Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Philosopher's Stone)
By J.K. Rowling
Book
This is another one that turned from a summary/review to a full synopsis.
Harry Potter changed the reading world. It created a love for reading in a whole new generation of readers. The imagination put into the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling is amazing.
Harry is an 11 year-old boy who was orphaned at a young age and sent to live with his aunt and uncle. We know from the beginning that Harry is special. Magic surrounds him from cat who changes into a woman, to a man who can turn out streetlights with the flick of a switch.
We also find out that Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin are not the nicest of people. Harry is left on their doorstep with a letter. They are the only family he has.
In the next chapter ten years have passed. Harry has been treated like a second class citizen by his foster family. He is even forced to live in a cupboard under the stairs.
Things start changing for Harry. At a trip to the zoo, the glass seems to disappear causing his cousin to become trapped in a snake cage. The python is able to converse with Harry much to his surprise.
Harry begins recieving letters. Mr. Dursley throws them all away and refuses to let Harry read them. But they keep coming no matter what Mr. Dursley does. Everyone thinks he has gone mad. Mr. Dursley drives them all over, but the letters keep coming.
Finally he takes them to a remote island cabin. They start to settle down to sleep only to be awakened by a monstously huge man, Rubeus Hagrid. He hand delivers Harry his letter and wishes him a happy birthday.
Hagrid tells Harry the truth about his past. His parents hadn't been killed in a car crash as he had always been told. They were wizards and were killed by a horribly and powerful wizard called Voldemort. He had tried to kill Harry, but for some reason, Harry survives and Voldemort disappears.
Hagrid takes Harry to his new life, a life of wizardry and magic.
Harry meets his soon to be best friend Ron Weasley on the Hogwarts Express, the train to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry takes an immediate dislike to one of his teachers, Professor Snape. The Professor doesn't seem to like Harry much either.
Harry is introduced to the world of Quidditch, a game played on broomsticks, when it is discovered he has a talent for flying quickly. He becomes the Griffindor team Seeker.
Some odd things begin happening at Hogwarts. A troll gets in and nearly kills Hermione, a very 'know-it-all' girl who Harry and Ron have been annoyed with. They go to rescue her and the three of them conquer the troll. They become instant best friends.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron, learn from a slip-up by Hagrid that the three-headed dog they encounter is hiding something. The dog is Hagrid's pet named Fluffy. Hagrid has acquired a dragon's egg which he recieved as a trade in a pub with a cloaked stranger. The three friends know something wasn't right about the trade, but Hargid doesn't realize his blunder. He had been talking to the stranger about Fluffy and the only way to tame him is to play him music.
Hagrids dragon hatches, but his joy is short-lived as they discover Draco Malfoy, Harry's nemesis, peeking in Hagrids window. Draco runs off to tell on the foursome.
The friends are sentenced to detention with Hagrid in the forest along with Draco. Here Harry spots a cloaked monster feeding off a dying unicorn. The creature lunges for Harry, but Harry is saved by one of the centaurs living in the forest.
Hagrid had also let the name Nicholas Flamel, slip in the conversation with the friends. They are determined to find out more about Nicholas Flammel and what he and Professor Dumbledore were hiding. They are convinced that Professor Snape is trying to get at whatever that item is.
Finally they deduce that the item that must be in hiding is the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone if you are anywhere but America......Side note here, I cannot believe that publishers really thought that Americans were so dumb that the changing of the word Philosopher to Sorcerer would sell more books.) The threesome decide to go after the stone.
They go to the room where Fluffy was hiding and find that someone has enchanted a harp to play music and Fluffy is sleeping soundly. They think that Professor Snape has already been there and they need to catch up. While they are contemplating this, Fluffy wakes up. The three jump through the trap door and land in a plant-like substance.
The plant-like substance turns out to be Devil's Snare. The more you fight with it, the quicker it strangles you. Thank goodness to the boys that Hermione pays attention in Herbology and remembers that you need to relax to get out of Devil's Snare. Harry and Hermione slip through, but Ron can't relax. Hermione also remembers that Devil's Snare dislikes light and sends a beam of light at it releasing Ron.
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