Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone
by J K Rowling
narrated by Jim Dale
Series: Harry Potter, book 1
Duration: 8 hours, 17 minutes
Copyright: 1999, Listening Library
Genres: fantasy, adventure, mystery
Filed in: Audiobook reviews
Review copy provided by Carrollton Public Library.
THE GIST: Harry Potter is just an ordinary 10 year old boy. Why his Aunt and Uncle, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, who raised Harry from an infant, treat him like such an oddball, is completely beyond me. Wel, okay, there was the time when Aunt Petunia gave him a horrible haircut, and he was dreading being teased at school the next day, but when he woke up that morning his hair was completely re-grown in its usual unkempt manner. And then there was the time his Aunt tried to make him wear a very ugly hand-me-down sweater from his cousin Dudley, but the more she struggled to get the thing on him, the smaller it got until it had shrunk to doll size. Oh, and there was that time at the zoo when the glass front of the snake cage simply vanished, and Dudley was almost eaten by a boa constrictor. Now that you mention it, maybe there is something a little odd about Harry Potter.
Well, the mystery is solved on Harry’s 11th birthday. That's the day that the huge and hairy Rubeus Hagrid shows up. Hagrid is the groundskeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he has a pretty amazing story to tell. First of all, Harry is a wizard. Secondly, Harry’s parents were not killed in a car accident like the Dursley’s told him, they were killed by the most powerful dark wizard that ever lived, because they were witch and wizard too. Thirdly, now that Harry is 11, he can go to Hogwarts to learn how to use the powers he never knew he had. What a birthday!
Harry’s life will never be the same. Hagrid takes him to Diagon-Alley, accessible only to witches and wizards, to buy his school things at shops like Eylops Owl Emporium, Madam Malkin’s Robes for all Occasions, and Gringot’s Wizarding Bank. Then he’s off to King’s Cross station to catch the Hogwarts Express. And it is on Harry’s very first ride to Hogwarts Castle that he meets Ron Weasley, who is destined to become Harry’s best friend through many, many adventures.
Are we having fun yet? Harry and Ron find themselves very busy at school. Not only do they have to learn things like Charms, Transfiguration, potions, and Defense against the Dark Arts, They’re also busy trying to avoid bossy, know-it-all Hermione Granger. Oh wait, There’s also the pet dragon that Hagrid is trying to raise in his little cabin at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. And what’s up with creepy Potions Master, Professor Snape? He doesn’t seem to like Harry at all.
Well, on top of all that, Harry, Ron, and Hermione soon discover that the fabled Sorcerer’s Stone, which has the power to keep its owner alive forever, is hidden somewhere inside the castle. And it looks like Professor Snape is trying to steal it, presumeably to give to his master, Lord Voldemort. The only way the trio can stop Snape is to get to the stone first. The kids use all the magic they’ve learned, plus a little luck, to run the gauntlet of protective spells guarding the stone, but when Harry gets there, he receives a very bigg surprise. It wasn't Snape who was trying to steal the stone, it was someone he never suspected at all.
MY THOUGHTS: J K Rowling is a brilliant writer. It’s not just anyone who can create an entire world, then fill it up with interesting people and places and things. And she pulls it off beautifully. Everything she creates fits perfectly, and makes sense. I could go on and on, but there are still six more audio books to cover, so I’ll save some for later.
FAVORITE ROWLING CREATION: Quidditch! A wizarding sport played on broomstick. Each side has seven players, and there are not one, but four balls in play at all times. Points are scored by getting the ball through one of three hoops that stand fifty feet off the ground. Rowling thought of everything to make Quidditch a complete and exciting sport. In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone", Harry becomes the youngest Quidditch player in a hundred years.
NARRATOR: What can I say about Jim Dale? He is just a fantastic audio book reader. One of the amazing things about J K Rowling, is how many characters she created in the Harry Potter series. And the amazing thing about Jim Dale, is that he uses a different voice for every single character. I don’t know how he remembered which voice to use for each person. The Harry Potter audio books would not have been nearly as entertaining without Jim Dale.
FAVORITE JIM DALE VOICE: Hogwarts castle has many ghosts, but only one poltergeist. Peeves is the ultimate prankster, often leaving little booby-traps around the castle for the students to blunder into. Jim Dale's voice for Peeves still makes me smile, even after listening to the audio books so many times.
FAVORITE SCENE: I liked the scene during the Halloween feast, when it was discovered that a mountain troll was loose in the castle. All the students were herded back to their common rooms, but Harry and Ron went looking for Hermione to warn her of the danger. They eventually find her, trapped in a bathroom with the troll. The ensuing battle finally ends with Harry sticking his wand up the troll’s nose, and Ron using a nicely executed wingardium leviosa spell to hit the troll over the head with its own club. Of course, my favorite thing about this scene, is that this is when Harry and Ron finally become friends with Hermione. As Rowling says, “There are some things you can’t share, without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a 12 foot mountain troll is one of them.” My second favorite scene is when Harry first meets the Centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. “Mars is bright tonight!
MOST SHOCKING REVELATION: Harry Potter is a wizard! Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley won’t have this kid to kick around anymore!
FAVORITE CHARACTER: Rubeus Hagrid has all the subtlety of a wrecking ball, and the cunning of a dodo bird. He is well-meaning, however, and honest to a fault. His dedication and loyalty to Hogwarts, and his friends, earn him the spot of Favorite Character for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
FAVORITE QUOTE: Albus Dumbledore at the start-of-year feast; “Before we begin, I would like to say a few words, and here they are; nitwit, oddment, blubber, tweak. Thank you.
FINAL WORD: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was created for kids, but any lover of audio books will really get a kick out of this story. J K Rowling and Jim Dale are a perfect match.
FILM ADAPTATION: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, directed by Chris Columbus. Released on DVD in 2002.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GREAT AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS::
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling (Audiobook review)
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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
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