second time lucky? No. Not original in plot, character, or uplifting themes the attraction lies in the fact that it is new and has some whimisical ideas and puns, all liberally basted with 'magic'.
The review of this Book prepared by Michael JR Jose




Harry Potter has always lived with his relatives, who utterly despise him, because his parents are dead. On his eleventh birthday, he is surprised to discover that his parents were magicians, and so is he - and he's slated to go to Hogwarts, the British school of magic. It doesn't take much time before he discovers that an evil magician, Lord Voldemort, killed his parents - and could be returning for Harry. Probably only people on other planets haven't read this book, but it's nearly as good as the hype says it is, which is saying a lot.
The review of this Book prepared by Ivy




The debut of the phenomenal "children's" series about an English boy who, on his eleventh birthday, discovers his parents were wizards killed when he was one, and that he is destined to attend Hogwarts School and become a great wizard (although it's a seven-year course and the events of each year will take a separate book to relate). The characters are various and imaginative, the plot suitably gripping, and there is plenty of humor -- broad for kids and a few subtle things for older readers. You'll learn about a wizard sport called Quidditch, and some of the odd magical creatures that supposedly operate under the noses of Muggles (regular, un-magical folks like you and me). Read it to your kids ... or to your spouse, as I did.
The review of this Book prepared by David Loftus



Chapter Analysis of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence 24.7%planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 31.2%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 25.3%Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places 18.8% Tone of book    -   very upbeat FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?    -   part earth & part fantasy world Coming of age    -   Yes Youngster becomes    -   a powerful magician Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Kid's book (ages 7-14)

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   student    -   mage/magician Age:    -   a kid If magical mental powers:    -   can cast many different spells

Setting

Terrain    -   Forests Earth setting:    -   20th century    -   current (early 21st century) Takes place on Earth?    -   Yes

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   generic/vague references to death/punishment How much dialogue?    -   roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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J.K. Rowling Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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