Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I recommend this book because, like many kids, it was one of my first introductions to the world of fiction. And given its popularity, it is a story I have always thought back on when thinking about my own writing. What elements of it are a reason for its popularity that I could establish in my own work?

The big one I took away was how the story is intermixed with our reality. I think contemporary urban fantasies, or those in the magical realism realm, I think a big part of the appeal is that readers find it believable and… show more.

I’m basically a big kid at heart. The story of an ordinary boy being told on his eleventh birthday he is actually a wizard, is brilliant! Hogwarts is probably the only school every kid would love to attend. Hermione is a brilliant witch if a tad bossy. But the boys would have been a bit lost without her.

It’s a story kids can relate to—as they have to go through the usual youth challenges such as new friendships, exams, and young love, albeit with a magical twist—and gain inspiration from.

As a mother of four daughters, I love stories that… show more.

A classic. No matter what age I am, Rowling continues to transport me into a world full of magic, mystery, and suspense.

This book takes the cake for me because of the world she has created. The characters, the towns, the spells, and the SCHOOL. YES! Take me to Hogwarts. I have never wanted to be transported into a world as badly as this one. The details of each character and each scene give you a vivid image of the world she has created.

I love how the books grew with the reader's age as well. Such a clever thing… show more.

I was on Christmas break from school, and we were to spend the holiday week at my aunt’s place. The adults would play mahjong, but as the only kid in the house, there was nothing for me to do. My mom took me to Target, and I picked up a copy of Harry Potter, as I had heard good things about the book.

Once I started reading it, I was immediately under the spell of this magical world. Very few books could compare to the amazing world J.K. Rowling created in the Harry Potter series. 

As a 23-year-old, I’m a bit late to the Harry Potter party, having only started reading the series last year, but in thinking of my third favourite book, The Philosopher’s Stone was the one that stood out.

Not only did Rowling’s simple writing style reassure me that my own is just fine, but Harry Potter also ignited a love for children’s and teen books that I never knew I had. Since reading Harry Potter, I turned my sights on Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Douglas Adams, revelling in the child-like imagination that these authors, including Rowling, bring.

Everyone relates to… show more.

To experience a time machine effect where one is transported at once to the days of their youth, a reader simply needs to pick up the Harry Potter novel that started the journey of the young boy thrust unwittingly into a world of pure, unblemished magic.

Any time I want to remember what it was like being a kid, I pick up the first in the series from Rowling. Her tale encompasses the joy and terrors of Disney movie classics Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Sleeping Beauty, from the earliest animated films but also firmly plants a ghoulish… show more.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book in the Harry Potter series, drawing readers into its magical world filled with fantasy and adventure.

I personally like books where the author has an overactive imagination, and this author truly takes the cake in that regard. J.K. Rowling’s creative storytelling draws readers of all ages into Harry’s enchanting world and journey of self-discovery as he travels to an unknown world. The characters and some of the themes highlighted (such as bullying, trying to fit in, self-doubt, adjusting to change, and not getting drawn in by evil) will resonate with… show more.

All the Harry Potter books are relatively easy to read, but as the first in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone takes the win as the best introductory fantasy book.

In fact, the Harry Potter series has introduced millions of people to the fantasy genre who wouldn’t otherwise read such books. It’s clear why: the Philosopher’s Stone is light-hearted, funny, relatable, and ten times better than the film. 

It is the best middle-grade fantasy series ever written! It is a phenomenon! The writing is so descriptive, and the storyline and premise have so much creative imagination. 

Good versus evil. Good always wins. Magic is real if you believe in its power. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself; the power of the universe is always working out for you in your favor, even when you think it’s not. Even with the bad, it’s still working out.

It’s the bad that makes you see the good, and the darkness that guides you to find the light within yourself.… show more.

Is there a fantasy novel that has been more widely read and loved than Harry Potter?

Ms. Rowling has brought the ‘coming-of-age’ story to fantasy in a way that is somehow familiar and magical, all at once. The only novel on my list without a female protagonist (though arguably Hermione qualifies!), I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend the most influential fantasy novel of our time.

Harry’s ‘Chosen One’ status and yet utter relatability make him one of my favorite characters of all time, and his magical world is one that I would love to find myself living… show more.