Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars isn't enough!
Review: Okay, let me start by saying I am a Christian and I absolutely hate reading (would rather do anything else but that). I probably would never have picked up the book except for the fact that I kept hearing all these "religous" people condoning a book because it deals with magic (oops, a word I'm not suppose to say as a Christian). So, I couldn't help but pick up the book and read it for myself; what I found was SHOCKING!For the first time in my life, I didn't want to watch TV, I didn't want to go online, I wanted to sit there and keep reading and seeing what would happen next. NO book I've EVER read has ever held my interest so much. I found myself glued to a book! This book does deal with magic, but it DOES NOT deal with Satanism at all. Though some people may lead you to believe this book will cause the downfall of an entire generation, I'm here to tell you that it's a wonderful work of fiction, coming directly out of Ms. Rowling's own imagination. This is a great book, with an excellent story and wonderful characters; a book for the ages, not a "how-to" guide to Satanism (as some people might lead you to believe!)
Rating:
Summary: Does it get any better than Harry Potter?
Review: Okay, Okay, I admit it! For the first couple years of Harry Potter's existence, I wanted no part of the mania. I was a store manager of a video store, and when the book-mania started, we were getting TONS of Harry Potter junk. I was aghast. When the first movie came out, I had never seen such MADNESS! It was bigger than "Titanic!" I was appalled. But this January, I was spending my giftcards, and figured I'd just buy the first book and see what all the fuss was about. That was all it took. I am now a Harry Potter fanatic! "Harry Potter" to me is a mixture of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "A Bridge to Terabithia," and "Matilda." The best of childhood, right? It tells the story of an orphan who is basically held hostage by his aunt and uncle. Yet, the strangest things happen when he is upset or angry. Finally, his 11th birthday comes around and he finds that his parents were not killed in a car accident as he was told, but killed by the most powerful and horrible wizard ever. He has a chance to escape his Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, and learn all about his wizard heritage. He agrees, and so the adventure begins.. Rowling is truly one of the greatest writers of our time. She knows how to write for a child's point of view, never pushes her beliefs at us, and just keeps getting better!
Rating: 
Summary: .....
Review: Okay, okay, I confess, I've not read the book yet. However, I've read part of it, and I don't see what's so *great* about the whole thing. I admit, it's not rotten, yah, but it's not priceless either. I just don't understand the hype about the book. .......okay, maybe I'm biased. I'm a die-hard Lackey fan, and well....Rawling just cannot compare. - DIenne Lockehart, who dropped 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' back on the bookshelf to yank 'Owlsight' off...
Rating:
Summary: If a Transplant surgeon can read it so can I!
Review: Okay, so children's literature is not my usual thing to read. But when two computer people, including one PhD in computer engineering, and a cardiovascular-transplant surgeon all "admitted" to being addicted to the Harry Potter books, I decided maybe there was something to them. I read this, the first, and I have to "admit" there is! I found the central character Harry Potter and his friends entirely believable, despite their rather unusual milleu. The story was well written and carefully plotted and was not as treacley as I'd expected it to be. In fact it was quite charming, included some rather intense real-life topics--such as the unfairness of life in general and the death of parents in particular--and kept my attention well enough for me to read it in under a day's time. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: On the bandwagon
Review: Okay, so I have to admit two things: one, I'm fast approaching 40 and don't have any children; two, I read this book just to see what all the fuss was about; three, I loved it.
I'd heard of Harry Potter of course, but didn't think much of it until all the fuss over the fourth book. People I work with began telling me I should read it and they were right. The book reminded me of the works of Roald Dahl. I don't think small children should read it alone, but that makes it perfect for reading together. I really enjoyed the interplay of the three main characters - I thought it was cool that they were at once simple enough for children to understand and complex enough for adults to find interesting too.
There are plenty of reviews which divulge part of the story, so I won't waste your time with a plot synopsis other than to say that I watched Silence of the Lambs with very few surprises, guessed the secret of Sixth Sense fifteen minutes into the movie, and got surprised by the ending of this book. I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to get the next three (two of which are currently on back-order - hazards of being a bandwagon fan I guess).
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter is a must-read for ANY AGE!!!!!
Review: Okay, so I'm not in the age group that these books are targeted to, but as a teacher, I thought I'd better pick up the book that so many students were talking about. This book was truly one of the most interesting and funny books that I've ever read. As Harry goes through his daily life, the reader becomes involved to the point where one does not want to put the book down. It is thrilling and will keep you reading until the very end.
Rating:
Summary: Don't underestimate it
Review: Okay, so I'm one of those people who didn't want to read the book. For a long time. And then I had little better to do on a vacation, and I got sucked in. As someone who's spent the larger part of the last five years with her nose deep in non-fiction (by choice, no less!), the reprieve granted by this book was altogether a new experience. Simply put, Rowling crafted a story that would excite young readers and remind older readers of what reading used to be about. She has a wonderful imagination and actually, I think, a talent for dealing with lots of subplots and mini-adventures without making the book seem rushed or un-organized. As a writer, though, the things that have interested me most are how she deals with characters (namely Harry) and characterization through dialogue. It only took a couple of minutes to figure out why I loved little Harry after finishing the book. He's a different sort of boy character--not shaped through silly mishaps or rough-and-tumble play, but by the way that he seems so swept along by everything, letting it happen to him and then reacting thoughtfully. I believe women authors have a unique capability for constructing fresh male characters, and Harry Potter is an excellent example. Rowling also creates a subconscious desire to read and know more about the boy through a simple technique: he speaks much less often than all the other characters. Though it is largely in his point of view, his dialogue is again reactionary most times. Therefore, when he does speak, one automatically takes interest. I think Rowling also did an excellent job creating personality through dialogue, as mentioned above: the owner of the wand shop, for example, had a wonderfully distinct voice, as do Professsor Snape and young Ron Weasley. The only time I object is when she writes Hagrid's dialogue--sometimes, writing the words as they sound gets the eyes of the reader a bit tangled, and it doesn't flow as well. (I couldn't figure out if he was supposed to be Scottish until I saw the film--he's not--while particular characters who are Scottish, like Oliver Wood, exhibit no distinct vernacular whatsoever.) Overall, if you think it's just a series for kids, that's simply not true (unless you're determined to be a stick in the mud). This book, and the subsequent ones, are great reads to escape the normal stressors of the day. And as to objecting to the witchcraft and magic element of it--well, I believe there are worse things out there than Harry Potter. The books aren't out there to convert, but merely to release the imaginaton for a while. Make of it what you will.
Rating:
Summary: Very overrated
Review: Okay, the good points first. Harry Potter is an above average fantasy for young readers. The wonderful details are probably the best point about the story. (Take the game of Quidditch for example, the owls, the centaurs, the wands and broomsticks, the giant motorcycle that appears only once, and try reading the inscription around the Mirror of Erised backwards.) It is also funny at times in Roald Dahl's style (though inferior to his books). It is even a bit exciting, especially towards the end. I can understand the way all the eight-year-olds, even 13-year-olds are all crazy for it, but adults? What did they see in it? I was a bit disgusted to see all the reviews by adults saying this was their favorite book ever. (They must not have read The Golden Compass.) It really is no more than a slightly above average, rather amusing fantasy. It started out well, but as stereotype after stereotype and cliche after cliche of character and plot were introduced, I began to be turned off. Take Malfoy for example, the 100% evil and cruel bully who has henchmen to stick up from him and teases the other kids about being poor (and of course you can tell he's bad just by looking at him). How ridiculous and boring. Hermione. Another genius/nerd that studies all the time and can solve all the technical problems for the heroes and be groaned at for being so stuffy. She is also nearly the only female character. Hagrid, the big strong giant who turns out to be nice, though a bit stupid, and has a soft spot. I really agree with the reader called Magda from Neptune who said, "I didn't like the idea of Slytherin. It seems like the author just wasn't thinking when she decided there would be a whole house for the "bad guys". I think that's a shallow idea and also kind of cruel. Could you picture standing there and finding out from the Sorting Hat (which NEVER lies) that you're evil? I think Slytherin was probably the biggest mistake in Harry Potter." Go ahead and read Harry Potter, because if all these other people liked it there must be something there, and you might get it too. But read critically. Don't just blindly adore it (or any book, for that matter.) And I'm warning you, if you haven't read The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife yet, you're wasting your time with anything else.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful story, but what about the violence?
Review: Okay, there's a lot of hype about these books. And the reason is that JK Rowling is an incredible story-teller! It's just too bad she didn't decide to write adult fiction instead of children's. Yes, it's wonderful that something could inspire kids to want to read, but don't we have a responsibility as parents to make sure our kids aren't exposed to so much violence? I loved all three books. Couldn't get enough. But they even scared me a bit, and I'm well past childhood! In the first book, the worst scene is of a slit unicorn's throat, from which a monster drinks it's blood. The violence gets progressively worse in each book, where in the last one, a monster repeats "Kill, Kill, Blood, blood..." over & over. We also get to visualize Harry's mother's pain & suffering as she pleads for her son's life before she's murdered. I understand that kids today are mature & "can handle" such fantasy violence. But why do we want them to? These books would have been incredible books without the scary violence. For children in their teens, and even adults, I would highly recommend all 3 books. But I think it's irresponsible to encourage reading such violence for younger children.
Rating:
Summary: The Best book in the history of the world, I'm serious!
Review: Okay. I'm gonna try to explain how good this book is in less than 1,000 words. Man, this is hard. Harry Potter is unbelievable. I have such respect for J.K Rowling, she is a total GENIUS. I've always been kind of into books, but never loved one like this. I am literally addicted to Harry Potter. I read the 2nd one in less than 4 hours. But enough about me, more about Harry. He is amazing! I think people can really relate to him, I mean, he thought he was normal until one strange day. And he's adjusting to being this amazingly famous and talented wizard he never knew he was. His friends are the best. I love Hermione. Plus, which is so great, the book has these funny parts that make me laugh out loud! It's got suspense, mystery, and all that good stuff. Take it from a girl who's read em` all, this book is fantastic! I don't care what anybody says, buy the book, and make sure to read them in order!
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