Rating: 
Summary: Most Fun Books Of The Year!!!!
Review: I ordered the first three books for my three kids (ages 9, 7, 5), and I read a chapter or so of "...Sorcerer's Stone" to them every night at bedtime. I got so impatient to see what happens next that I had to go ahead and read ALL three of the books on my own!!! I'm amazed at the criticism this book has received, concerning witchcraft and other 'out-of-the-ordinary' events...has everyone forgotten CINDERELLA, SWORD IN THE STONE, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and other books that also had magical things happen??? What is wrong with a little imagination? I'm GLAD that my kids can escape "reality" for a few minutes a day and dream of "cool" things happening!!! As a 38 year old mom, even I need this escapism!!! What FUN!!!
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Review: I ordered this series of books because I am an adult interested in children's literature and hope to write some of my own. Harry Potter is a timeless hero to whom anyone can relate - he is "everyperson". Boys, girls, men and women will be able to identify with this young person who is not "perfect" but extraordinary in his own way. If you like stories about Merlin, King Arthur, the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, the Oz books, The Phantom Tollbooth, Babes in Toyland, even Charlotte's Web - you will like these books. Fantasy is a wonderful way to express the human experience to children of all ages. We can learn something about courage, friendship, trust and loyalty from Harry Potter, his friends, and through his very exciting adventures. Good versus evil - an age-old conflict. When times are tough a little magic can never hurt.Read this to your children, let them read it to you or to themselves, and then read the next books - they are successively better than the first!
Rating:
Summary: A Nice Surprise
Review: I originally balked at the thought of reading the Harry Potter series. First, I don't read "children's" books. Second, most of the time when people recomend a popular fantasy to me, The Lord of the Rings aside, I hate it (read: Wheel of Time). However, the book had been sitting in the house for a while and I knew it wouldn't take much effort to get through in a short period of time (it didn't). I'm so pleased that I finally bit the bullet and read this wonderfully entertaining book. As a children's novel, The Sorcerer's Stone succeeds in pretty much every way. Like the best from Roald Dahl and Brian Jacques' Redwall series, it features plenty of action, vivid characters and setting, and an imaginative story that is well told. Reading this book made me smile in a way that I rarely can without some cynical remark slipping through my mind. The innocence of Harry and his friends something you wish one could see in the real world more often--finding a book where you can ignore the facts of the real world and fully believe in such innocence is refreshing. As a novel for adults, Harry Potter offers the same sort of escape, but I imagine that its more refreshing than a hopefully still innocent child finds it. Considering the overwhelming amount darkness that is featured many popular fantasies, it is nice to read one that overflows with optimism. Sometimes it is hard to sit and seriously enjoy a book that is so blatant in its bright themes; Harry Potter manages to do so with its language. Rowling wrote the novel with a light hearted tone--this isn't a serious book and isn't meant to be taken as one. This isn't a depiction of the real world, but one of an ideal world. So if you, like me, have until now resisted the temptation to start this series, please reconsider. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Riveting, exciting, fun believable fantasy - a classic.
Review: I originally bought this book for my nine-year old daughter after reading the rave reviews but couldn't quite believe how it could be *that* great. It was! I read aloud to her, but found I had to finish it when she had gone to bed. I don't know how Rowling made a story so fantastic so believable, but she did. Maybe it isn't fantasy????? Loved the British boarding school references. Very funny, and am glad it has been popular in the United States too.
Rating:
Summary: The family that reads together...
Review: I originally bought this book for myself. I read it in less than 24 hours, and sat down to order the 2nd and 3rd books. I then started reading a chapter each night to my 6 1/2 year old son. By the third chapter, my husband was joining us each evening, and now the whole family is hooked on this book. We look forward to "visiting" Harry each night. My son, in fact, loves the book so much he's decided to be Harry for Halloween. In all, this book is one of the most interesting we've read. I think the Harry Potter series will be a favorite in our home for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: The hype is legitimate!
Review: I originally ordered the set of books for my children after hearing the rave reviews since "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" started flying off the shelves. Unfortunately the books continued to be put to the wayside due to homework and busy schedules. I am an avid reader of medical mystery and horror thrillers, so reluctantly I picked up this book convinced that it would never live up to the hype as portrayed by the media. Boy was I wrong. This was truly a remarkable story that lives up to the highest ranking reviews. I am now reading the third volume and the stories keep getting better with each page. J.K. Rowling is brilliant!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful fairy tale
Review: I originally read the books just to see what all the commotion was about and to find out for myself if the books were "satanic". Bottom line is - they're not. There's a big difference between magic and satanism and these books are filled with the same sort of magic that we love in all the classic fairy tales. For parents who just can't stand the idea of their kids reading about magic, I'd recommend "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe" even though there is magic in that one, too. However, for the rest of us, the Harry Potter stories are wonderful. I just keep reading them over and over because they remind me of the adventures I wanted to have when I was a child.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent fantasy for children and adults!
Review: I overheard a mother reading this book to her child on a cross-country flight, and was as mesmerized as her son. I strained to hear every word, and found myself deeply dissapointed when the plane landed without hearing the ending! Truly a great childs book, a must-read for every parent!
Rating:
Summary: Is Harry Potter part of Oprah's book club yet?
Review: I own the whole Harry potter series although I have only read 2 of the books so far. I am halfway through the third as I write this. I think miss Rowling is amazing and funny with an imagination I truly admire. I would defintely recommend her Harry Potter books to anyone with children as they are nothing short of incredible. Christmas is just around the corner and I think these books would make an excellent gift for any child, of any age. I read a review on here by a miss Donna Chance who believes there is many refernces to alcohol in miss Rowling's novels. I must say I couldn't disagree more. The references she speaks of are few and far between. Don't begrudge your children this amazing series because of a few sentences which include the word *gasp* BURBON! If you are considering reading these books to your children but agree with miss Chance about the reference to alcohol simply change the word into something you like better. The alcohol really has nothing to do with the story and im sure your child will not notice. Simply tell them the dragon had to drink orange juice instead of burbon. These Harry Potter books are amazing and I'm sure your children will love them as much as I do. Thanks for your time and happy reading! Paula
Rating:
Summary: As good as you would expect from an "instant classic"
Review: I owned this book for about two years before I read it. I bought it on a recommendation from a friend and because of its huge buzz when it was first published. But, when I read the first few chapters of it, the whole "Harry Potter" thing seemed to me like a knockoff of Roald Dahl books, which I'd read when I was a kid. The book sat on my shelf after that first attempt, collecting dust. When someone would ask me about it, I'd honestly tell them that it didn't seem all that revolutionary to me. At the time, before I'd completely read the book, I just assumed that J.K. Rowling was doing her own version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" or something like that. The book became one of those things that I'd hoped to eventually read, but it wasn't a priority. That changed when another friend of mine recommended it to me, telling me specifically that he'd never, ever been able to guess the surprise villain or twists at the end of any of the books. He dared me to figure out the mystery myself. Seeing the book from an entirely new perspective as a challenging mystery, I was able to finish it. And I wasn't able to guess the ending of it. The character development is absolutely great. The books are well-written, challenging and funny for adults and children. Both the self-contained plot of this book and the overarching plot that affects the entire series of seven planned books are so complicated and filled with dread that it's virtually impossible not to become so involved in the book that you finish it in a couple days. With "Sorceror's Stone," you get the shortest book, the simplest mystery and an introduction to the books' basic structure. But, as an introduction into the world of Harry Potter, it's top-notch. Once you realize all that "Harry Potter" has to offer its readers, it's really hard not to just adore these books. They're great.
|
