Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

• Read: 30 Mar 2026 - 1 Apr 2026

• Author: J.K. Rowling

• Year: 1997

• Pages: 352

• Remarks: Harry Potter Series Book 1

• Synopsis:

  • On his eleventh birthday, an orphaned boy named Harry Potter discovered that he was a famous wizard and left his miserable life with his aunt and uncle to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he settled into his magical studies, Harry befriended Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and the trio soon realised that a highly guarded, legendary object was hidden deep within the castle. Believing that dark forces were attempting to steal this treasure, the brave friends embarked on a perilous quest to protect it, risking their lives to stop a terrible evil from returning to power.

[1 Apr 2026] ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’ (1997), by J.K. Rowling.

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Reading Background:

• Lost count of how many times I have read this book, such that I could recite its first few paragraphs off by heart even though the last time I read it was close to 10 years ago. But it was still very much a delight reading it this time!

• Many of my peers started reading the 'Harry Potter' books when they were in primary or secondary school, but I only got acquainted with it when I was in JC. I knew about the series earlier than that, of course, often seeing the books being sold in Popular bookstores and the films being played on TV Channel5. However, I was mostly reading Chinese books before JC, and those glimpses I had of the films on TV bewildered me, and thus I had no interest in finding out what the 'Harry Potter' series was about.

• However, when I went to JC, my abysmal General Paper results made me realise that I should really work on improving my command of the English language. And so I finally picked up 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' to read! In fact, Mummy bought the whole 'Harry Potter' book set and meticulously plastic-wrapped them all, and they have been my favourite English books ever since (though sadly their pages have turned yellowish). 

• When I was in University, I took many language modules as my electives, including Malay, French, and Korean, and I bought 'Philosopher's Stone' in those languages ('Harry Potter dengan Batu Hikmat' from a Malaysian online bookstore, 'Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers' on Amazon Kindle Store, and '해리 포터와 마법사의 돌' when I was doing Summer Exchange in Seoul) to immerse myself in them, and it was really great fun!

• I only realised years after reading 'Harry Potter', that besides being fantasy books, they were actually mystery thrillers as well! 

What I enjoyed about the book:

• The writing style of J.K. Rowling.

  • I really like how Rowling works the English language so elegantly. I didn't know how to describe it properly and had to consult Gemini. Apparently, many writers use "utilitarian prose", meaning they write simply to get the plot and characters from Point A to B. Rowling, however, cares deeply and grasps masterfully the syntax, rhythm, balance and fluidity of her sentences. Paired with her rich vocabulary (though she doesn't use cheem words unnecessarily), her prose just feels so polished.

  • Furthermore, her delivery of expositions and clues hardly ever feels forced. Many authors do "info-dumping" on readers, often through dialogue between characters, and they frequently make the exchanges feel awkward and uncharacteristic of the characters. Rowling, on the other hand could flawlessly weave exposition delivery, character development and plot progression, often at the same time! Off the top of my head, I recall the scenes of Oliver Wood explaining Quidditch to Harry, and Hagrid explaining the magical world and Harry's family's past with Voldemort, which could easily have become "info-dumping" sessions under other authors, but were so immersive under Rowling's pen.

  • Rowling is also highly skilful at sprinkling seemingly insignificant details everywhere in early chapters that suddenly become very crucial as the book progresses, or misdirect you with regard to the villain. Really makes for a great mystery thriller book! 

• The deep themes embedded in this book meant for children.

  • The book touched on several themes, e.g. how love between family and friends is the real magic; how prejudice and racism are so pervasive in society; how death could be viewed; how desire could consume people; how seemingly little choices we make in life could determine the often irreversible path we take etc. These are so deep, and so much food for thought for us adults. 

• The memories of childhood that the book brought back.

  • I don't mean the childhood memories of reading 'Harry Potter', but really the bittersweet memories the book brought back of being a schoolgoing kid, about the friends I made in school, the exhaustion of attending classes in the day and doing piles of homework at night, the stress of tests and exams etc. Despite all these, the book still made me wish I could go back to being a kid again haha.

What I found less enjoyable about the book:

• The pacing felt somewhat unbalanced and awkward at times.

  • In the first half of the book, I felt that the plot progressed a bit too slowly (the letters bit, and the Great Hall bit). 

  • In the latter half, it felt too rushed! I vaguely recall I accidentally skipped a sentence or something, and found myself reading about a different scene in a different season or something lmao. The climax felt somewhat rushed too.

My overall thoughts:

• Ignoring the holes and cracks in the Wizarding World mechanics (economics, school curriculum, transportation modes, Quidditch rules, and many others), I love the 'Harry Potter' Series a lot. 'Philosopher's Stone' did well to introduce the Wizarding World to the world, and to captivate millions around the globe (me included). Furthermore, Rowling's writing set such a high bar for me, that writings by other authors often feel rather dull or unpolished to me. I would recommend this book to anyone, adults and children alike! I would also recommend to take a moment to appreciate some of the underlying messages and deeper themes underneath all the fantasy, mystery and thrill. But now, I can't wait to get on with reading the rest of the books in the series!

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• Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived

  • Mr Dursley noticed strange signs, such as people in cloaks and a tabby cat reading a map, but he tried to ignore them. That night, Professor Albus Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Hagrid arrived at Privet Drive to leave the orphaned baby Harry Potter with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. They revealed that the dark wizard Voldemort had murdered Harry's parents but vanished after his curse failed to kill Harry.

• Chapter Two: The Vanishing Glass

  • Nearly ten years passed, and Harry lived miserably in a cupboard under the stairs, bullied by his spoiled cousin, Dudley. During a birthday outing to the zoo for Dudley, Harry accidentally made the glass of a boa constrictor's tank disappear, setting the snake free.

• Chapter Three: The Letters from No One

  • Mysterious letters addressed to Harry began arriving, but Uncle Vernon destroyed them. As the letters multiplied and flooded the house, a frantic Uncle Vernon drove the family away, eventually forcing them to stay in a miserable shack on a rock out at sea to escape the post.

• Chapter Four: The Keeper of the Keys

  • Hagrid broke into the shack on Harry's eleventh birthday to personally deliver his acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid revealed the truth about Harry's magical heritage and how his parents died, which the Dursleys had hidden from him.

• Chapter Five: Diagon Alley

  • Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley to buy his school supplies. They visited Gringotts wizarding bank, where Harry discovered his parents had left him a fortune, and Hagrid retrieved a secret grubby package from Vault 713. Harry also met Draco Malfoy and bought his wand from Mr Ollivander, learning its core matched the one in Voldemort's wand.

• Chapter Six: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

  • Harry boarded the Hogwarts Express from a magical platform at King's Cross station. He befriended Ron Weasley, met Hermione Granger, and clashed with Malfoy on the train journey.

• Chapter Seven: The Sorting Hat

  • Upon arriving at Hogwarts, the first-year students were sorted into four houses. The Sorting Hat debated placing Harry in Slytherin, but respected his choice and placed him, along with Ron and Hermione, into Gryffindor.

• Chapter Eight: The Potions Master

  • Harry began his classes and quickly discovered that the Potions master, Professor Snape, strongly disliked him. Harry also read in the Daily Prophet that Gringotts had been broken into on his birthday, specifically targeting the vault Hagrid had emptied.

• Chapter Nine: The Midnight Duel

  • Harry defended Neville Longbottom's Remembrall from Malfoy during their first flying lesson, earning himself the position of Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Malfoy tricked Harry and Ron into a midnight duel, leading them, Hermione, and Neville into a forbidden third-floor corridor where they discovered a monstrous three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor.

• Chapter Ten: Hallowe'en

  • Harry and Ron saved Hermione from a fully grown mountain troll that had been let into the castle on Hallowe'en, knocking it out with its own club. Hermione lied to the teachers to protect the boys, cementing a firm friendship between the three of them.

• Chapter Eleven: Quidditch

  • During Harry's first Quidditch match, his broomstick was jinxed. Hermione, believing Snape was the culprit, set his robes on fire, allowing Harry to regain control and catch the Golden Snitch to win the game. Afterwards, Hagrid accidentally let slip that the three-headed dog, Fluffy, guarded a secret involving someone named Nicolas Flamel.

• Chapter Twelve: The Mirror of Erised

  • Harry received an Invisibility Cloak for Christmas, which once belonged to his father. While exploring the school at night, he found the Mirror of Erised, which showed him his parents. Dumbledore explained that the mirror showed one's deepest desires and warned Harry against searching for it again.

• Chapter Thirteen: Nicolas Flamel

  • Harry, Ron, and Hermione discovered that Nicolas Flamel was the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, an object that produced gold and immortality. They concluded that the three-headed dog was guarding the Stone and suspected Snape was trying to steal it.

• Chapter Fourteen: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

  • Hagrid hatched an illegal dragon egg he had won in a pub, naming the baby dragon Norbert. The trio convinced him to send it to Ron's brother Charlie in Romania, but they left the Invisibility Cloak behind on the astronomy tower and were caught by Filch.

• Chapter Fifteen: The Forbidden Forest

  • Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Malfoy served detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, searching for an injured unicorn. Harry encountered a hooded figure drinking unicorn blood and was rescued by a centaur named Firenze, who revealed that the figure was Voldemort attempting to stay alive so he could steal the Philosopher's Stone.

• Chapter Sixteen: Through the Trapdoor

  • Realising Dumbledore had been lured away and Hagrid had accidentally revealed how to bypass Fluffy, the trio descended through the trapdoor to protect the Stone. They navigated several magical obstacles, including Devil's Snare, flying keys, and a giant chessboard where Ron sacrificed himself, before Harry drank a potion to walk through black fire to the final room.

• Chapter Seventeen: The Man with Two Faces

  • Harry discovered Professor Quirrell, not Snape, was trying to steal the Stone for Voldemort, whose face shared the back of Quirrell's head. Harry retrieved the Stone via the Mirror of Erised and fought Quirrell, whose skin blistered and burned upon contact with Harry's hands. Dumbledore arrived in time to rescue Harry, the Stone was destroyed, and Gryffindor ultimately won the House Cup due to the trio and Neville's extraordinary bravery.