Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by a beetle-eyed giant of a man, enrols at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: Harry Potter is a wizard!
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Where it all began.

I actually just picked up this one to leaf through while eating lunch one day, but I found that even at my age I couldn't put it back down. I got my hands on the first few books in 2000 when I was around 11 years old and read the rest over the years as they were published. It's a book series that I basically grew up with and it's no doubt had a big effect on me. There's a reason why these books are beloved around the globe.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (why on earth the American publishers decided to rename it to Sorcerer's Stone is beyond me) is an excellent book, well written, engaging and an easy read. It's perfect for it's target-audience, but it captivates the older readers just as much. The books grow with Harry and become darker and more sinister, but book 1 is innocent and pure as Harry undertakes his first conscious act of heroism. It's not my favourite of the series (I prefer book 4-7 where more things happen and they're older), but it's still a great read.

It's hard to focus on just one book, having read them all numerous times. I've always thought that the character and plot development throughout the entire series was very good and they are a series I'll wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who hasn't read them yet be they old or young.

223 pages / published in 1997
Review by Iben Jakobsen, BoB, 2011