Book Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Author: J.K Rowling
I am a Potterhead.
There, I said it.
And I say it with immense pride.
I have loved the Harry Potter series since the first book was released and always joined hundreds of others to queue up at bookshops early in the morning each time the latest book was released (I didn't wear a wizard's hat though like others in the queue. I sort of regret that now).
Recently I read and was extremely fortunate to get tickets to see 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' at the London West End. It was absolutely fabulous! On the same trip to London, I visited the Harry Potter studio wear the films were made. ( Studio Link )
It made me miss the wizarding world and so inspired me to reread the entire series. Beginning with 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', I realised something very exciting; I will be able to continually read the whole series back-to-back without having to wait 2-3 years for the next book to be released.
With this reread of the series, I will be able to fully immerse myself into Hogwarts and, with hindsight in knowing where the story goes, I wonder what clues I will find that Rowling placed in the books.
Upon rereading the first chapter of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', I was instantly rehooked. Additionally, I made a very interesting discovery. Sirius Black is mentioned on the second page of the book! I couldn't believe my eyes! Already in the first chapter, Rowling very cleverly gives us the name of a key character, a character we don't hear of again until the third (?) or fourth (?) book. This shows how even in writing the first book, Rowling had already planned out a lot of the entire series. What an incredible mind she has!
Rereading the first book, I noticed how Rowling uses lots of interesting figurative language. She loves to use metaphors and similes in particular and it makes me appreciate what an imaginative mind she has - especially as an author.
With this reread of the series, I will be able to fully immerse myself into Hogwarts and, with hindsight in knowing where the story goes, I wonder what clues I will find that Rowling placed in the books.
Upon rereading the first chapter of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', I was instantly rehooked. Additionally, I made a very interesting discovery. Sirius Black is mentioned on the second page of the book! I couldn't believe my eyes! Already in the first chapter, Rowling very cleverly gives us the name of a key character, a character we don't hear of again until the third (?) or fourth (?) book. This shows how even in writing the first book, Rowling had already planned out a lot of the entire series. What an incredible mind she has!
Rereading the first book, I noticed how Rowling uses lots of interesting figurative language. She loves to use metaphors and similes in particular and it makes me appreciate what an imaginative mind she has - especially as an author.
There are several key themes in this book: friendship, family, appreciating others, and trust.
Another key theme I think this book teaches us is how we should be humble. Harry is a very humble character. He doesn't boast or brag about how special he is or how great he is as a seeker in Quidditch. Harry teaches us that people like us when we are humble. As a reader, we connect with and like Harry for this quality. Rowling, interestingly, shows us the opposite of a humble person in Draco Malfoy. Malfoy is far from being a humble person. This character teaches us that being boastful of things we have is not a good quality. He is mean-spirited and treats others poorly so that he can feel better about himself. I know I should feel sorry for Draco as he needs to put others down to make himself feel good about himself, but the way Rowling portrays him makes that difficult.
Overall, I think this book teaches us how to be a good friend.
I would recommend this book to every person on the planet. It is not 'just a child's' book. Anyone who is a fan of fantasy will fall in love with the series. Anyone who wants to escape from reality and become part of a magtastical (Thanks for the inspiration, Esmé!) for a very long period of time will definitely love this series.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a one-way ticket to the most fabulous place ever imagined.
