Rating: 
Summary: With my most grudging respect..
Review: I tried hard to be (cynical) about "Harry Potter mania" and succeeded thoroughly.. until I decided to sit down and actually read the first book, then I failed miserably. "The second coming of Christ wouldn't warrant this much hype!" thought I... Oh but by the time the last chapter rolled around all my 'hatred-of-hype' fueled pre-emptive 'Harry Potter' loathing had flown swiftly out the window like an emergency owl. My initial wariness disappeared in a puff of smoke and a fizzle of sparks! (Will cease and desist with the magical analogies forthwith..) It's a shame really, I had stockpiled some really juicy derogatory adjectives for general conversational usage for when the book was all read and done. Damn. That's all I can say. They will just have to wait for the next Jackie Collins books' arrival I suppose... Favorite characters: Snape (was rooting for him all the way! Alan Rickman, I must say, I imagine will be absolutely PERFECT in this role in the movie. That was a great casting decision.) Also loved Peeves the poltergeist. Best all-round character (if something of a ripoff of Ghostbusters.) Peeves hogged many of the best lines in my opinion.. and seemed to have the most fun. All in all, with grudging respect and a slightly forced smile, I proclaim 'Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone' to be a fine, funny, and compulsively readable childrens yarn. Suitable for children between the ages of 6 and the drawing of their last pension. (If you like this, try these!
* JK Rowling's other 'Harry Potter' books
* 'The Hobbit' by JRR Tolkien
* The 'Discworld' novels by Terry Pratchet
* Choice literary selections by Tom Robbins and Douglas Adams)
Rating: 
Summary: I'm sorry, but I didn't like it.
Review: I tried to like this book, I really did. I thought to myself "Billions of people can't be wrong.". But well, as it comes to me, I didn't like it. The plot is boring, and the first 100 pages are so boring that I can't really understand how someone can get through them. I personaly believe that a big part of its sucsses, at least from what I saw in Israel, is publicity and commercials. Half a year before it arrived to Israel there were commercials to it anywhere. If you bought a book, it said on the bag: "Have you read Harry Potter yet?", and there were signs about it anywhere. I even saw an interview with a critisizer that praised the book, and then mistakebly admitted that she didn't read it. I can't really understand what is all the excitment around this book. It is, in my opinion, after I forced myself to end it, an average book, if not worse.
Rating: 
Summary: harry potter & the sorcerer's stone - book 1
Review: i truely enjoyed this book i too could not put it down - i was wondering what all the fuss was all about when i first heard about this book now i know - i put myself in the book as someone standing out of view every where harry and he friend - i really enjoyed the description of the school harry attended - i said this book would be a great movie and that i would be in line with all the kids to see it if ever became a movie - which i just heard it will - i am currently reading book 2 with book 3 waiting in the wings - best to belive book 3 won't be waiting long hurray for harry!
Rating:
Summary: I loved it--it was much more than I was expecting
Review: I truly enjoyed the first Harry Potter book. I was expecting a general popular book--one-dimensional and bland, to suit a wide variety of tastes. Instead, I found little Harry and Hagrid, whom I immediately fell in love with. And those Dursleys! Dudley is the heart and soul of all that is loathsome. Harry Potter is a wonderful person, if he is fictional, and I fully expect to meet him someday. As for Hogwarts, I only wish I could send my children there. The entire book is well-written and coherent. Kudos to Ms. Rowling!
Rating:
Summary: The Magic Awaits
Review: I turned eleven the month that Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone came out in the US. Harry Potter was not yet famous here...nobody had ever heard of Harry, nobody knew what Quidditch was, and not a single person had any idea how to pronounce "Hermione." I bought the book at a book fair because I thought the cover looked very nice. I read it about six times before I found out that there was more to come...in the version of six more books. Every day of my eleventh year, I hoped and prayed for a parchment envelope with my name on it in green ink, beckoning me to a school of witchcraft and wizardry. But the letter never came. I turned twelve, and Hogwarts was forever closed to me. But the story was not, and it continued. Each year Harry turned a year older, so did I. Harry has always been my age, every time a new book comes out, I just have time to catch up with him. When he finishes his story in the seventh book, it will be hard to pass him by, knowing that I will be leaving him behind, that he will never catch up. But the magic won't leave the books, they will always be waiting. And the first one, the one that began it all, the tale that brought 11-year-old Harry to Hogwarts and started his long adventure, will still be lying on the shelf, holding within its covers a story that has created magic where once none lay. It is the book that created Harry, that brought the fantasy of a secret world to life, and it is why now 'Harry Potter' seems more like an expression that means delightful thrills than a name. So what more could a reader wish for, than to see the delightful collector's addition waiting for them under a Christmas tree or in a colorfully wrapped package? Its whole exterior vibrates of Hogwarts and wizarding, from the emerald leather to the golden gilding and the glittering lightning bolt spelling out Harry's name. The interior...well, what more needs to be said? Harry Potter is a magical being who exists only on paper, some say. But all who have avidly followed his every move for the past four years know better...Harry may not be seen by others, but we know that he is there, whether in the kindly librarian who points out his shelf or the small child that weeps when Harry vainly tries to contact his lost parents in the Mirror of Erised...or in the man walking down the street, who barely comes up to your waist and has on a tall top-hat, complaining loudly about the comotion made by Muggles. The book needs only opening, and it will do the rest on its own. The Magic Awaits.
Rating:
Summary: And then I saw her face.....now i'm a believer.....
Review: I used to avoid these books because of all of the Hollywood hype. The merchandise and movies and everything just threw me off. However, curiosity killed the cat, and after Book 5 came out I couldn't help myself. I picked up the Sorcerer's Stone and was practically physically unable to put it down. From everything I've heard about the book, I expected the book to be boring, childish, and predictable. It is exciting, non-childish, and filled with plot twists and incredible surprises. Don't be decieved by those who say the book isn't all that great or by those scary fanatics who bought book 5 at midnight. Listen to all of these perfectly bright people who posted reviews on this website- how are you going to try and argue with thousands of people who say the book is great and took the time to tell you so? The writing is colorful, interesting, filled with loveable characters and infuriating ones. My only complaint is that I didn't pick the thing up sooner. To wrap this review up: This book is a classic of our time. I now compare Rowling to people like Tolkein or C.S. Lewis. People 50 years from now will be reading these books saying how magical they are. If you haven't read it yet, read it. I don't care if your 8 or 80. Read it. Now. P.S. To those of you who, like in my case, were avoiding the book because of the overpopularity and all, i have one thing to say. It was worth it to swallow all my pride to read the book. And trust me, there was a lot of pride to swallow.
Rating:
Summary: Addicting
Review: I used to hate books,until I picked this book up...this book is really good even the dull moments in this book are addicting (in my opinion).There is loads of description and after awhile you feel like part of the story.I reccomend this book for someone who likes fantasy or adventure or just someone who doesn't like to read.
Rating:
Summary: This book made me look at reading a diffrent way.
Review: I used to hate reading but now whenever I read one of his books it makes me want to read another one of his books.
Rating:
Summary: Irresistible; a warm glow, a pleasant scent.
Review: I used to read a lot as a kid; a lot. Then I became a working adult, and now I have to schedule time to do laundry and groceries, etc. :-)
If there is one thing I remember from childhood reading, it is the wild blissful abandon of letting the imagination soar. I remember seeing amazing things in my mind and heart as I read the wondrous works of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, I. Asimov and A.C. Clarke.
Now again, I feel that warm glow. I am a grown man, but that thrilling sense of adventure has returned. It was a place where I discovered something new around every corner, where as a child I had to learn how to deal with the world.
J.K. Rowling has reached the stellar heights of previous literary giants before her, who have taken the souls and minds of their readers and launched them to dizzying heights.
Harry Potter is not overrated; it does comfort you with the knowledge that when the world seems darkest and most terrifying, some forces will see us through. Those forces are friendship, honor, love, mercy, kindness and courage.
In the larger scope, I look forward with anticipation as these remarkable kids grow up (Harry, Hermione and Ron). In a sense I want to be there every step of the way as they make the amazing journey to adulthood in book 7 and beyond. And as I go along with them, my imagination is rekindled and my trust in the human spirit of mutual compassion and mercy is revitalized.
For those who would submit "You are reading too much out of a children's book," I would reply that they should take note of what the Headmaster of Hogwart's says to Harry towards the end of the book; something about an "organized mind." I challenge the cynic to claim such a phrase belongs in a children's book.
Rating:
Summary: I drove to work with Harry for a few days...
Review: I used to really dislike my commute. It is no longer the case. Like the majority, I bought and enjoyed the Harry Potter books. Yes, I really liked the world depicted by J.K. Rowlings, a mix of British tradition, wackiness and humor . However, Jim Dale's oustanding performance truly brings J.K. Rowling's work to life. All the characters, from Harry, to Hermione, to Hagrid, to professor Dumbledore and Malefoy all rode to work with me. Dale's reading is right on and his different voices and accents are a true delight ot the ear. I have listened to many books on tape in my car, but these one really were out of this world. A true masterpiece read with much gusto!
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