======Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone======
=====Publication Information=====
  * **Author:** [[J.K. Rowling]]
  * **Genre:** Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
  * **Series:** Book 1 of 7 in the //Harry Potter// series
  * **UK Publisher:** [[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury]]
  * **US Publisher:** [[Scholastic Corporation|Scholastic]]
  * **UK Release Date:** 26 June 1997
  * **US Release Date:** 1 September 1998 (as //Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone//)
  * **Pages:** 223 (UK first edition)
  * **Illustrator:** Thomas Taylor (UK), Mary GrandPré (US)
=====Synopsis=====
//Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone// is the first novel in the series and introduces the wizarding world. The story begins with [[Harry Potter]], an orphaned boy living a miserable existence with his abusive aunt and uncle, the [[Dursley family|Dursleys]]. On his eleventh birthday, his life is turned upside down when [[Rubeus Hagrid]], the groundskeeper of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], reveals that Harry is a [[wizard]] and that his parents were murdered by the dark wizard [[Lord Voldemort]]. Harry travels to [[Hogwarts]], where he is sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house and befriends [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]]. Throughout his first year, the trio navigates school life, learning [[magic]], playing [[Quidditch]], and uncovering a plot to steal the [[Philosopher's Stone]], a legendary object that grants immortality, hidden within the school's walls. Their investigation leads them to a confrontation with [[Professor Quirrell]], who is secretly hosting the weakened spirit of [[Lord Voldemort]].
=====Detailed Plot Summary=====
The novel begins with the [[Dursley family|Dursleys]] of number four, [[Privet Drive]], discovering strange occurrences, culminating in the arrival of an infant [[Harry Potter]] on their doorstep, left there by [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Professor McGonagall]], and [[Rubeus Hagrid]]. For ten years, Harry lives an oppressed life, unaware of his magical heritage. Shortly before his eleventh birthday, letters addressed to him from [[Hogwarts]] begin to arrive, which the Dursleys desperately try to prevent him from reading. Their attempts to flee the letters fail, and on Harry's birthday, [[Hagrid]] arrives to deliver the letter in person and reveals Harry's identity as a wizard.
[[Hagrid]] takes Harry to [[Diagon Alley]] to purchase his school supplies. Harry learns of his fame and the fortune his parents left him in a vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]]. He buys his school robes, books, a cauldron, and most importantly, his [[Wand|wand]] from [[Mr. Ollivander]], which is revealed to be the "brother" to [[Lord Voldemort]]'s wand. [[Hagrid]] also gifts Harry a snowy owl, whom he names [[Hedwig]].
Harry travels to [[Hogwarts]] via the [[Hogwarts Express]] from [[Platform Nine and Three-Quarters]], where he meets [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]]. Upon arrival, the first-year students are sorted into one of four houses by the [[Sorting Hat]]; Harry, Ron, and Hermione are all placed in [[Gryffindor]]. Harry quickly finds a rival in [[Draco Malfoy]], a student sorted into [[Slytherin]].
Life at [[Hogwarts]] is filled with wonder and challenges, from [[Potions]] classes with the hostile [[Professor Snape]] to learning to fly on a [[Broomstick|broomstick]], a skill that gets him a spot on the [[Gryffindor]] [[Quidditch]] team as their new [[Seeker]]. On [[Hallowe'en]], the trio battles a mountain [[troll]] let into the castle, solidifying their friendship.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione become suspicious of [[Professor Snape]]'s behaviour and believe he is trying to steal the [[Philosopher's Stone]] for [[Lord Voldemort]]. They discover a three-headed dog, [[Fluffy]], guarding a trapdoor and deduce it is protecting the stone. After learning that [[Hagrid]] accidentally told a stranger how to bypass [[Fluffy]], the trio decides to intervene. They overcome a series of magical obstacles designed by the [[Hogwarts]] professors: a patch of [[Devil's Snare]], a room of flying keys, a giant game of [[Wizard's Chess]], and a logic puzzle with potions.
Harry proceeds alone to the final chamber, where he finds not [[Snape]], but [[Professor Quirrell]]. [[Quirrell]] reveals he was the one who let in the [[troll]] and tried to kill Harry during a [[Quidditch]] match. He reveals the back of his head, where the face of [[Lord Voldemort]] is parasitically attached. [[Voldemort]] has been using [[Quirrell]] to try and regain a body by using the Stone. The [[Mirror of Erised]] stands in the chamber, and when Harry looks into it, the [[Philosopher's Stone]] magically appears in his pocket. [[Quirrell]] attacks him, but his skin burns upon contact with Harry. Harry passes out from the pain in his scar.
He awakens in the hospital wing, where [[Albus Dumbledore]] explains that Harry was protected by his mother [[Lily Potter|Lily]]'s sacrificial love, a magic that [[Voldemort]] cannot understand or touch. [[Dumbledore]] also reveals that he and the Stone's creator, [[Nicolas Flamel]], have decided to destroy it. At the end-of-year feast, [[Gryffindor]] is awarded the [[House Cup]], and Harry returns to [[Privet Drive]] for the summer.
=====Major Characters Introduced=====
  * [[Harry Potter]]
  * [[Ron Weasley]]
  * [[Hermione Granger]]
  * [[Albus Dumbledore]]
  * [[Rubeus Hagrid]]
  * [[Professor McGonagall]]
  * [[Professor Snape]]
  * [[Professor Quirrell]]
  * [[Lord Voldemort]]
  * [[Draco Malfoy]]
  * [[Neville Longbottom]]
  * The [[Dursley family|Dursleys]]: [[Vernon Dursley]], [[Petunia Dursley]], and [[Dudley Dursley]]
  * [[Hedwig]]
  * [[Griphook]]
  * [[Mr. Ollivander]]
  * [[Oliver Wood]]
  * [[Fred and George Weasley]]
  * [[Percy Weasley]]
  * [[Molly Weasley]]
=====Key Magic, Concepts, and Objects Introduced=====
  * **Magic & Spells:** [[Wingardium Leviosa]], [[Alohomora]], [[Petrificus Totalus]], [[Lumos]], [[Incendio]], [[Verdimillious]] (video game), [[Flipendo]] (video game).
  * **Magical Objects:** [[Philosopher's Stone]], [[Sorting Hat]], [[Invisibility Cloak]], [[Mirror of Erised]], [[Remembrall]], [[Wizard's Chess]], [[Wand|Wands]], [[Broomstick|Broomsticks]] (including the [[Nimbus 2000]]), [[Cauldron]].
  * **Potions:** [[Cure for Boils]], [[Forgetting Potion]], [[Sleeping Draught]].
  * **Creatures:** [[Owl|Owls]], [[Cat|Cats]], [[Toad|Toads]], [[Goblin|Goblins]], [[Troll|Trolls]], [[Centaur|Centaurs]] (including [[Ronan]], [[Bane]], and [[Firenze]]), [[Unicorns]], [[Three-Headed Dog|Three-Headed Dogs]] ([[Fluffy]]), [[Norwegian Ridgeback]] ([[Norbert]]).
  * **Locations:** [[Hogwarts]], [[Diagon Alley]], [[Gringotts]], [[The Leaky Cauldron]], [[Platform Nine and Three-Quarters]], [[Hogsmeade Station]], [[Forbidden Forest]], [[Privet Drive]].
  * **Concepts:** The four [[Hogwarts Houses]] ([[Gryffindor]], [[Hufflepuff]], [[Ravenclaw]], [[Slytherin]]), [[Muggles]], [[Quidditch]], [[House Cup]], the [[Ministry of Magic]], [[Galleons]], [[Sickles]], and [[Knuts]].
=====Themes=====
  * **The Power of Love:** The central theme is the enduring power of love, specifically a mother's sacrificial love. [[Lily Potter]]'s love for Harry creates a magical protection that [[Voldemort]] cannot overcome, a magic that saves Harry's life multiple times.
  * **Friendship and Loyalty:** The formation of the bond between Harry, Ron, and Hermione is fundamental. Their combined skills—Harry's courage, Ron's strategic thinking, and Hermione's intellect and knowledge—allow them to overcome obstacles that none could face alone.
  * **Choice vs. Destiny:** [[Dumbledore]] emphasizes that "it is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." This is highlighted when the [[Sorting Hat]] considers putting Harry in [[Slytherin]], but ultimately respects his choice to be in [[Gryffindor]]. [[Neville Longbottom]]'s choice to stand up to his friends also exemplifies this theme.
  * **Good vs. Evil:** The book establishes the clear conflict between the good, represented by [[Dumbledore]] and Harry, and the evil of [[Lord Voldemort]], who is willing to destroy anyone, even a unicorn, to achieve his selfish goals of power and immortality.
=====Chapter List=====
  - 1. The Boy Who Lived
  - 2. The Vanishing Glass
  - 3. The Letters from No One
  - 4. The Keeper of the Keys
  - 5. Diagon Alley
  - 6. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters
  - 7. The Sorting Hat
  - 8. The Potions Master
  - 9. The Midnight Duel
  - 10. Hallowe'en
  - 11. Quidditch
  - 12. The Mirror of Erised
  - 13. Nicolas Flamel
  - 14. Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback
  - 15. The Forbidden Forest
  - 16. Through the Trapdoor
  - 17. The Man with Two Faces
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * **Title Change:** The book was published in the United States as //Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone//. The publisher, [[Scholastic Corporation|Scholastic]], reportedly believed that a title with the word "Philosopher" would not appeal to a young American audience and suggested "Sorcerer" as a more magical-sounding alternative. (J.K. Rowling interview)
  * **Film Adaptation:** The novel was adapted into a feature film, released in 2001. It was directed by Chris Columbus and was a major box office success, further launching the global phenomenon of the series. (film)
  * **Cover Art:** The original UK cover, illustrated by Thomas Taylor, famously features a wizard who is not depicted in the book; Taylor has stated this was based on his father. The iconic US cover was created by Mary GrandPré, who would go on to illustrate all seven books in the American series.
  * **Inspiration:** [[J.K. Rowling]] conceived the idea for Harry Potter on a delayed train trip from Manchester to London in 1990. The character of Harry "strolled into her head," and she began writing the book that same day. (J.K. Rowling interview)