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Book review – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.
k rowling)
Orphaned Harry Potter has been living a dog’s life with his horrible relatives. He sleeps in the
broom cupboard under the stairs and is treated as a slave by his aunt and uncle. On his eleventh
birthday, mysterious missives begin arriving for him, culminating eventually in the arrival of a
giant named Hagrid, who has come to escort him to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry. Harry learns that his parents died saving him from an evil sorcerer and that he himself
is destined to be a wizard of great power. Harry’s astonished introduction to the life of wizardry
starts with his purchase, under Hagrid’s guidance, of all the tools of an aspiring sorcerer: wand,
robes, cauldron, broomstick, owl. Hogwarts is the typical British public school, with much
emphasis placed on games and the honor of the Houses. Harry’s house is Gryffindor, the time-
honored rival of Slytherin: he becomes a star at Quidditch, an extremely complicated game
played with four different balls while the whole team swoops about on broomsticks. He studies
Herbology, the History of Magic, Charms, Potions, the Dark Arts, and other arcane subjects, all
the while getting closer to his destiny and the secret of the sorcerer’s stone. He makes friends
(and enemies), goes through dangerous and exciting adventures, and justifies the hopeful
predictions about him. The light-hearted caper travels through the territory owned by the late
Roald Dahl, especially in the treatment of the bad guys — they are uniformly as unshadedly
awful as possible — but the tone is a great deal more affectionate. A charming and readable
romp with a most sympathetic hero and filled with delightful magic details.
What is the topic of the book or article?

According to Rowling, a major theme in the series is death: "My books are largely about death.
They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's obsession with conquering
death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone with magic.
What is its purpose?

Death is obviously big in Harry Potter. Death initiates the core conflict of the series; death
escalates in each text; death creates the tool by which Harry can defeat Voldemort; and death
resolves the conflict in the end, since Voldemort’s death is the end of the war itself. Death recurs
throughout the series, but recurrence is not enough to constitute a theme
Who are its intended readers?

Harry Potter films are mainly aimed at around 11 and over. They are family films, in which all of
your family will enjoy. One of the main reasons for people loving Harry Potter sooooo much is
because of the wide range of genres. The main genres are: fantasy and coming of age.
Does the writer explicitly state his/her thesis statement?
One of my assumptions here (based partly on my reading of the Harry Potter novels and
partly on my reading of the stylistics literature) was that such linguistic features helped
contribute to the characterization of the heroes and villains in various positive and negative
ways. In fact, when researching this topic, I also noticed that many commentators have
previously criticized J. K. Rowling’s over-use of adverbs and adjectives.
What are the theoretical assumptions( i.e., a scientific/logical

explanation without evidence) are mentioned in the book
or article?
Are they explicitly discussed?
HARRY'S LOVE FOR GINNY IS A DRUG-INDUCED ILLUSION.
This is a difficult theory to treat delicately, so it’s best to be blunt: certain readers (perhaps still-
disgruntled supporters of a Harry/Hermione romance) claim that Ginny Weasley must have
administered a love potion to Harry in order to induce his infatuation with her. They’re skeptical
of the accelerated courtship between Harry and Ginny, who have been acquainted since Harry
first encountered the Weasleys on Platform 9 ¾ en route to Hogwarts for the first time, when
Ginny was childishly starstruck and Harry youthfully indifferent. In their view, romance should
have bloomed sooner between the two, given Harry’s frequent presence at the Burrow and all
their subsequent interactions at school, and the only explanation for its sudden onset during the
events of Half-Blood Prince is an unnatural one: love potion.
What problems and issues are discussed in the book

or article?
TONE AND PACE
Tone is the feeling evoked throughout the entirety of a work; it doesn’t matter if it’s literary or
film. To use an example outside of the Harry Potter universe, Toy Story is a film that, when
boiled down to it, has two tones: somber and funny. It finds humor in the former tone so it can
run its theme through all of its needles and become a beautiful tapestry. It’s all linked and
purposeful, people!
What kind of information (e.g. observation, survey, statistics)are presented?

According to Rowling, one of the major themes in the books is death. She once stated, "My
books are largely about death. They open with the death of Harry's parents. There is Voldemort's
obsession with conquering death and his quest for immortality at any price, the goal of anyone
with magic.
What is your overall reaction to the work?

True friendship can get you through anything
An unlikely trio to begin with, Harry, Ron and Hermione proved time and time again that real
friendship forges an unbreakable bond. Together they managed to face Dementors and Death
Eaters, Dolores Umbridge and Horcruxes. Not to mention the truly horrifying pitfalls of teenage
life: relationship problems, jealousy and school exams. With true friends it doesn’t matter if you
argue over a possibly-jinxed new broomstick or accidentally swallow a love potion because at
the end of the day, they’ll always have your back.

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Book review – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.

What is the topic of the book or article?

What is its purpose?

Who are its intended readers?

What are the theoretical assumptions( i.e., a scientific/logical

What problems and issues are discussed in the book

What kind of information (e.g. observation, survey, statistics)are presented?

What is your overall reaction to the work?

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