Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 1997 ghosts book written by J. K. Rowling.
An orphan named Harry Potter, raised in a cupboard under the stairs by relatives who despise him, learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and that a school called Hogwarts has been expecting him. J. K. Rowling's first book is a tour of that world, moving staircases, a sorting hat, a game played on flying broomsticks, wrapped around the mystery of a hidden stone and the dark wizard who wants it. It reads young and moves fast. It is the door most modern readers walked through into fantasy.
Quick answers
What is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone about?
An orphan named Harry Potter, raised in a cupboard under the stairs by relatives who despise him, learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard and that a school called Hogwarts has been expecting him. J. K. Rowling's first book is a tour of that world, moving staircases, a sorting hat, a game played on flying broomsticks, wrapped around the mystery of a hidden stone and the dark wizard who wants it. It reads young and moves fast. It is the door most modern readers walked through into fantasy.
When was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone published?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997.
Who made Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was written by J. K. Rowling.
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A few thoughts on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J. K. Rowling walked a generation through this door into fantasy. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes the same magical world-building somewhere darker as a game, and Stranger Things carries its band-of-kids-versus-dark-magic spirit to screen.
Watch the Harry Potter films after reading the book
Read the book, then watch the wizarding world arrive on screen. This runs from Chris Columbus's faithful first film through the darker later chapters, plus the new television take and a magic-boarding-school mystery in a similar key. The best way to see Hogwarts after you have imagined it.
Friendly ghost stories for younger readers
Hogwarts comes with its own ghosts drifting through the corridors, and young readers who loved that can meet friendlier spirits here. Playful hauntings, a ghost you can dial up, and spooky-but-cosy tales sized for newer readers. Gentle chills in the spirit of Nearly Headless Nick.
Ghost lore and haunted-house tales to read by torchlight
For readers who want the eerie side of the wizarding world without the wands, these collect ghost lore and haunted-place tales. Real reported hauntings, regional ghost stories and a classic spooky poem, the kind of reading to do by torchlight. More shiver than spell.