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

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• Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  (Harry Potter #1)
• Author: J.K. Rowling
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication Date:  June 30, 1997 
• Pages: 223
• Genre: Fantasy
• Recommended Age: 9+
• First Read: 2006
• Source: Gift 
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

I've read this book and this series more times than I can count, to the point that I can quote (pretty accurately) the entire first chapter of each book because Harry Potter is an institution unto itself. 

This entire series has grown up with me, ever since I first read them when I was eight years old and it feels only right that I write a review on perhaps the greatest book series that mankind has ever come out with. Because Harry Potter and his friends, and even his enemies, not only taught me about the magic of love, loyalty, friendship, but they further fostered my love for reading. So indirectly, this blog is here today because of of the line,

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

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No Dursleys, thank you for giving Harry a childhood fraught with challenges that taught him to overcome the hardships he faces later in life. Because of the Dursleys, I learned an infinite amount of lessons: that normal wasn't always better, that not all people are beyond hope, and most importantly that mail does not arrive every day.

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Everything about this book was well, magical because who can't love invisible cloaks, chocolate frogs, magic wands, and a sport with flying broomsticks? The language is simple yet conveys so much and that's what makes this series so amazingly successful; children are able to learn from Harry's world without realizing it at first, yet they take away with them lessons that will last them a lifetime.

"Words, in my not so humble opinion, are our most inexhaustible source of magic"

I can't help but smile as I write this because it feels as if I am opening up Harry's world for the first time, meeting Ron, Hermoine, Fred, George, Neville, and Malfoy for the first time. And for those who say, that these are children's books, then they are right, but for those who say that only children can enjoy them, then I must say that they are sorely mistaken. Do not feel as if you are "too old" for Harry and his friends because all great stories do not have an age limit. When I started the series, the trio looked like this:

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And I have grown up with them, so it is as if the stories are growing with me, changing to fit the context of my life, as these stories will do to all who delve into them.

In this first book of course, we are introduced to the magic, where we first come upon King's Cross, Diagon Alley, and the famous Hogwarts Castle, which are all described in such rich detail that I feel like I have been along for the ride the entire time, which, in a way, I have. I especially love the moment where Harry's wand first chooses him. I think it perfectly sums up the entire series because it captures all the feelings everyone feels throughout the entirety of the series.

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Here I am, talking about the entire series when it's only the first book! But this book is my second favorite in the series, second only to The Goblet of Fire, if that says anything. I love this book so much because it is the gateway to a world I have never fully left and was the one that introduced me to a brand of magic that  I am able to access, all by just turning a few pages.

As for my Hogwarts letter? Well, I'm still waiting for it, though it's been years since my 11th birthday. I'm convinced it was lost in the mail somewhere and it will eventually find its way to me, because "things we lose always have a way of coming back to us," to quote the admirable Luna Lovegood.