Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (Book 1) Bloomsbury ( 30 June, 1997 ) Book Our Price : £ 4.79 List Price : £ 5.99 You save £1.2 (20% off) Prices subject to change. usually dispatched within 24 hours.

Spellbinding

Im a seventeen year-old A-level English student. And Im reading Harry Potter. Wait, theres more. Im enjoying it. Ill admit, I picked up a copy wondering only what the hype was all really about, wondering what all the fuss was for. Expecting to read only a chapter or two before I let my little brother get his hands on it, I set to one Friday night as I went to bed. And lo and behold, I fell asleep with it in my hands. Ive never done that with a book before. The Harry Potter phenomenon is not so much Rowlings popularity with her youngest audience, but the mass appeal her books have to the elder too. Now, while I may be only seventeen, your average seventeen year-old does not, as a rule, read Harry Potter. So exactly what is it about these books that make them so readable? I could start perhaps by drivelling on about the plot, how Rowling manages to keep you on the wrong track right up to the end by showing you exactly what you want to see, what you expect... and by being incredibly clever. She links back in her later books, and you- like Harry- do not see the significance until it is right on top of you. As the twists unfurl, you say Oh! I didnt spot that, but it was so obvious! The benefit of 20/20 hindsight. :) The language remains complex enough to hold an older reader, albeit the child-like terms employed can often be cringed at, yet simple enough for children to understand. All in all I would highly recommend this to anyone, especially the sort of people who wouldnt want to be seen dead with a copy, because once theyve given it a chance, I for one can vouch for their transformation. (Hey, it worked on me and Im a hardened cynic... )

The Harry Potter Books are just fantastic!

Last year, having heard so much about this Harry Potter character on the TV and in the newspapers, I went out and bought JK Rowlings first book,Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. I was hooked immediately! I have always enjoyed reading, but never have I been so taken in by a book before. I quickly bought Harrys marvellous sequels, The Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, and I just cant wait for the release of the fourth book in July. The characters, and even Hogwarts School itself, are just so totally believable - Rowling has a wonderful gift of immersing you completely in her work, giving you that adrenalin rush in all the exciting and tense parts of the books. Harrys books are 100% interactive - you find yourself smiling, frowning, being surprised, and may be even shedding a tear, with the characters as you read their breath-taking adventures. Words cannot describe how wonderful the Harry Potter books are! Well done JK Rowling! I am a secondary school teacher, and so this year I thought Id share Harry Potter with my Year 8 Literacy group. They, too, have been hooked - they even asked, yes asked (without being forced!)to read the second book after finishing the first one last term. This is a great achievement and reveals the true magic of Harry Potter - He makes people WANT to read. I have raved about the books to my colleagues as well, and I know of a few who have read the books and thoroughly enjoyed them. Thanks again JK Rowling - keep up the good work. A big Harry Potter fan!

A terrific beginning

This book is a great beginning to the most magical series out there. After learning on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard, his parents were killed by the evil Lord Voldemort and that he is the sole survivor of a curse which killed many full grown wizards, Harry Potter leaves his Aunt and Uncles house and starts his studing at Hogarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On meeting Ron Weasley, Hagrid and Hermione Granger Harry begins to settle down in the school and deal with the fact that every Wizard knows who he is. His friendship with Ron and Hermione allows Harry to, for the first time in his life, experience true friendship, and on discovering the existance of the Philosophers Stone, also allows Harry to proceed to its rescue when it becomes clear that someone is out to steal it to use its astonishing powers of immortality. Of course what would a bording school be without an enemy with whom Harry can fight, enter Draco Malfoy who, as well as challenging Harry to a duel also shows Harry the existance of dark wizards who despise him. Yet surprisingly, despite all the clues being there, the true enemy in this book is very hard to find and in the end Harry must, for the first time fight against those who would see the Wizard World under the domination of Lord Voldemort again and see above all Harry dead. This book is a terrific start of Harrys adventures, it introduces the readers to the magical world and is simply a great story full of magic fun and laughs with at the end some serious lessons which are learnt, all of which combine to make a well rounded book which keeps you entertained and guessing all the way to the end.