Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a cloak of invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. 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 that is about change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter (Goodreads)

My Thought

If you have not read this book, you might not want to read my review. It contains some spoiler. But hey, seriously, how come you have not read Harry Potter?

Re-reading a book is something that I rarely do but when I do, I just want to check my favorite lines. Besides, with those piles of book in my shelves, there is not much time left. Another reason is re-reading one particular book just changes my previous opinions. Sometimes there is book that gets out of my favorite shelf just because it is not as great as it used to be.  Surprisingly, it does not happen to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. I found that each chapter was still amazing. They made me feel I have never read it.  The story line becomes clearer even into details. But then, some part of me said I should not be that excited. Although I have read the book for the third times and watched the movie for thousand times, there’s still a chance that I might have forgot how the story run with its details. In the middle I admitted it, especially when they mentioned Nicholas Flamel.  It totally slipped my mind. But still I just can’t help it. All moment that I spent with this book was really great. 

Let check the first few chapters, I noticed that Professor McGonagall still use the term “You-Know-Who”. While Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts thought it was nonsense. He insisted that she should have not used those words to call Voldemort. It was so funny to see how Uncle Vernon tried to hide all Hogwarts Letter till he did something that out of his track. I could not help myself giggling when I read about the pig tail that was caused of Hagrid’s wand. The first Hogwarts’ student whom Harry met in Diagon Alley also became something that I covered. He was already that snob since the first book. 

All chapters about Hogwarts was also become my favorites. I still want to go there and be a part of them. Every corner and its description was so amazing, from the movement of the stairs till the Hall and the food. However I have seen them in the movie, what I keep in my mind completely different and it does not change. It is not hard to get picture all those delicious food. But there are some chunks of them that I could not separate from the movie. Let say the chapter that brought me to sorting hat. The entire lesson and the detail were also included. The situation when Harry was in his first Potions lesson with Snape as the teacher. The “Wingardium Leviosa” scene was absolutely irreplaceable. The wizard chess never failed to dig my curiosity. Every time the book told me about The Quidditch game, what I saw was the scenes from the movie.  

Talk about the characters, I found many things changed my thought. For Harry himself, he was not that innocent  boy as I remembered and what they showed me on the motion picture. I just realized it when I read his thought about one silly plan for Dudley. Hermione was also under my radar. It was so cute to see how stiff she was. I know what happened next to her, but I still felt that the changing in her was a big relief. 

Although they just got small parts in the book, I enjoyed all the silly words from Fred and George, the twins. Hagrid was also the one that made me smile because of his words.

“Yeh don’ know what yeh are?”

It amused me. From the man who called himself as the Keeper of Key at Hogwarts, I just realized one important line which related to Snape. All of you who have read this book really know in the beginning he was really suspicious. But no matter what Harry and his friends said, he still believed that Snape did not involve in any incidents. Unfortunately, I missed it in the first place.  It took five books to realize he’s not guilty. I almost forgot to mention Oliver Wood. If I did not open the first book of this series, I would forget him. 

Last but not least, after all this time; I finally can conclude what Hedwig, Scrabbers and Trevor are. However in the book it just revealed them as pet, but for me, just like what in the another book called, they are familiar. J.K. Rowling did not forget about the important stuff that wizards and witches should have. 

As the last words, what I can say is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s stone is a book with a great adventure. J.K Rowling wrote a fantastic read. Everybody in any range of age should read this book at least once. I myself plan to read it again, three or four years from now. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J.K Rowling

Publisher:  Scholastic, first edition,September 8th,1999

Edition Languange: English 

Paperback: 312 pages

ps: Thanks to Melisa at Surga Buku who has hosted this Harry Potter reading event. I did have a great time with the book.  

pss: I read this book also for my 2013 Fantasy  Reading Challenge, 2013 Books in English Reading Challenge, and 2013 What's in a Name Challenge.