“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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Novato Advance

Full Review

““Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” by J.K. Rowling, is ideal for middleschoolers.”

Mary Connell

The Greenville News

Full Review

“A book aimed at young adult readers that appeals to all.”

Tilly Lavenas

The Bellingham Herald

Full Review

“Rich, inventive, with lots of magic and wizards and heroes.”

Jo Dereske

Longview News-Journal

Full Review

“The other books on the fiction best-seller list are “The Night Before Christmas” (Putnam) by Clement Moore and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (Scholastic) by J.K. Rowling, certainly closer to belles lettres than Curtis’ work.”

Martin Arnold

The Los Angeles Times

Full Review

“So off he goes to a boarding school to learn the magic arts in this fantasy adventure.”

Anne Connor And Lisa Falk

The Charlotte Observer

Full Review

“As a writer, Rowling is as peculiar and enchanting as Ronald Dahl in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.””

Beth Worley

The San Francisco Examiner

Full Review

“Some of it gets a little precious and threatens to bog down the action, but the story is highly imaginative and offers plenty of old-fashioned, escapist fun.”

Anonymous

The Herald-Sun

Full Review

“The book has magic, humor, adventure, fantasy, and is a great read-aloud!”

Anonymous

The Boston Globe

Full Review

“A rousing, completely satisfying fantasy packed with adventure and a cast of wonderful characters.”

Stephanie Loer

The Los Angeles Times

Full Review

“Vivid images and a suspenseful text take readers on a trip they’ll be sorry to end!”

Anonymous

Portland Press Herald

Full Review

“Joanne Rowling has turned her unerring sense of what it means to be 11 into an arresting, delightful world.”

Sheila Norman-Culp

The Sunday Oregonian

Full Review

“A leader-to-be of the wizard’s world is at the center of this story, which measures up to the Roald Dahl classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.””

Julia Wotipka

The Spokesman-Review

Full Review

“A wickedly funny fantasy for readers ages 8-12.”

Anonymous

Petoskey News-Review

Full Review

“A delightful romp about a boy with a magical background, this story is full of enchantment, suspense, danger, as well as creepy creatures enough to satisfy the most bogeyman-loving readers, plus something for sports fans, too.”

Anonymous

The Sacramento Bee

Full Review

“A wickedly funny fantasy debut novel that won England’s National Book Award and Smarties Prize.”

Anonymous

Wilmington News-Journal

Full Review

“One of the most talked-about debut novels in recent years a deeply satisfying, wicked, funny fantasy for those sometimes hard to please middle-readers.”

Anonymous

Detroit Free Press

Full Review

“This eccentric fantasy about an 11-year-old plucked from his mean aunt and uncle’s home and shipped off to a school for wizards has clever writing and a whiz-bang finish; it won Britain’s top prize for children’s literature.”

Ellen Creager

Rutland Daily Herald

Full Review

“This first novel by Scottish author J. K. Rowling is immensely entertaining and quite suspenseful.”

Jessica Wood

Chicago Tribune

Full Review

“The story delights.”

Barbara Mahany

Chicago Tribune

Full Review

“As delightful as Roald Dahl’s Charlie, of chocolate factory fame, Harry Potter is sure to lead you on a wonderful adventure.”

Rosie McKearney

Average Rating