It is a wonderful book. I enjoyed it soo much !
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Magical start of bestselling Potter phenomenon.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 9 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was written by Tara L. Rivera
Parents need to know that this thrill-a-minute story, the first in the Harry Potter series, respects kids' intelligence and motivates children to tackle its greater length and complexity, play imaginative games, and try to solve its logical puzzles. It's the lightest in the series, but it still has some scary stuff for sensitive readers: a three-headed dog, an attacking troll, a violent life-size chess board, a hooded figure over a dead and bleeding unicorn, as well as a discussion of how Harry's parents died years ago.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about Harry's new magical world and how it compares to the drudgeries he's been enduring at Number 4 Privet Drive. Which elements of the magical world did you like best -- and would you feel right at home as a wizard-in-training? Would you like to take a pet to school every day -- and, if so, which pet would you choose? What's the significance or Harry's scar, and why can't Voldemort touch Harry?
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More on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Book Summary
Harry's magical parents were killed by the evil wizard Voldemort when he was just a baby. Miraculously, he survives with only a lightning-bolt scar as a mysterious reminder. Harry is taken to live with his nasty relatives -- muggles, or non-wizards -- who hide the truth about his parents. Ten miserable years later, he gets a visit from a genial half-giant named Hagrid with an invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends, fights trolls, learns how to play the fantastic aerial school sport, Quidditch, and uncovers a three-headed dog that guards a secret. Meanwhile, he must contend with Professor Snape, who hates him, and Draco Malfoy, a bratty student. When a mystery arises about the Sorcerer's Stone, which is supposed to possess the powers of immortality, Harry discovers that Voldemort is trying to steal it so he can regain his powers.
Is It Any Good?
How can a parent compete with video-game addiction and the mindlessness of the Cartoon Network? With the wildly popular Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling has solved that dilemma by proving once and for all that kids really can love great books. Twists and turns make this story resemble a junior Grisham thriller in which loose ends are expertly tied and more threads become compellingly unraveled.
Part of Harry's appeal is that he could be any ordinary 11-year-old boy, an underdog readers will root for: small and skinny, with unruly hair, plus glasses held together with Scotch tape. But he is also bright and competent, and he discovers he has an aptitude for magic -- and Quidditch. Rowling has also taken everyday situations such as going to school, playing sports, and doing homework, and convincingly combined them with fantasy to create a world more accessible to tweens than J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. From the school-supply lists ("students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad") to Quidditch ("like soccer in the muggle world ... played up in the air on broomsticks and there's four balls"), the book is packed with entertaining details and creative riffs on modern life.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: Scholastic Inc., Publication date: 1/1/1998
Number of pages: 309, Price: $8.99 (paperback)
Read Aloud: 5-8, Read Alone: 9-12
Number of pages: 309, Price: $8.99 (paperback)
Read Aloud: 5-8, Read Alone: 9-12
Our Members Say
See 85 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
One of the best books ever!
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
I loved the whole series! They're so AMAZING!!!!!
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
Just a Beginning
You will like it, but wait until you read the others. This is just the beginning. In my year in third grade, there was a bunch of kids who went against the Harry Potter books. Don't make the mistake they made, do yourself a favor…and READ it!
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Fast Reader... O_O
Finished it in TWO NIGHTS...NOT kidding. found the D Word and there WAS SOME talking about drinking...I think, i don't know, i have a bad memory...But i LOVED the book havent read the others yet, but when i do...I'll tell you what i thought ;)
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Good book
Harry and his friends are persistent and they give lessons on how to be a good friend. There is some violence and I believe some mild cursing, but other than that a great book.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
Great book for all ages!
I started reading this book when I was 5, and it's still one of my favourites.
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Kids ages: 15
I rate this title on for age 13 and give it- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
:D
Great Book for Middle Schoolers and up!
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I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great book read 1nce but found some accurrate parts and words from the movie.
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Excellent read for all ages!!!
It's absolutely fantastic, even for adults maybe. There's a lot of adventure in there and the magic is very interesting and fun to read about. Harry Potter is the perfect balance of action, schooling struggles, evil and cool magic!
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Kids ages: 8
I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
awesome book
This book is really good. My son was very motivated to read once he picked it up - just what a parent wants (kids excited to read!!).
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Don't think about it, JUST READ!!!!
Fantastic book. I don't think I should say more!
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Welcome to Hogwarts!
The Harry Potter books are just...magical. While the other books are dark, this one is very tame. Any kid old enough to understand it should be fine, except for the very faint of heart. Beware - this may be the start of an obsession! But it's made me a better person. Now I always ask myself "What would Hermione do?".
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AWSOME! I loved reading this book! I didn't want to start it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down, and ended up reading half the night!
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Great book! the start of a great series!
harry potter goes to hogwarts and finds out he is the only person ever to live after being attacked by the dark lord you-know-who [Voldemort] in this book he strikes again!
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Gets kids reading!
Start with this book and in no time your kid will be dragging you to the bookstore and begging you to buy the 700 page sequels! Captivating and inspiring story for kids and adults alike.
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Kids ages: 6, 8, 10
I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Not as good as the others in the series
This first novel in the series was good but not as skillfully handled as the others. It perhaps the least violent in the entire series. But it has a good concept and good overall plot.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
:)
Excellent book! First in the HP series, and one of the ones that I'd say is ok for younger readers. There's a scary part where Voldmort drinks unicorn blood in the forest, but other than that it's fine.
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
Lays the Foundation
I think this is a great book because it lays the foundatoin for the future Harry Potter readers.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
Double digits and up will love it
This is a great book. There is a LITTLE bit of swearing and drinking but the main problem is violence: besides a lot of knocking-around, a unicorn has blood sucked from its neck, and at the end, Quirrel explodes into molten dust. Otherwise this is a great book for double digits+
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Great book, mild compared to the others, but may not be suitable for children under 10.
This is a great book, and definitely mild compared to the rest, but still I don't think it is entirely appropriate for children under 10, and may be iffy for some 10 year olds. Compared to the other books that I have read: Sorcerer's Stone is 10+, Chamber of Secrets is 10+, Prisoner of Azkaban is 13+, Goblet of Fire is barely 13+, and may be more of a 14+ for many people. I am currently reading Order of the Phoenix, and I haven't read Half-Blood Prince or Deathly Hollows yet, but from what I've read of Order of the Phoenix so far the series is definitely taking on a darker tone.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 32% | of parents say there are good role models |
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