Summary
Contains major spoilers
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) is the first title in the Harry Potter book series by British author J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter, an orphan reluctantly taken in and then treated like an outcast by his grisly aunt and uncle, seems like an ordinary boy—aside from the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. One day, mysterious letters, marked with a purple wax seal and a large letter “H,” start dropping on the doormat of the Dursley home, where he lives in a cupboard under the stairs. On Harry’s 11th birthday, a beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with astonishing news—Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone begins the incredible adventures of the Boy Who Lived and the fulfillment of his destiny in the hidden world of magic. The success of this first book launched a global phenomenon. The Harry Potter books have now sold over 600 million copies in 85 languages, been listened to as audiobooks for over one billion hours and made into eight smash hit movies, and inspired theme park attractions. J.K. Rowling’s saga of the boy wizard continues to be discovered and loved by new generations of readers.
Themes
Self-discovery and identity
Importance of choices
Power of love and sacrifice
Friendship and loyalty
Bravery and courage
Setting
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is set primarily in the late 1990s in both the ordinary “Muggle” world of the United Kingdom and the secret community of witches and wizards. Harry Potter lives in a cupboard under the stairs at number four, Privet Drive, the suburban home of his aunt and uncle. However, most of the story takes place within the hidden wizarding world, particularly at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the boarding school where Harry is accepted as a student of magic.
Key wizarding world locations include Diagon Alley, the main shopping street for wizarding supplies, which is accessed in London via a wall near the Leaky Cauldron pub. The Hogwarts Express train, boarded through a barrier at the enchanted Platform 9¾, takes Harry and fellow students between London's King's Cross Station and the remote, mystical village of Hogsmeade, where the school is situated inside an ancient castle. The extensive castle grounds contain the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch, and greenhouses for Herbology. Hogwarts itself is divided into four houses—Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
