Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter review
Review: I am a 14 year old boy and I read Harry Potter. I think it was a great book. It had a great plot and made me want to keep on reading. I thought it was interesting to here about the witch's weird ways. It was a fun book to read and I hope that you decide to read it. I think you will like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Review: I am a 14 year old high school freshman. I thought Harry Potter was for kids. But when i read this book, I changed my mind. Its a very good book, that has adventure and humor in it. I advise everyone to read it, even if you are in high school
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: I am a 15 year old girl and I am caught up in the Harry Potter pandemonium. I received this book as a Christmas gift and i started reading it and I just could not put it down. It is very magical and something about the characters and the way you get to know them gets you hooked. You feel you actually know brave and famous Harry potter, his loyal and trustworhty friend, Ron Weasley, and brainy Hermione Granger. Yes there are many magical books and I have read many of them but something in this book just captured my attention and has held it for 2 years now. And as for them being evil and having to do with a cult is one of the silliest thing I have heard. The books only explore a world that exists only in our imagination and everything in that world is unpredictable and magical. It is just a make believe world and has nothin to do with teaching people evil. Yes there is evil in the book but there is also good just like in the real world. The magic they use and teach in the school Harry Potter attends is not evil and there have been so many stories about magic and spells it makes my head spin how people have attacked these books when there are so many other books with magic in them. There is also nothing satanic about the books. In the books the good fights the evil everyone who reads roots for the good side. ... I recommend this book to any person of any age who wants to be swept into another world.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful book
Review: I am a 16 year old junior at Westbrook High School in Beaumont, Texas. I thoroughly enjoyed this book The writer captivated the reader with, although somewhat childish, vivid language and excellent imagination. Although the language was in a style made for children, any adult would not feel like they are reading a children's book. In an earlier review, someone basically said that the story was stolen from Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. This is not at all true, sure it may have a connection, but the story, the plot, the characters, and the entire substance of the book was all original. All great authors have inspiration from another author at some point in their life, that is what makes them want to write. Is it not logical then that fragments and similarities would exist between the two authors? It was also stated in that review that J. K. Rowling had no imagination, I beg to differ. Anyone that can capture the hearts and minds of millions of children and adults worldwide has to have some kind of imagination. The fact that some people don't like "hyped products" does not give them the right to say the author has no imagination. In the book, Harry Potter is the son of a great wizard and witch. When he is just a baby, the evil Voldemort comes and kills his parents and attempts to kill him but can't for some reason. The name of Harry Potter becomes famous for this, but he is condemned to live with his aunt and uncle in the "muggle" world and knows nothing of his fame and his true purpose in life. On his 11th birthday, a giant from Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry comes and informs him of his past and what will come in his near future. He is taken away to Hogwart's and there learns the ways of his father and mother. Somewhere hidden down in the depths of the school lurks a secret that someone is trying to get to. Harry makes it his job to find out who, but has no idea what he is really getting into. The language used by the writer was not hard to understand, but very effective in it's usage. She uses words like muggles and things like that as a way to get the reader interested in the book and keep them going. There were many times in the book where you felt like you were watching a suspenseful movie, it kept you hanging on and wanting to just keep reading. The author also gave in depth characters. She developed them and you found out more about them throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys the writings of J.R.R Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. She is following in the footsteps of some of the greatest fantasy writers of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I am a 16 yr. old girl who had to read this book for a history class and ended up enjoying it. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. This book isn't just for kids, but for anybody who loves mystery or witches and wizards. I recomend it for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Great book to read aloud to children
Review: I am a 17 year old high school student and have just finished reading this book to my 7 year old brother. We both thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was difficult for me to wait until my brother was present to continue reading (Okay, I cheated; I just read the last three chapters without him.). I work at an educational center called SCORE! and can't wait to tell all of my kids there about this book.
Rating:
Summary: There's something about Harry . . .
Review: I am a 19 year-old college student (of course, you'd think that that's way past the age of reading books like these). I picked up 'The Sorcerer's Stone' because I wanted to find out what all the talk (or in Rowling's words, 'rumors') was about. Of course, after reading it, I can see why so many people have been touched and captivated by Rowling's amazing and extraordinary imagination. The truth is that you won't know what all the talk is about until you've actually read the book. Certainly, I haven't read anything this good or anything this enthralling since Brian Jacques' tales of 'Redwall.' Simply put, this book made me smile. Harry is an amazing character; words cannot adequately or justly describe who he is to Harry Potter-newbies and avid fans out there. The first 6 chapters of the book (Harry's life with the Dursleys) was somewhat difficult for me, because I was constantly reminded of Roald Dahl (younger readers probably are not familiar with him). Also, I initially had trouble trying to reconcile Rowling's style (for example, its modern-day references to things like Jelly Belly beans and the computer age we live in; Rowling decided not to cross over into the realm of DVD, she kept Dudley's 'toys' at VHS) with the genre her book would belong to, which is, of course, fantasy. It would seem that a style 'modern' and 'contemporary' in its presentation would take away the appeal and the magical quality that characterizes most fantasy novels. This did not happen with 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' Yes, it may be fantasy with a modern-day, real-life twist. But there is also something else, something magical in the way that it reads. I couldn't help thinking that Rowling made references to her own life and to people that she's come across through the book's various sub-characters and sub-plots (the examples are simply too many to note here). Her style is an irresistable combination that touches you personally and gets you to think about things that are real and in our world (versus the speculative, imaginative, and fantastical perception of most fantasy novels). If any words can describe this book, I'd have to say that this book and the character it represents are destined to become a genre in itself. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' made me feel good inside, and all the well-deserved accolades it has received are testaments to this. The funny thing is, is that 'Muggles' outside of the book are talking about Harry just as much as those who are inside of it. And yes, I do believe that this book will appeal to just about any age-group. Definitely, there's something magical about Harry Potter. For those who have not picked this one up: Find out what all the talk is about, and discover the magic.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a children's book
Review: I am a 22 year old college student, about to get my degree in english. i read complex, complicated authors all the time. I'm no stranger to Delillo, Pynchon, Gaddis, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, etc. I enjoy good literature. And it just so happens that some of the most enjoyable books i have read in years are the Harry Potter books. So there's no stream of consciousness, deep political or social subtext, or heavy symbolism, it's still one of the best reads out there. Rowling can weave a story that is both well-constructed and entertaining without sacrificing intelligence for the reader's benefit. I read The Sorcerer's Stone to see what all the fuss was about, and I was amazed. Here I was, reading a 'children's book' but it hardly seemed like it. Trust me, this book is for anyone who likes to read, or just likes a good story. If you think it's 'lame' or 'beneath your standards', I urge you, as someone whos favorite authors are people like James Joyce and Don Delillo, to give this remarkable book a chance.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to put down
Review: I am a 24 year old male who used to love to read fantasy books when I was younger. I recently had the pleasure of reading the first three Harry Potter books, and was unable to put them down. The writing in them is excellent (in particular the descriptions), and the plots have enough twists to make them interesting even for adults. I think these books will become classics in their own right, alongside Tolkein, Wrinkle in Time, Dahl, etc. The writing in the Potter series is certainly on par with many of the classics. The only quibble I might have is that the world isn't quite as original as some of the other classic series. I do agree that there is more violence in these books than in *some* other books aimed at the same age range. It is not a lot more, and unless a parent is keeping their child from TV and movies, and other books with violence like the Tolkein series, there shouldn't be a reason to keep children from reading these.
Rating:
Summary: Made My Snowy Commute to Work a Breeze
Review: I am a 25 year old engineer. I had trouble getting out of my car without taking the tape with me. The narrator on these tapes has such a fantastic ability to tell a story and he is working with great material. I highly recommend these tapes to anyone who wants something that will make a drive go by quickly. Harry Potter makes commuting a pleasure.
|
