Scott Couey

Photo Credit: By Amazon.com

I know, I am probably one of the last people on the planet to read the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling. Call it peer pressure – but I have finally read the first book: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. Most people would look at the books and think they were only for children – I have to admit that I was one of these people. One of my former coworkers used to constantly talk about the books and told me that I really need to read them because she thought I would like them. I picked up the first book at a used bookstore thinking that if I didn’t like it, there was no great financial loss since I bought it used. To say that I was very impressed with the book would be a huge understatement.

The story is about a boy named Harry Potter. He is left on his aunt and uncle’s doorstep as a baby and knows no other life than the one they so begrudgingly provide for him. Harry is forced to sleep in a cabinet and must deal with the constant abuse of his cousin Dudley. The poor kid later receives several letters (which his aunt and uncle hide from him) informing him that he is a wizard and will be attending Hogwarts for his schooling and training. While at the school Harry discovers that he is some kind of legendary hero of sorts, as everyone knows his name and his story – even he doesn’t know his own story. He finds out that his parents were killed when he was a baby and that one of the professors had a strong dislike of his father.

Along the way Harry befriends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Rubeus Hargrid who join him on several adventures but also become his partners in crime. The main premise of this book is the children find out about the Sorcerer’s Stone (the individual who posses this stone will live for ever) and believe that one of their professors is trying to steal it. I don’t want to ruin the book for you so I will just leave the details at that. I really enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it. It was a very easy read that kept my interest the whole time. Viewing the first movie is next on my list of things to do, as I’ve heard that you can’t read the book and not watch the movie.