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Tom Thumb
Summary
Long ago, in the merry days of good King Arthur, there lived a ploughman and his wife. They were very poor, but would have been contented and happy if only they could have had a little child. One day, having heard of the great fame of the magician Merlin, who was living at the Court of King Arthur, the wife persuaded her husband to go and tell him of their trouble. Having arrived at the Court, the man besought Merlin with tears in his eyes to give them a child, saying that they would be quite content even though it should be no bigger than his thumb. Merlin determined to grant the request, and what was the countryman’s astonishment to find when he reached home that his wife had a son, who, wonderful to relate, was no bigger than his father’s thumb!
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Reviews
Do you remember entering that wonderful world of books as a child? The books by Enid Blyton et al and the tales of the Knights of the Round Table and of Robin Hood; the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sleuthing stories; the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and the ones by Agatha Christie? The school stories and the stories of magic and mystery and mayhem; and the ones where you could fly or where the foundling who turned out to be the hero who saved the world?Well, this book rolls all of those into one, and does it well.Though we see Harry Potter arriving at his Aunt Petunia's house under mysterious circumstances, we first really meet him as he is approaching his tenth birthday, and finds out he has a magical heritage, when he is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, run by its eccentric headmaster Albus Dumbledore.After introducing us to Harry and his circumstances, this book covers Harry's first year of (secondary) school as he is introduced to the magical community. As its existence has been hidden from him until now, he is as clueless as we are and we learn along with him about this alternative world.I must confess that I only started reading this series because my husband bought the fourth book ([Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]) for me and, being a completist, I had to start at the beginning. I've always found it hard to pinpoint how I feel about the books since they were already so famous.Rowling's world building is solid and fairly consistent. This first book is quite light in tenor (wizarding folk can be spotted in our world by their odd clothing and brightly coloured cloaks for instance), though Harry and his friends face danger and some people do get hurt - but they can be healed magically. The story is paced well, with the right amount of action and adventure and quirkiness - and not forgetting the ick factor so essential for the target age group.Professor Snape is deliciously villainous. The Dursleys are so very bad to Harry, but it's so tongue-in-cheek that you don't feel very sorry for him, because - anyway - you know he's going to go to Hogwarts and learn magic - because it says so on the back. ;0)I leave you with the school song : "Everyone pick their favourite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,Teach us something please,Whether we be old and baldOr young with scabby knees,Our heads could do with filling,With some interesting stuff,For now they're bare and full of air,Dead flies and bits of fluff,So teach us things worth knowing,Bring back what we've forgot,Just do your best, we'll do the rest,And learn until our brains all rot.
4 stars
A great beginning to a fabulous series. I like the hand-drawn picture of Snape in this 10th anniversary edition.
Surprisingly found this to be a three-star read this time instead of a four-star. I do feel I've been getting (even more) critical in my old age. I still enjoyed it, but even when I read it for the first time 17 years ago it wasn't the book that hooked me, and it doesn't quite have the richness that shows up later in the series.
Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Arthur A. Levine Books, New York, 1997. The first Harry Potter book. This is a delightful fantasy tale that has taken the world by storm. For a period of time this fall, the Harry Potter books were numbers 1--3 on the New York Times bestseller list.
I was pleased to find that Rowling did some homework on finding actual details of historical occultism to put into the book: not just famous historical figures and concepts like the Philosopher's Stone, but also small touches like bezoars.
My daughter is working her way through the Harry Potter ouevre, and I decided I should revisit the books myself, and have someone read them to me (Jim Dale does a charming job). I am impressed at how much of the full story is established in the first book. I mean Sirius Black is mentioned on the first page, for starters. But the basics details of Hogwarts and the Wizarding World are all very well established in this book. This novel is also a good stand-alone story (IIRC, so are the 2nd and 3rd books, while 4 through 7 are more of an ongoing story). It's hard to remember what I thought when I first read this book around 15 years ago, but I have to say it holds up well.
Just super enjoyable, one of those books that makes me glad I made the decision a long time ago to stop letting anything as arbitrary as a character’s age dictate whether or not a book is for me, good writing is for everyone.I loved the tone of voice, a little sarcastic and a little whimsical with sprinklings of down to earth emotion when addressing things like Ron’s embarrassment over The Weasley’s finances or Harry aching for whatever kind of time he can get with his parents. A story that’s consistently energetic, imaginative, and full of heart, with endearing friendships, and thoughtfully crafted characters, including the force of nature that is Hermione, this really is as special as everyone says.
Yes, I’m just now reading Harry Potter for the first time. I tried to read it when it first came out, but it just wasn’t my thing. Also, my reading interests were narrower, and I had less time to read. I also saw the first two movies and wasn’t blown away, so I just figured I’d never read the book. This year’s summer reading theme made me interested in trying, so I started… and I actually love it so far! Much less fantastical than I thought they would be; I like how everything is explained parallel to “normal” life, which keeps it grounded for me. Eager to finish the series.
I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve read this book, in print, on audiobook with Jim Dale as narrator, and also narrated by Stephen Fry. I finally read the illustrated version this time, and it was absolutely delightful. The illustrations are gorgeous and I picked up new details in the story on this reread that I’ve managed to miss all the times before. It’s funny - I hear the sorting hat in Jim Dale’s voice, but I still read all of Snape’s lines in Alan Rickman’s voice and I probably always will. I was already in my 20s when this book was first written, so I definitely wasn’t the target audience, but I loved it then, I’ve loved every reread, and I do believe I will love it...always.
It was good! :D And so..magical!
Holy moly, I actually finished this book at last. And it only took me a billion years.
Somehow, reading it in Japanese got me fully on board with the "Ron is Dumbledore" theories of the past.
Somehow, reading it in Japanese got me fully on board with the "Ron is Dumbledore" theories of the past.
My daughter Age 27 and 20 have been reading this series over and over since they were little. They are huge fans. They have pestered me forever to read this series, we have always shared novels and I've tried to read with them. I couldn't get into the books because they also tried to get me to watch the movies and I always fall asleep during the first movie and just couldn't get past that. So I finally caved and the books are exceptional and the reader is extraordinary!! I rank him up my my avorite reader, Davina Porter who reads the Outlander series.....so good!
Harry Potter has got to be one of my favorite movies I have ever seen! I can watch it a million times over. So reading this book is my first time into the epic novel series. And it feels like I never watched the movies before. I loved everything about it. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley are my favorite characters throughout the story. They are such a great team and they are too funny! It was definitely a fun read. The book-matched up exactly to the movie. I mean a few things were done differently than the book, but isn’t that all movies based on books? I highly recommend this book(s) for your children or even if you never read the Harry Potter series. Pick it up and give it a chance!
Truly amazing. I have read this book multiple times, but i can never get over the masterful work of literature. The back story and his current situation make for a great series in the making as he slowly figures out Harry's true identity
very good read. No boring moment in any of Harry Potter books
Year 1. Harry Potter is small and skinny, with a shock of black hair that never lies flat and a lightening-shaped scar cutting across his forehead. He lives with his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and their son, Dudley. Harry hates the Dursleys and they treat him like the muck on their shoes. Harry sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs, he has never celebrated a birthday, and he has never had anything new in his life. When Harry receives a letter, his first ever, the Dursleys act like it is a bomb. Soon, more and more letters arrive and although Uncle Vernon does all he can to destroy them, the family is finally forced to flee a house piled high with mail. On a barren, windswept island in the middle of nowhere, where Uncle Vernon feels sure they are safe, a giant of a man visits Harry in the middle of the night and Harry finally gets to read his letter - he has been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Harry is a wizard, and he finally learns about his past - who his parents were, how they died, and that he, Harry, is famous in the wizarding world for something that happened when he was barely a year old. Soon, Harry is off to Hogwarts and his new life there. He meets Ron Weasley, a fellow first year with tons of siblings (all with red hair), and they hit it off. They also make friends with Hermione Granger, a know-it-all bookworm whose parents are Muggles. Harry is ecstatic about this new-found world he is a part of - he has a wand, he performs spells, he gets to sleep in his own bed and eat good food, he has two best friends - and best of all is Quidditch! Harry discovers he is a whiz on a broomstick and he is made Gryffindor House Seeker - the youngest Seeker in a century! Even the presence of the Slytherins - and especially Draco Malfoy and his thug cronies - can't dampen Harry's spirits. But a growing threat at Hogwarts cannot be ignored, and Harry and his friends are determined to uncover the secret being hidden at their school - and to stop whoever it is trying to steal it.
Need I even say that this book is wonderful?
The Harry Potter series is one of the best collections of books I've ever read. Rowling does an amazing job of capturing your imagination.
short but a good book
Good start to a great series.
Hi Harry,I'm sorry to tell you this, but I don't think we have a future together. Despite all the wand-waving and broom-ridning, I'm not feeling the magic. Maybe you're better off with someone younger, more impressionable, someone for whom you will be that first wonderful journey into another reality. I just got reminded of where my heart really belongs: In Narnia, in Middlearth and (what's left of it) in the archipelago of Earthsea. Sorry it didn't work out, but it was worth realising.
Awesome read!Harry Potter is an orphan boy living with his cruel aunt and uncle and cousin. But when he receives an invitation to go to a wizarding school called Hogwarts he finds out that he is in fact a wizard himself! Hogwarts is everything he ever dreamed of and more. Everything seems wonderful until sinister things begin to happen around the castle. Harry needs to be very careful, because there is danger lurking in the shadows of Hogwarts.What an incredibly imaginative story! Even though I have seen all the movies I still like to read the books and compare and contrast the differences between the two mediums. after reading this book I can definitely understand why it is so popular. The characters are relatable and engaging, the story is provocative and well imagined and the writing is damn near close to perfect.I have to admit I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought that I would have. I found it fun to go through the book and notate all the differences between the book and the movie. To which there are very subtle differences but not enough to make them different stories. Both are very cleverly done and well done to say the very least.This is when I think everyone would enjoy from kids, to young adults, to adults.
What can you say about Harry Potter that has not already been said. I have seen all the movies so the book was probably not as good as if I had read it first. I really enjoyed it and the fact that there were not too many differences from the movie was a real change. I had forgotten many parts of the story so it was nice. I am now going to read all the rest of them. Thanks to the Windsor Library Group for this monthly read, finally getting me to crack open the cover of books that have been on my shelf for several years.
I am in LOVE with every single Harry Potter book ever written. The characters are HILARIOUS, the action is totally unpredictable and keeps you from EVER putting the book down! I LOVE YOU J.K. ROWLING! My personal fav. character is Luna Lovegood, introduced in book 5 (order of the pheonix). She's so witty and independent, and even if people laugh at her queer quirks, she stays true to herself and always true to her friends. I LOVE YOU LUNA!
On his 11th birthday, Harry Potter is told of his family's background: his parents were magical, and he is too! He sets off to his new boarding school, Hogwarts, and a new life.
This has to be my 20th time to read this (at least) and it is still s wonderous!!!
The journey that began it all. A fun, light hearted journey full of magic and wonder. Easily captivates the reader. Surely part of the western canon and one of the most memorable novels of our time.
I read The Sorcerer’s Stone some years ago but (strangely) didn’t continue with the series. I was inspired to reenter the world of Harry Potter by several colleagues who are major Potterheads. This time I chose the audio version by Jim Dale, and my drive time is now thoroughly enchanting. The Harry Potter saga is just such a great story with magnificent characters, and I keep thinking how wonderful it would have been to read them at Harry’s age. But don’t we all need a good fantasy?
Do I really need to explain what this book is about? Doesn't everyone and their mother, neighbor, boss, bank teller, mailman, etc. already know?? They do? Great! On to the review!
To start off let me just apologize to both JK Rowling and all the diehard Harry Potter fans. For years, I mocked you and made fun of this fandom and this book series. I found it odd and just not something I could ever into. Yes, I do realize that I essentially judged a book before ever actually reading it. I was first introduced to the world of Harry Potter by my now ex-wife. She loved the movies, not sure if she read the books. But I figured if she enjoyed them, they probably weren't for me. She also likes Twilight, but I'm not going to go there.
So here I am, in the midst of Booktubeathon and my first read was decided by a coin flip between Harry Potter and The Great Gatsby for the movie adaptation challenge. I started to read it skeptically. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nor was I expecting to finish it in a day! But I did just that. I found the story so fun and cool, as well as the characters. I loved the way the story flowed and I especially enjoyed the world of Harry Potter. I can't wait to watch the first movie later and read more in this series.
UPDATE
While the above is still all true, I have been sitting with this book in my mind for a little bit now and have realized I was a little bit taken in by the hype of this series. While I still really enjoyed the book and loved it. It was not worth a full 5 star rating.
To start off let me just apologize to both JK Rowling and all the diehard Harry Potter fans. For years, I mocked you and made fun of this fandom and this book series. I found it odd and just not something I could ever into. Yes, I do realize that I essentially judged a book before ever actually reading it. I was first introduced to the world of Harry Potter by my now ex-wife. She loved the movies, not sure if she read the books. But I figured if she enjoyed them, they probably weren't for me. She also likes Twilight, but I'm not going to go there.
So here I am, in the midst of Booktubeathon and my first read was decided by a coin flip between Harry Potter and The Great Gatsby for the movie adaptation challenge. I started to read it skeptically. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nor was I expecting to finish it in a day! But I did just that. I found the story so fun and cool, as well as the characters. I loved the way the story flowed and I especially enjoyed the world of Harry Potter. I can't wait to watch the first movie later and read more in this series.
UPDATE
While the above is still all true, I have been sitting with this book in my mind for a little bit now and have realized I was a little bit taken in by the hype of this series. While I still really enjoyed the book and loved it. It was not worth a full 5 star rating.
(original review, 1999)One of the main things that Harry Potter has taught me is that people who dismiss the series out of hand and people who laud it as the best thing since sliced bread are equally annoying. People who dismiss it tend to be those who are overly eager to demonstrate how terribly mature they are, and end up proving the very opposite. And I can't help thinking that people who laud it as literally the best thing ever do so because they've never read anything else or any of the other hundreds of franchises that essentially tell the same (rather tired) story, often in a more inventive way. That or they're anglophile Americans who are swept along with the quaint Britishness of the series. Essentially, they're not that good children's books. The fact that they stretch a pretty thin, derivative story over seven installments is made up for by the novel setting and some really fun characters and concepts. I'm glad they exist, but have always been slightly mystified by the obsessives (though to each their own, I suppose). But all literature is derivative; the Greeks did it all long ago and probably filched it from aural tradition. The key is how well do you it and can you capture the imagination of the reader.One of my gripes with the books is their length. The author could have slashed the page length by half and the story wouldn't have changed at all. Maybe as she became famous after the second book the editors stopped trying to improve the content. I felt like the HP books were too much, because there was so much fluff around the main story, and also not enough because the main story felt a bit squeezed by the fluff. My impression is that the HP books should have been split into two series, one that deals with the dark lord, and a second one that deals specifically with the overarching lore, subplots, world-building, etc.For the record, my opinion is not exactly mainstream, I read the HP books when I was much older than a teenager and didn't have to wait for them to be released. So I do understand if you suddenly have to urge to start throwing things at me. :)