Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

J.K. Rowling (author)

Bloomsbury, UK: 1997;224pp

ISBN: 9780747532699

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: bullying, friendship, gifted, loss, identity

1997 Smarties Book Prize: Gold Award

Published in the USA as Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, this is a riotous tale of magic, madness, mayhem and Muggles (those silly humans who don't acknowledge magic even when it's done right under their noses and certainly couldn't light a candle without a match).

The evil Lord Voldemort (He Who Must Not Be Named) kills Harry Potter's parents and the orphan is forced to take up residency with his revoltingly ordinary cousin, Dudley Dursley. For almost ten miserable years Harry has lived in a cupboard underneath the Dursley's stairs. On his tenth birthday, strange things begin to happen and it's revealed that Harry Potter is actually a wizard.

Rescued by the gentle giant, Hagrid, and taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns to play Quidditch, Harry at first find the magical world to be the home he's always wanted, full of friends, fantastic food, painting that talk and staircases that move without warning. Dark forces are at work, sinister things are happening and Harry realises he must find a way to combat them - hopefully without being expelled.

The greatest thing about this series is that it is has a powerful appeal to so many readers, including adults. The plot sizzles along and both adult and child characters are convincing, generally avoiding stereotypes. Rowling's use of language is masterly - there is not a badly written sentence to be found, but much humour and wit. The critics say another Dahl has finally arrived - so acquire several copies in order to avoid family fights over who gets to read it first.