Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Essay

First published in England in 1997 as chafe ceramist and the Philosophers rock-and-roll, the criminal record quickly became wildly popular. The next year saw its publication in the United States, this time titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerers St bingle, receiving critical acclaim and several(prenominal) awards. I would rate this book 9 on a scale of 10. Both the Carnegie ornamentation and the Newberry Medal awards consider plot and character development when judging books. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone clearly meets those criteria. As the novel unfolds, the reader discovers the information about the wizarding world along with Harry.Characters grow and grow more than flat stereotypes Hermiones change from bossy know-it-all to genuine friend and partner-in-crime is just one example. The dialogue between characters is believable and Harrys inner thoughts serve as further definition without slowing down the action. The novel is long in getting started, which makes sense be cause the author has to set up a story that will continue over six more books. New readers just turn over to make sure they keep reading and not quit out of boredom. The illustrations at the beginning of each(prenominal) chapter are good for prompting the readers imagination.I would have liked to have seen a few more scenes with illustrations, however. Among them would be a drawing of the Sorting Hat, perhaps as it sat on Harrys head an illustration of the dead unicorn in the forest with the frightening creature intoxication the blood and a picture of at least one of the scenes of the children getting past the spells guarding the stone. The chess hazard would have made an interesting illustration. Besides Mary Grandpre, I think Ludwig Bemelmans, who wrote and illustrated the Madeline books, would have done a good job with Harry Potter.His style of pen and ink drawings are simple yet assume a lot of detail and would fit the tone of J. K. Rowlings books. The first Harry Potter bo ok as well as all the subsequent books were huge best-sellers. In fact, it was this series that prompted the New York generation to create a separate list for childrens books since Harry Potter monopolized space on the live top-ten list. But beyond popularity, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone is a classic childrens book because of its story.The book incorporates a common theme of good vs.evil with humor, fast-paced action and relatable characters. hallucination and magic also resonate with children, and Rowlings books will surely join those of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkein as favorites for generations of children. This book makes elongation to numerous other works. Dumbledore is a member of the Order of Merlin, an allusion to the King Arthur myth. Goblins and trolls populate the folk and fairy tales of more cultures. The vampire that Professor Quirrell comes from Dracula and werewolves go all the way back to Ovid.Fluffy, the three-headed dog is based upon hellhound in Gr eek mythology. The mirror of Erised is similar to the magic mirror in Snow White or the titular looking-glass that Alice stumbles through. Finally, of course, is the medieval legend of the philosophers stone and the French alchemist, Nicolas Flamel. Although the U. S. publisher changed the name of the book intellection that American readers would be unfamiliar with the philosophers stone, the book kept to the highest degree of its English-ness.Foremost is the concept of embarkation school, which is much less common in the U.S. Along with that, Hogwarts has houses, prefects and Head Boys, all similar to Eton College and other British public schools. The robes that Harry and his friends wear are like the robes worn at Oxford and Cambridge. But what makes Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone quintessentially British is the lack of adolescentage drama found in most American books for children and young adults. Harry and his friends face challenges from , but they never have to deal w ith underage drinking, teen pregnancy, drugs or gangs.