Harry Potter has grown up neglected by his aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs in suburban Surrey. On his eleventh birthday a giant named Hagrid tells him the truth: his parents were a witch and wizard, killed by the dark wizard Voldemort, and Harry is famous in the magical world for surviving the attack as a baby.
Harry enters Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, travelling from a hidden platform at King's Cross. He befriends Ron Weasley and the brilliant, rule-abiding Hermione Granger, discovers a talent for the airborne sport Quidditch, clashes with the snobbish Draco Malfoy and the cold Professor Snape, and starts to suspect that something valuable is being guarded inside the castle.
Rowling combines a boarding-school story with a richly imagined hidden world of wands, houses, ghosts and magical creatures. The book was rejected by several publishers before Bloomsbury accepted it, then launched a seven-book series that became a worldwide phenomenon. It was published in the US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Book details
| Author | J. K. Rowling |
|---|---|
| First published | 1997 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 223 |
| Setting | Surrey and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland |
| Awards | Nestle Smarties Book Prize 1997 |
Themes
- Friendship
- Belonging
- Courage
- Good versus evil
- Orphanhood
Who should read it
Young readers starting out with fantasy and adults who want to see where the phenomenon began.