Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter 1) by J. K. Rowling

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Originally published as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".

Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate, you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a... read more

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Summary edit see section history

Just before the start of the novel, Voldemort, the most powerful evil wizard in living memory, killed Harry's parents but mysteriously vanished after trying to kill Harry. While the wizarding world is celebrating Voldemort's downfall, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

For ten years, they and their son Dudley treat Harry as a drudge and whipping boy. Shortly before Harry's eleventh birthday, a series of letters arrive from Hogwarts, addressed to Harry but destroyed by his uncle before Harry can read them. As a result, a volley of letters pour into the house through every opening, however small, and to escape this, Vernon Dursley takes the family to a lonely island. As they are settling in, Hagrid bursts through the door to tell Harry what the Dursleys have kept from him: Harry is a wizard and has been accepted at Hogwarts for the next year.

Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley, a magically-concealed shopping precinct in London, where Harry is bewildered to discover how famous he is among wizards as "the boy who lived." He also finds that in the wizarding world he is quite wealthy, since a bequest from his parents has remained on deposit at Gringotts Bank. Guided by Hagrid, he buys the books and equipment he needs for Hogwarts - and finds that the only wand that works well for him is effectively the twin of Voldemort's.

A month later, Harry leaves the Dursleys' home to catch the Hogwarts Express from King's Cross railway station. There he is befriended by the Weasley family, who show him how to pass through the magical wall to Platform 9¾, where the train is waiting. While on the train Harry makes friends with Ron Weasley, who tells him that someone tried to rob a vault at Gringotts. Another new pupil, Draco Malfoy, accompanied by his beefy sidekicks Crabbe and Goyle, offers to advise Harry, but Harry dislikes Draco's arrogance and prejudices.

Before the term's first dinner in the school's Great Hall, the new pupils are allocated to houses by the magical Sorting Hat. The Hat assigns most pupils instantly – particularly when sending Draco, Crabbe and Goyle to Slytherin – but has a telepathic discussion with Harry about whether the boy's ambition would make Slytherin the best choice for him. When Harry silently but vehemently objects, the Hat sends him to join the Weasleys in Gryffindor. While Harry is relaxing after dinner, Professor Snape glares at him and he feels a stab of pain in the scar Voldemort left on his forehead.

After a traumatic first Potions lesson with Snape, Harry and Ron visit Hagrid, who lives in a rustic house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There they learn that the attempted robbery at Gringotts happened around the time that Harry was withdrawing some money, and Harry remembers Hagrid leaving the bank with a small package.

During the new pupils' first flying lesson, Neville Longbottom breaks his wrist and Draco takes advantage to throw the forgetful Neville's fragile Remembrall high in the air. Harry gives chase on his broomstick, catching the Remembrall inches from the ground. Professor McGonagall dashes out and appoints him as Gryffindor's new Seeker.<1>

Draco tricks Ron and Harry into a midnight excursion, and Neville and the bossy Hermione Granger accompany the pair to keep them out of trouble. All four accidentally enter a forbidden corridor and find a room containing a huge three-headed dog. The group beats a hasty retreat, and only Hermione notices that the dog is standing over a trap-door. Harry concludes that the monster guards the package Hagrid retrieved from Gringotts.

After Ron criticises Hermione's ostentatious proficiency in Charms, she hides in tears in the girls' toilet. Professor Quirrell reports that a troll has entered the dungeons. While everyone else is evacuating the building, Harry and Ron rush to warn Hermione. The troll corners Hermione in the toilet but, while Harry stabs it with his wand, Ron knocks out the troll with its own club, using the levitation spell Hermione demonstrated in Charms. When a posse of professors arrives, Hermione takes the blame for the battle and becomes a firm friend of the two boys.

The evening before Harry's first Quidditch match, he sees Snape receiving medical attention from Filch for a bite by the three-headed dog. During the game, Harry's broomstick goes out of control, endangering his life, and Hermione notices that Snape is staring at Harry and muttering. She dashes over to the Professors' stand, knocking over Professor Quirrel in her haste, and sets fire to Snape's robe. Harry regains control of his broomstick and catches the Golden Snitch, winning the game for Gryffindor. Hagrid refuses to believe that Snape was responsible for Harry's danger, but lets slip that he bought the three-headed dog, and that the monster is guarding a secret that belongs to Professor Dumbledore and someone called Nicolas Flamel.

Harry and the Weasleys stay at Hogwarts for Christmas, and one of Harry's presents, from an anonymous donor, is an Invisibility Cloak. Harry uses the Cloak to search the library's Restricted Section for information about the mysterious Flamel, has to evade Snape and Filch after an enchanted book shrieks an alarm, and slips into a room containing the Mirror of Erised, which shows his parents and several of their ancestors. Harry becomes addicted to the Mirror's visions and is rescued by Professor Dumbledore, who explains that it shows what the viewer most desperately longs for.

When the rest of the pupils return for the next term, Draco plays a prank on Neville, and Harry consoles Neville with a sweet. The collectible card wrapped with the sweet explains that Flamel is a 665 year-old alchemist who possesses the only known Philosopher's Stone, from which can be extracted an elixir of life. A few days later Harry notices Snape sneaking towards the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. There he half-hears a furtive conversation about the Philosopher's Stone, in which Snape asks Professor Quirrell if he has found a way past the three-headed dog and menacingly tells Quirrell to decide whose side he is on. Harry concludes that Snape is trying to steal the Stone and Quirrell has prepared a series of defences for it.

The three friends discover that Hagrid is raising a baby dragon, which is against wizard law, and arrange to smuggle it out of the country around midnight. Draco arrives, hoping to raise the alarm and get them into trouble, and Neville comes to warn them of Draco's mischief. Although Ron is bitten by the dragon and is to the infirmary, Harry and Hermione spirit the dragon safely away. However, they are caught, and Harry loses the Invisibility Cloak. As part of their punishment, Harry, Hermione, Draco and Neville are compelled to help Hagrid to rescue a badly-injured unicorn in the Forbidden Forest. They split into two parties, and Harry and Draco find the unicorn dead, surrounded by its blood. A hooded figure crawls to the corpse and drinks the blood, while Draco screams and flees. The hooded figure moves towards Harry, who is knocked out by an agonising pain spreading from his scar. When Harry regains consciousness, the hooded figure has gone and a centaur, Firenze, offers to give him a ride back to the school. The centaur tells Harry that drinking a unicorn's blood will save the life of a mortally injured person, but leave them only barely alive. Firenze suggests Voldemort drank the unicorn's blood to gain enough strength to make the elixir of life from the Philosopher's Stone, and regain full health by drinking that. On his return, Harry finds that someone has slipped the Invisibility Cloak under his sheets.

A few weeks later, while relaxing after the end-of-session examinations, Harry suddenly wonders how something as illegal as a dragon's egg came into Hagrid's possession. The gamekeeper says he was given it by a hooded stranger who bought him several drinks and asked him how to get past the three-headed dog, which Hagrid admits is easy – music sends it to sleep. Realising that one of the Philosopher's Stone's defences is no longer secure, Harry goes to inform Professor Dumbledore, only to find that the headmaster has just left for an important meeting. Harry concludes that Snape faked the message that called Dumbledore away and will try to steal the Stone that night.

Covered by the Invisibility Cloak, Harry and his two friends go to the three-headed dog's chamber, where Harry sends the beast to sleep by playing a flute. After lifting the trap-door, they encounter a series of obstacles, each of which requires special skills possessed by one of the three, and one of which requires Ron to sacrifice himself. In the final room Harry, now alone, finds Quirrell, who binds his hands and feet tightly with magical ropes. Quirrell admits that he let in the troll that tried to kill Hermione in the toilet, and that he tried to kill Harry during the first Quidditch match but was knocked over by Hermione. Snape had been trying to protect Harry and suspected Quirrell. Quirrell serves Voldemort and, after failing to steal the Philosopher's Stone from Gringotts, allowed his master to possess him in order to improve their chances of success. However the only other object in the room is the Mirror of Erised, and Quirrell can see no sign of the Stone. At Voldemort's bidding, Quirrel unties Harry and forces him to stand in front of the Mirror. Harry feels the Stone drop into his pocket and tries to stall. Quirrell removes his turban, revealing the face of Voldemort on the back of his head. Voldemort/Quirrell tries to grab the Stone from Harry, but simply touching Harry causes Quirrell's flesh to burn. After further struggles Harry passes out.

He awakes in the school hospital, where Professor Dumbledore tells him that he survived because his mother sacrificed her life to protect him, and Voldemort could not understand the power of such love. Voldemort left Quirrell to die, and is likely to return by some other means. Dumbledore had foreseen that the Mirror would show Voldemort/Quirrell only themselves making the elixir of life, as they wanted to use the Philosopher's Stone; Harry was able to see the Stone in the Mirror because he wanted to find it but not to use it. The Stone has now been destroyed.

Harry returns to the Dursleys for the summer holiday, but does not tell them that underage wizards are forbidden to use magic outside Hogwarts.

<source: Wikipedia>

Characters/People edit see section history

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Harry James Potter: The eleven-year-old protagonist of the story, loyal and kind hearted and is known in the wizarding world as 'The Boy Who Lived'. He has black, ruffled hair that remains permanently untidy, just like his father's. He wears glasses, is thin, and has his mother's green eyes, but everything else about Harry looks like his father. A more notable feature is a scar located on his forehead, which resembles a bolt of lightning. He lives with the meanest people on earth, his Aunt Petunia and his Uncle Vernon. He is a Gryffindor first-year.
Hermione Granger: She is a young girl with long brown hair. She comes from a family of muggles witch is a family that does not do magic. When she get older she get an invited to got to Hogwarts school of magic. She becomes friends with Ron and harry.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore: He is the wise headmaster of Hogwarts, though he is considered mad by some. He is considered one of the greatest wizards ever. He is the only one that Voldemorts fears. He is a bit cracked but funny and wise.
Ginny Molly Weasley: Ron Weasly's younger sister.
Ron Weasley: He is one of Harry's best friends. He has red hair and freckles as do all members of his family. He is in the Gryffindor house. He has 5 brothers and 1 sister, he is the second-to-last born. He owns a pet rat named Scabbers.
Draco Malfoy: He is basically Harry, Ron, and Hemione's sworn enemy. He is put in the Slytherin house.
Lord Voldemort (aka Tom Riddle, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, You-Know-Who): Lord Voldemort was the greatest dark wizard in Harry's time; he attempted to kill Harry as an infant and was only able to leave a scar before disappearing.
Professor Severus Snape: He is Head of Slytherin House and Potions teacher at Hogwarts. He has black hair. Most people dislike him, except for the Slytherin House, who he favors. He hates Harry.
Vincent Crabbe: He is one of Malfoy's followers, and he is very strong and muscular but he lacks intelligence. He is a Slytherin first-year.
Peeves: He is the poltergeist at Hogwarts who enjoys playing pranks on the students and to leave messes for Filch to clean up. He is only afraid of the Bloody Baron.
Neville Longbottom: Neville is a timid and forgetful character with a round face who is often bullied.
Professor Minerva McGonagall: She is Head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts. She takes the place of Headmistress whenever Dumbledore is required to leave the castle.
Professor Quirrell: He is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who has a stutter and is often seen as very uncomfortable and awkward. He wears a huge turban that emits a strange smell.
Vernon Dursley: not important
Petunia Dursley: She is Harry's maternal aunt and hates Harry just as much as her Vernon, her husband, does. She spoils her son Dudley and dotes on him just as much as she neglects Harry.
Dudley Dursley: He is Harry's cousin, which he hates because he is a spoiled brat who gets whatever he wants. He is blond and described as fat as a pig. He is so spoiled that he cried when he didn't get enough presents for Christmas.
Percy Weasley: He is Ron's third oldest brother who is a Gryffindor prefect and in his fifth year at Hogwarts. He's rather pompous, and Fred and George love to tease him.
Oliver Wood: The Gryffindor Quiddich captain and keeper, who is often noted for his strong enthusiasm on the grueling training sessions he giives.
Fred Weasley: George's twin and therefore Ron's brother. A person who loves making trouble. One of the Wesley children. In Gryffindor.
George Weasley: He is Fred Weasley's twin brother and one of Ron's older brothers. He also loves getting in trouble. He, like all the Weasleys', is in the Griffindor house.
Charlie Weasley: Add a description of this character.
William 'Bill' Weasley: Ron's older brother that works at Gringotts.
Firenze: A young, atypical centaur who lives in the forest near Hagrid's House, has white-blond hair and a palomino body.
Filius Flitwick: He is the Charms teacher at Hogwarts and Head of Ravenclaw House. He's very tiny with wispy white hair and a squeaky voice.
Seamus Finnigan: Seamus is a minor character. Friend to Harry and resides in the Gryffindor House.
Madam Hooch: She teaches Quidditch lessons at Hogwarts and referees the school's Quidditch matches
Madam Poppy Pomfrey: She is the nurse at Hogwarts; anyone who is injured or sick is always taken to her. She is very skilled in healing and is often protective of her patients.
Gregory Goyle: He is one of Malfoy's followers. He is very muscular and is incredibly dumb. He is a Slytherin first-year.
Argus Filch: He is the sneaky caretaker of Hogwarts, who has a sub-helper in his cat, Mrs. Norris. He enjoys getting students into trouble.
Griphook: not important
Mrs. Figg: She is a neighbour of Harry Potter in Privet Drive. Harry is left with her whenever the Dursleys go somewhere without him. He tends to dread visiting her because she is a typical "crazy cat lady" and talks to him constantly about her feline companions.
Madam Pince: She is the librarian at Hogwarts.
Marcus Flint
Rubeus Hagrid
Mrs. Weasley
Hannah
Auntie Marge
Mrs. Norris
Trevor
Madam Malkin
Mr. Ollivander
Mr. Baron
Chaser Angelina Johnson
Mrs. Potter
Lee Jordan
Norbert
Doris Crockford
Nearly Headless Nick
Dean Thomas
Nicolas Flamel
Ronan
Harry Potter
Algie
Dedalus Diggle
Parvati Patil
Fang
Aunt Petunia
Binns
Hedwig
James Potter
Lily

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Quotes edit see section history

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“It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.”
Albus Dumbledore
“This boy will be famous. There won't be a child in our world that won't know his name. There will be books about him, he will be a legend.”
Minerva McGonagall
“Scars can come in useful. I have one myself above my left knee which is a perfect map of the London Underground.”
Albus Dumbledore
“Ah, yes,' he said softly, 'Harry Potter. Our new — celebrity.”
Severus Snape
“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,' he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. 'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses ... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”
Severus Snape
“I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled.”
Hermione Granger
“There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that Harry.”
Albus Dumbledore
“There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it.”
Lord Voldemort
“What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat.”
Albus Dumbledore
“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
Albus Dumbledore
“Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”
Albus Dumbledore
“I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woollen socks”
Albus Dumbledore
“"Me?" said Hermione. "Books and cleverness! There are more important things-friendship and bravery-oh Harry-be careful!"”
Hermione Granger
“We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!”
George Weasley
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”
Albus Dumbledore
“Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel. Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.”
Book
“The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick”
Harry Potter
“The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban.”
Book
“No wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry. He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?”
Ron Weasley
“"The Truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and therefore should be treated with great caution."”
Albus Dumbledore
“Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
Albus Dumbledore
“It shows us nothing more or less, than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts”
Albus Dumbledore
“Hanging around on a day like this, people will think you're up to something.”
Severus Snape
“What do you see when you look in the mirror?”
Albus Dumbledore
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
Albus Dumbledore
“RON!”
Harry Potter

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

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This Harry Potter tale takes place in modern day England. The world is divided between wizards, such as Harry Potter, and Muggles (who have no magical ability). Young wizards are sent to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the lovely English countryside where they are educated in the magical arts. Much of the story takes place at Hogwarts.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: The school for young wizards in England and Ireland. The school is a beautiful castle located somewhere in Scotland.
London, England: A few parts of the Harry Potter story take place in London, the largest city in England.
Number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey: The home of the Dursleys, Harry's relatives.
Gringotts Wizarding Bank: The bank in the wizarding world controlled by goblins.
Diagon Alley: The wizarding alley where Harry buys his school supplies.
The Leaky Cauldron: A famous pub in Diagon Alley.
The Forbidden Forest: A dark and mystic forest on the Hogwarts grounds that is home to many terrifying creatures.
Hagrid's Hut: The home of the childrens' favorite grounds keeper and his dog Fang.
Platform nine and three quarters

Organizations edit see section history

Gryffindor: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Godric Gryffindor. Its emblematic animal is the lion and its colours are scarlet and gold. Minerva McGonagall is the most recent Head of House. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as "Nearly Headless Nick" is the house ghost. The particular characteristics of students Sorted into Gryffindor are courage and chivalry, of which the lion is the symbol.
Slytherin: One of the four Houses at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and is traditionally home to students who exhibit such traits as cunning and ambition. Its emblematic animal is the snake and its colours are green and silver. Founded by Salazar Slytherin, the house is comprised mostly of pure-blood students, due to its founder's mistrust of Muggle-born witches and wizards. The house has a negative reputation, with many claiming that it is the source of most Dark Wizards in Britain, notably Tom Marvolo Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, as well as many of his Death Eaters.
Ravenclaw: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. Members of this house are characterised by their intelligence and cleverness. Its house colours are blue and bronze, and its symbol is the eagle. The house ghost, who in life was the daughter of the house's founder Rowena Ravenclaw, is the Grey Lady. Many great wizards and witches have come from this house, including Filius Flitwick and Luna Lovegood.
Hufflepuff: One of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Its founder was the Medieval witch Helga Hufflepuff. The Head of Hufflepuff is Pomona Sprout. The Fat Friar is the House's patron ghost. Hufflepuff is the most inclusive among the four houses, valuing hard work, patience, friendship and fair play rather than a particular aptitude in its members. Its emblematic animal is the badger, and yellow and black are its colours.

First Sentence edit see section history

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of Number Four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

Table of Contents edit see section history

1. The Boy Who Lived
2. The Vanishing Glass
3. The Letters from No One
4. The Keeper of the Keys
5. Diagon Alley
6. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-quarters
7. The Sorting Hat
8. The Potions Master
9. The Midnight Duel
10. Halloween
11. Quidditch
12. The Mirror of Erised
13. Nicolas Flamel
14. Norbert The Norwegian Ridgeback
15. The Forbidden Forest
16. Through the Trapdoor
17. The Man with Two Faces

Glossary edit see section history

Muggle: A human who does not exhibit magical talents
Mudblood: An offensive term for a wizard or witch who was 'muggle-born' or not born into a wizarding family
Animagi: Wizards who can turn themselves into animals at will. The singular form is animagus
Apparate/Disapparate: To transport oneself instantly to any destination. Apparating is difficult and must not be done without a license from the Department of Magical Transportation. There is a danger of splinching (leaving behind a body part).
Auror: Professional Dark-wizard-catcher, employed by the Ministry of Magic.
Azkaban: Prison fortress where wizarding criminals are sent. Guarded day and night by the terrifying Dementors, who drain peace, hope and happiness out of any human who comes too close to them
Charm: NOT the same as spells. They are normally helpful, household incantations.
Quidditch: A wizarding game played on broomsticks. Each team has 7 players: 3 chasers, 2 beaters, 1 keeper, and a seeker. The chaser passes the quaffle (the main ball, about the size of a soccer ball, big and red) and shoots in the goals. The beaters hit balls called bludgers that are enchanted to follow players and knock them off their brooms. The beaters knock the bludgers away from their teammates, and back towards the other team. The seeker is supposed to search for the snitch (a small, walnut-sized golden ball with wings). It is extremely hard to catch, but when the seeker does, his or her team win 150 points and ends the game.
Squib: A Squib is a non-magical person who is born to at least one magical parent. Squibs are, in essence, the antithesis of Muggle-born wizards and witches. They are rare and are looked upon with some degree of disdain by some witches and wizards, particularly pure-bloods.
Parseltongue: Someone who can talk to snakes. Usually associated with Dark wizards, but there are exceptions (such as Harry Potter). Lord Voldemort is the greatest Parsel-tongue speaking wizard known.
The Ministry of Magic: The organization that runs the wizarding community, headed by Cornelius Fudge (Dumbledore has been offered this position many times, but has refused it and stays the headmaster of Hogwarts). Consists of different departments, such as Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department, or the Auror Department.

Show all 11 glossary entries

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

Errata edit see section history

Book 1 Mistakes

• In Book 1, on page 27 (American paperback), it mentions that the snake in the zoo winked at Harry. Harry can't be blamed for being so surprised, as snakes don't have movable eyelids.

• When Hagrid comes and gets Harry out of the little hut on the rock, they use the boat that the Dursleys used to get to the rock. So how do the Dursleys get off the rock?

• On Harry's equipment list in the letter from Hogwarts, "1 wand" is listed twice. This was corrected quickly and only appears in the earlier versions.

• Harry's letter from Hogwarts says he may bring a cat, an owl, or a toad, but Ron brings his rat, Scabbers.

• Arguable: When Hagrid brought Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time, Harry heard a woman say "Seventeen sickles an ounce for Dragon Liver. They're mad." But Hagrid told Harry that there were seventeen sickles in a galleon. So that would be like saying "100 pennies" instead of a dollar. Think of it this way: if the Dragon Liver weighed three pounds, a galleon (or for our purposes, a dollar) per ounce is quite a lot of money.

• Harry buys the book One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, but later in the book it says Harry looked up 'dittany' in One Hundred Magical Herbs and Fungi.

• In Chapter 7, page 122, it says that Harry looked up at the Sorting Stool, there were only three people left to be sorted, Professor McGonagall calls the names of four more people instead.

• On page 123, in the chapter "The Sorting Hat," Nearly Headless Nick says that he hasn't eaten in "nearly four hundred years"; but in the second book, Harry goes to Nick's 500th Deathday Party, meaning that Nearly Headless Nick has been dead for 500 years, not 400.

• On the fourth paragraph of page 133, it says that Hermione lent Harry Quidditch Through the Ages: "She had also lent him Quidditch Through the Ages, which turned out to be a very interesting read." On page 46, paragraph three of QTTA, it says "The most successful Japanese team, The Toyohashi Tengu, narrowly missed a win over Lithuania's Gorodok gargoyles in 1994." However, Harry borrows QTTA in Book 1, which is set in 1991.

• On page 153 of the hard-cover US version of Sorcerer's Stone, Fred says: "We haven't won <the Quidditch Cup> since Charlie left..." However, according to JKR, Charlie is three years older than Percy (who is in his 5th year at the time), so Charlie should still have been in Hogwarts the year before. This makes Fred's statement "We haven't won since last year!"

• On pages 274-275 of the hardback American edition of Sorcerer's Stone, the trio, who are coming from Gryffindor Tower, go up two flights of stairs to get to the third floor. Gryffindor Tower is on the 7th floor, so they should have gone down, not up.

• At the beginning of the chess match, Ron is the knight in the giant chess set. However, it later says that he had to 'move ahead one' so the Queen could take him, opening the path for Harry to checkmate the king. If he was a knight, he could only move 1) ahead one, sideways two, or 2) ahead two, sideways one, like an "L."

• On pages 297 and 302 in the paperback version of Sorcerer's Stone, Dumbledore said that he and Hermione's owl crossed in mid-air. However, on page 302, Hermione said that they ran into Dumbledore on the way to the Owlery to send him the owl.

• On page 205 of the UK SS, Ron says, "Well Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go next to him instead of that castle." But the castle is next to the knight, not the bishop.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 1 of 7 in Harry Potter. (standard series)

Followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

This is book 3 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)

This is book 2 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)

This book is in Book Lover's Cook Book, The. (authoritative list)

This is book 685 of 985 in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. (authoritative list)

This is book 9 of 95 in Estrela do Mar. (community list)

This book is in Best Fantasy Books. (community list)

This book is in Significant Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror). (community list)

This is book 1 of 100 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. (authoritative list)

This is book 3 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)

This is book 22 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)

This is book 1 of 11 in Harry Potter Universe. (universe)

This book is in Kirkus Reviews: Oh-So-British Fantasies For Children. (authoritative list)

This book is in Random Synapses: 100 Book Reading Challenge (2011). (community list)

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)

This is book 2 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 3 of 145 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 4 of 216 in Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 (2011). (authoritative list)

This is book 2 of 30 in Top selling 100 books 1998-2010 (Guardian). (authoritative list)

This is book 48 of 100 in ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 1990-1999. (authoritative list)

This is book 22 of 82 in BBC "Big Read" Top 100 Novels. (authoritative list)

This is book 6 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

J. K. Rowling (Author)

Other Contributors:

Mary GrandPré (Illustrator) - An American illustrator, best known for her illustrations in the US editions of the Harry Potter books
Thomas Taylor (Illustrator) - The United Kingdom illustrator
Alicia Dellepiane (Translator)
Isabel Fraga (Translator) - Revisão de texto de Isabel Nunes. Portuguese translator for Portugal.
Jakob J. Kenda (Translator) - Slovenian translator
Stephen Fry (Narrator) - Narrator of the English language audio books.
Torstein Bugge Høverstad (Translator) - Norwegian translator
Jean-François Ménard (Translator) - English to French.

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: June 30, 1997
ISBN: 0747532699
Page Count: 223

Awards edit see section history

British Book Awards (1998: The Children's Book of the Year, Winner)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Finalist, 1999: Children's Literature)
Birmingham Cable Children’s Book Award (1997)
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award (1999: Middle Grade Readers, Winner)
American Booksellers Book Sense Book of the Year (ABBY) Award (1999: Children, Winner)
Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize in Children's Literature (1997-1998, Winner)
Arizona Young Readers' Award (2000: Middle School, Winner)
Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware) (2001: Chapter Book, Winner)
Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (Colorado) (2001, Winner)
Charlotte Award (New York) (2000: Young Adult, Winner)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (2001, Winner)
Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (2000: Middle/Junior High, Winner)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan) (2001: Grades 6-8, Winner)
Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Wyoming) (2000, Winner)
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (2001, Winner)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2000: Grades 4-6, Winner)
Nene Award (Hawaii) (2000, Winner)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Illinois) (2001, Winner)
Sasquatch Reading Award (Washington) (2000, Winner)
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Wyoming) (2000: Grades 7-12, 1st Runner-Up)
South Carolina Junior Book Award (2001, Winner)
West Virginia Children's Book Award (2001, Winner)

Show all 22 awards

Classification edit see section history

Library of Congress: PZ7.R79835
Dewey: 813.R88

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Book contains magic and scary villains, it is thrill-a-minute story, the first in the Harry Potter series, respects kids' intelligence and motivates children to tackle its greater length and complexity, play imaginative games, and try to solve its logic puzzles. It's the lightest in the series, but it still has some scary stuff for sensitive readers: a three-headed dog, an attacking troll, a violent life-size chess board, a hooded figure over a dead and bleeding unicorn, as well as a discussion of how Harry's parents died years ago.