Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1). J. K. Rowling. Arthur A. Levine Books (1997). 309 pages. Genre:  Children's Literature, Fantasy. 

First Line: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

Summary:  After his parents were killed in a car crash, Harry went to live with his aunt, uncle and cousin.  Mr. and Mrs. Dursley didn't approve of his parents' 'kind of people', so they try their best to ignore Harry.  They do feed him, but mostly he stays under the stairs.  One day Harry receives a letter that changes his life.  He has been accepted into Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  

When Harry arrives at Hogwart's, he finds that many teachers and children know who he is.  He has only recently discovered the truth about his parents and how they really died.  They were killed by the evil Voldemort, who also tried to kill Harry and left him with a scar. This made him a legend in the world of wizards and witches.   Nobody knows what happened to Voldemort.  As Harry traverses his first year at Hogwart's, he discovers there is still evil at work.  

My thoughts:  Harry Potter is a very relatable character.  When living with the Dursely's he is neglected and unappreciated, but he realizes there is not a lot he can do about it so tries to make the best of it. When he finally gets to Hogwart's he has to stand on his own two feet.  Even though he is a legend, he is not given special treatment.  He is expected to follow the same rules as everyone else.  But, at times he chooses not the follow the rules and there are consequences.  I appreciated that Harry was always willing to accept those consequences.  There were a couple of other characters who were always trying to get away with something and felt entitled.  They were definitely unlikeable.  

This was a great story with themes of good vs. evil, overcoming obstacles, kindness, things are not always what they seem, and found family.  

I decided to read this thinking I had never read it before.  But when I went to enter it into Goodreads, I saw that I had read it in 2014.  Some of it was familiar, but it felt like I was reading it for the first time.  I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I am looking forward to reading more in the series.