Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. A book that transforms kids into readers.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone By J. K. Rowling.

So much has been written about Harry Potter…I figure it’s my turn.

(Note: The title was changed to Sorcerer’s Stone for American consumption, it being figured we were collectively too stupid to recognize the term “Philosopher’s Stone.” I have somewhat more faith in the American reading public, and use the title the author gave it.)

The Plot
Harry Potter is a ten year old boy who lives with his aunt and uncle and cousin in Little Whinging, Surrey. He is not wanted; this is made abundantly clear to him every day of his life. His chamber is the cupboard under the stairs. He wears his cousin’s obese handmedowns on his skinny frame. He is told a thousand times a day, and in a thousand ways, that he is an immense burden to his aunt and uncle.

Harry’s life changes when he turns eleven. He receives a letter, announcing that he has been accepted to Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite his Aunt Petunia’s and Uncle Vernon’s best efforts, Harry is inducted in to the magical world.

This world exists along side the mundane muggle world, rendered unnoticeable by magic. In the care of Rubeus Hagrid, Harry is taken to obtain the things he will need to be a wizard, including a magic wand.

Harry learns he is not only a member of the wizarding world, he is a celebrity. Several years back, a dark Wizard called Lord Voldemort was making a bid to take over the wizarding world, creating a fascist state with himself in power. He was ultimately thwarted because he used the Killing Curse, for which there is no defense, on an infant. And somehow, the spell rebounded. The child bore nothing more than a lightning shaped scar upon his forehead, but Voldemort was reduced to the feeblest of wraiths. Harry Potter was the Boy Who Lived.

Into this confusing world he is thrust. Hogwarts is ancient and wonderful, with strange rules and odd traditions. Harry is the stranger in a strange land.

He makes friends, Ronald Weasley, youngest son of a clan of redheaded and poor purebloods, and Hermione Granger, a hyper intelligent and talented witch born to muggle parents, just like Harry’s own mother. All three are in Gryphandor House, heralded for their bravery.

He makes enemies; Draco Malfoy, an elitist snob from Slitheren House, noted for ambition and turning out dark wizards, and Professor Snape, the potions master, who seems to bear Harry a grudge from the first day.

He finds talents he did not know he had; he is brilliant at Quidditch, the wizard’s favorite sport. Harry has gone from geek to jock overnight.

And he discovers that someone is trying to find the Philosopher’s Stone, an alchemical creation that can cure any illness or make the imbiber functionally immortal. And there is a very real possibility that the person who is looking for the stone is Professor Snape, and he may be working for Lord Voldemort!

My history with the book

First, I would like to thank an unlikely person. I was a manager at Books-A-Million when one of my customers, noted as being a little…eccentric, came up to customer service balancing a stack of books taller than she was. It was really quite a feat. I asked her if I could help her. She then ordered me to take these books and send them back to the publisher because they promoted witchcraft. She wanted them off the shelves, and she wanted them off the shelves now!

Something snapped inside me. I took her back to New Age, and showed her the books that really promoted Witchcraft, like The Solitary Witch, and Gardner’s Book of Witchcraft. I then dragged her to history, and got her a biography of Hitler, and suggested if she was going to get in the business of book burning, she should learn from the best. That was the last I ever saw of her….

But the fall out of the incident was that my manager handed me a copy, and said, “You got the duty.” If this was going to be a problem, we would be prepared. I read it, and filled in everyone on what was really in the book.

I can not thank that little batty lady with her book burning mentality for introducing me to one of the greatest series I have ever read. Just for the record, people who manage bookstores rarely have time to read, so being ordered to do so was a blessing.

Just after that, BAM started throwing big parties for the publishing of Goblet of Fire. Guess who was put in charge of that, and of organizing the Harry Potter reading club?

I can honestly say there was nothing I enjoyed more in all my time at the bookstore. Even after I left, I still ran the Harry Potter Parties.

I encountered several people who objected to the books. I knew some of them, and even respected quite a few. I always asked them had they read it? And the answer was always no. So I offered to buy them a copy, and then we could discuss it intelligently. A few took me up on it. Most did not.

The Impact

Why is Harry Potter so popular? Well, for one thing, it is brilliantly written. It is one of those books written in layers. My other favorite like that is Huckleberry Finn. As a child you read it, and it is a ripping good yarn, vastly entertaining. Then in school, you begin to appreciate the quality of the writing. As you mature, so does your enjoyment. In High School, I read Huck as an indictment of slavery. In College, I read it as a commentary on the human condition. I still read it every few years, and I still glean new wisdom from it.

Harry Potter is much the same. Children love the adventure tale. Adults can appreciate the human commentary. Every time I re-read any of them, I glean something more.

One of the keys to this is Identification. Almost everyone sees themselves somewhere in the books. When I asked the kids who they identified with, many of the answers were surprising. One little boy said “Ron Weasley.” He was black, so I knew it wasn’t about being a red head. I asked why. He said, “I have five older brothers too. I never get anything new except shoes.” In months of talking to this kid, I realized he was very bothered by his family’s poverty. But seeing the Weasley’s hold their heads up with pride in the face of the rich but despicable Malfoys taught him something. “Doing the right things and being a good person doesn’t cost a dime.” He said with pride. “Ron taught me that.”

Another little girl liked the Pravati Patil. She and her twin, Padme, were sorted into different houses. “In the wizarding world, you have things that can look deeper than your faces and see you are completely different.” She said. I believe her; her sister always came in to fetch her sister wearing soccer uniforms. My Pravati did not look like she was much inclined to sports. Her twin had never read Harry Potter.

But the ones that are interesting are the ones who identify with Harry. One little boy told me he loved Harry because Harry was not wanted at home. “I know I’m loved, but my mom was 43 when she had me. I have a nephew older than me. I was the extra kid that got lumped on the family.” I swear he almost made me cry.

Another lad said he felt like Harry when he played basketball. He is (according to all his friends) very, very good. (He’s a short, stocky little guy) So he is always picked first when choosing teams. “There are a lot of Draco Malfoy’s in the world. Ones that want to help you pick your friends. So, yeah, I know how Harry feels.”

Another kid, solemn and bright, said “Harry Potter is a princess. He is special, but hidden with the common folk for his own good. Then one day, the truth gets out, and he’s not common. I wish I could be like that.” I worry about that kid. He is not happy.

Of course the one that really worried me was the one who admitted he was most like Draco Malfoy.

The thing here is the book is full of wonderful characters and role models, and “types to watch out for.” I asked my group who they thought I would most identify with. As one, they said “Albus Dumbledore.” I was touched. And as it turns out, they were more correct than any of us knew.

At the Premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, BAM literally had close to a thousand people waiting in line to get them book. So many were in costume, trying to bring a little magic in their lives. And if you want to see the real magic of Harry Potter look no further than the bottom line in children’s books for tweens and teens. Sales are up, not just in Harry Potter, but in Narnia, and the Golden Compass, and the Hardy Boys. The real magic of Harry Potter is it conjures up a love of reading.

Check out the other Harry Potter classics:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part I
Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows Part II


Read the Book!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathy Hallows