Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone
by J.K. Rowling
Product Details
Format: Audio book
Reader: Jim Dale
Point: The author leads you through the struggles and adventures of a normal teenage boy in an abnormal world. A misunderstood, unbelieved, and constantly picked on boy can come out on top.
Path: A small, clumsy, ignored young man, Harry Potter finds out that he is different. He is out of place and unwanted in the world of “muggles,” but in the world of magic he is known and respected by all. This young man enters the world of magic, finds friends, and faces his fears and enemies.
Agreement: The story has interesting imaginative work and you are kept in suspense the whole time. The characters were better developed than most other current works for this age group.
Disagreement: The most frustrating aspect is that Harry Potter is a clear picture of teenagers today, yet is held as an example. He feels what most most teenagers feel (alone, misunderstood, under appreciated) and acts as too many do today (sneaky, deceptive, disrespectful, disobedient). Instead of giving an example of how he can change and do right, he is basically presented as doing what was wrong in a particular instance so he could do what was right in the long run.
As for the whole magic emphasis, I am not planning on buying a broomstick, owl, or wand. You can read the positives and negatives on Andrew Peterson’s post and Dr. Bauder’s essays.
Stars: 3 out of 5
I don’t think it was worth another read. There are so many other better books out there that at least encourage change.