Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone can be a very polarizing book. You have the people who will tout it's greatness and marvel at one book's ability to get children to read; and then you have another group of people who will do nothing but bad-mouth this book, stating that it is nothing more than a tool to teach children the art of witchcraft. The second group has probably never read this book, or any children's books of any merit, for that matter. If they did, they would see the wonder that lives in these stories. Most children do not want to read. It is a skill that is mastered slowly; and honestly, most children are too impatient to really get there. That's why books like this are so wonderful. The story is one that (almost) every child can relate to.

Harry has his eleventh birthday and finds out something wonderful about himself. He really is special and his family really is just the most boringest of the boring families ever. What child doesn't want this? He gets to leave his boring life of being picked on by bigger kids and ignored by his family and enters this fascinating world of magic and wizards and mail-delivering owls and chocolate frogs that actually jump. He makes new friends rather quickly, despite being one of the most famous wizards of his time.

But Harry's new life is not without bullies and bad stuff here. There is Draco Malfoy, whose only goal in life seems to be making Harry Potter miserable. Professor Snape also has a dislike for Harry that would almost be understandable, if Snape didn't try to hard to make it obvious that he hates Harry.

Harry Potter lives through a lot of the trials that normal children face every day. Mean teachers, bullies, super hard exams, and learning new sports. Just because he does it while at a school for magic doesn't make it any less real for children. If anything, children are more willing to believe in Harry's trials and tribulations despite the magic. It almost makes it harder for him. Not only does he have to get through all the same things they are dealing with, he has to learn how to be a wizard on top of it all. And someone is out to get him.