One Sentence Summary
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition is a magical children’s novel by J.K.Rowling, about an orphan wizard’s journey of self discovery and courage.
Book Genre
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition is a fantasy fiction novel.
Main Topic
The main topic of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition is that of inclusivity and privilege versus rejection and persecution. It follows life and hardships of its protagonist, Harry Potter, a young orphaned wizard, who discovers and learns to use his magical powers and abilities to gain acceptance into the magical wizarding community and to protect his friends from dark magic and dark wizards.
Key Ideas
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition presents the following key ideas:
- The Power of Doing Good: Harry Potter learns to use his magical powers to do good and to protect his friends from harm and evil.
- The Power of Friendship: The novel emphasizes the importance of friendship, as demonstrated through Harry’s loyal friends Ron and Hermione, who aid him in his adventures.
- The Power of Love: The novel also emphasizes the power of love, as Harry is eventually revealed to be a chosen one and is capable of vanquishing evil due to the power of his mother’s love.
Main Parts of the Book and a Short Summary
- Prologue: The prologue introduces us to the world of Harry Potter and the magical society that exists in the shadows of the Muggle world. It also reveals the back story of Harry, that he is the son of a powerful wizard, who sacrificed himself to save Harry from a dark wizard, Voldemort.
- Chapters 1-17: In the first 17 chapters, we follow Harry as he discovers he is a wizard and attends the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- Chapters 18-24: In this section, Harry and his friends attempt to find the Sorcerer’s Stone, which is a magical artifact that can grant immortality to its possessor.
- Chapters 25-30: In these chapters, Harry and his friends fight against Voldemort in order to protect the Sorcerer’s Stone and prevent Voldemort from using it to gain immortality.
- Epilogue: The epilogue wraps up the story, showing the characters 17 years later and how their lives have changed since the events of the novel.
Key Takeaways
- The Power of Doing Good: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone emphasizes the power of doing good, loyalty and friendship, and the importance of love and family.
- The Power of Acceptance: The novel focuses on the importance of acceptance and inclusivity when faced with judgement and persecution from outsiders or from sinister forces.
- The Power of Courage: The novel also shows the importance of courage in the face of danger and difficult obstacles, as demonstrated by Harry Potter in his quest to save the wizards from Voldemort’s forces.
Author’s Background and Qualifications
J.K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter series as well as numerous other works. She has an Order of the British Empire, two honorary degrees, and an Oscar for screenwriting.
Target Audience
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition is aimed mainly at children and young adults, but it is suitable for readers of all ages.
Publisher and First Publication Date
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition is published by Scholastic and was first published in 2001.