“Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone” – Initial Reception

The score(s) next to each publication’s review and the average rating is an interpretation of the reviews by Literature’s Pretty Long History.

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Childhood Education

Full Review

“This is a real page-turner!”

Kathleen Dolgos

The News And Observer

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“’Harry Potter’ is this year’s breakout book.”

Eileen Heyes

The Orlando Sentinel

Full Review

“Rowling is a sparkling new author brimming with delicious ideas, glorious characters and witty dialogue.”

Nancy Pate

The Boston Globe

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“J.K. Rowling’s engrossing first novel has captivated readers since being published in the United States.”

Linda Matchan

The New Republic

Full Review

“If Rowling has absorbed Fleming’s…she has also mastered the conventions of the James Bond movies.”

Lee Siegel

The New York Review Of Books

Full Review

“J.K. (Joanne) Rowling, the Scottish author of the newest British children’s classics, the brilliant and phenomenally successful Harry Potter books, is clearly in this tradition.”

Alison Lurie

Star-News

Full Review

“A clever, suspenseful and very funny first novel by an author who’s already being called the next Roald Dahl.”

Anonymous

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The New York Times Book Review

Full Review

“On the whole…is as funny, moving and impressive as the story behind its writing.”

Michael Winerip

The Seattle Times

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“A bona fide page-turner.”

Anonymous

The Blade

Full Review

“This ingeniously plotted and award-winning novel is one of the best fantasies in some time, and holds promise for further adventures.”

B. B.

The Columbus Dispatch

Full Review

“In the best fantasy of the year, a British import, J.K. Rowling offers a funny, fast-paced tale about a witches’ school.”

Anonymous

The Seattle Times

Full Review

“Action and humor maintain a striking balance in this book, first released in Great Britian where it has been a bestseller.”

Anonymous

Chicago Sun-Times

Full Review

“Here’s a great read for kids, for families, to share.”

Janet Schulman

The Ann Arbor News

Full Review

“Let’s just say you could give this book to your grandmother for Christmas and make her feel like a kid again.”

Anne Valentine Martino

Denver Post

Full Review

“From the winner of England’s National Book Award, a deeply satisfying, wickedly funny fantasy.”

Anonymous

The Denver Post

Full Review

“In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” J. K. Rowling spun a marvelous tale of magic, friendship, and persistence.”

Torry Stenmark

The Seattle Times

Full Review

“The huge cast of characters, set against a fantastic backdrop with good doses of action, humor and fun, will surely captivate American children as much their British counterparts.”

Karl Wergeland

The Herald

Full Review

“A brilliant debut from Edinburgh teacher, Joanne Rowling. An utterly absorbing fantasy novel which takes off on the first page.”

Anonymous

The Herald

Full Review

“Joanne Rowling was nonplussed by the whole process, professing that she already had a series of seven follow-ups planned for the brilliant Harry Potter creation.”

Anonymous

The Herald

Full Review

“The two existing titles – seven are planned – are now required reading by adults who recognise that, like half the best novels ever written, these are more than a little mad, crammed full of surprises, and rife with beauty and life.”

Anonymous

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