Author: J.K. Rowling
Original title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher´s Stone
Genres: Novel, Fantastic Adventure
Country: United Kingdom
Languaje: English
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: 1997
Pages: 223
ISBN: 0-7475-3269-9
Plot:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the first novel in the Harry Potter series.The plot follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his magical heritage and then he goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where, in his first year, he makes close friends and a few enemies. With the help of his friends, Harry faces an attempted comeback by the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents, but failed to kill Harry when he was just 15 months old. In this series of books, the wizards coexist with the muggles (non-magical people), trying and succeding almost every time to get unnoticed.
Characters:
- Harry Potter: He is an orphan whom Rowling imagined as a "scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard."She developed the series' story and characters to explain how Harry came to be in this situation and how his life unfolded from there. Apart from the first chapter, the events of this book take place just before and in the year following Harry's eleventh birthday. Voldemort's attack left a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead, which produces stabbing pains whenever Voldemort is present.
- Ronald Weasley: Ron is Harry's age and Rowling describes him as the ultimate best friend, "always there when you need him."He is freckled, red-haired and quite tall. He grew up in a fairly large pure-blood family as the sixth born of seven children. Although his family is quite poor, they still live comfortably and happily.
- Hermione Granger: Hermione is the daughter of an all-Muggle family, is a bossy girl who has apparently memorised most of the textbooks before the start of term. Rowling described Hermione as a "very logical, upright and good" character] with "a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure beneath her swottiness". Despite her nagging efforts to keep Harry and Ron out of trouble, she becomes a close friend of the two boys after they save her from a troll. She has bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.
- Albus Dumbledore: A tall, thin man who wears half-moon spectacles and has silver hair and a beard that tucks into his belt, is the headmaster of Hogwarts, and thought to be the only wizard Voldemort fears. Dumbledore, while renowned for his achievements in magic, he shrugs off praise, he is aware of his own brilliance. Rowling described him as the "epitome of goodness".
- Lord Voldemort: Rowling introduces him as the Dark Lord who murdered Harry's parents, James and Lily, but as a result of his mother's love and willingness to sacrifice herself for him, baby Harry survives when Voldemort tries to murder him with a Killing Curse . Voldemort is disembodied, and Harry carries a mysterious scar on his forehead as a result. In the book, Voldemort tries to steal the Philosopher´s Stone to get his human form back and achieve inmortality.