Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I've decided to delve back into my personal library and re-read the entire Harry Potter series. I'm doing this for two reasons. One, because I don't have a lot of money. Why should that matter? Well, I'm the kind of person that likes to buy the books he reads. I know that's kind of ridiculous. But the thing is, I always kind of envisioned growing up and having a room in my home that I could call my library. Not that I want to have some kind of palatial estate with a library, a conservatory, and secret passages. Okay, I want secret passages. Anyway, I'm kind of broke more often than not, so I can't really afford to buy any new books. The other reason is that the final movies in the series are coming out soon, so I'd like to be reminded of how awesome the stories are before I pay money to be disappointed by the film adaptations of the last book.

That being said, I re-read the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. This is the book that started it all. Kids across the country and around the world were introduced to Harry Potter, the boy who lived. We, the Muggles, learned about the world of magic and about Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. We learned that the magic folk were terrorized for years by an evil dark wizard known as (name deleted for security reasons).

What? Security reasons? Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself. Voldemort! His name was Voldemort. If Harry Potter can say the name, so can I! Mostly because they're all fictional characters and I'm not afraid of things that don't exist.

Anyway, Harry's this kid who was kind of given a raw deal. As an infant, his parents were killed by Voldemort. And the dark wizard tried to kill Harry as well, but for some reason, he couldn't. So Harry survived with only a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead to remind him of the night that he was too young to even remember. Once this happens, Harry is sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who treat him like a thing, not a person.

Ten years later, Harry learns the truth about who he is. And he learns that the evil wizard that killed his family and attempted to kill him is still out there and trying to regain his power. But Harry, being the hero of the story, manages to stop Voldemort from succeeding in his evil plans.

So it's a pretty good story. It's got action, it's got drama, it's got humor. It's quite entertaining. And you know, I really don't think it's as evil as some people like to believe. It's pretty much fictional. Kind of like The Wizard of Oz. And there are six books that follow this one. The next one is my least favorite of the series. I guess I'll have to choke my way through it though.