Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

by J. K. Rowling | Scholastic © 1998 · 309 pages

Harry Potter. You might have heard of him. He’s one of the world’s coolest wizards. And, his story is one of the most epic and epically well-told hero stories ever. I loved reading the books as they came out years ago and now I get to relive the magic as I read them to my son, Emerson. I figured we could have some fun looking at the wonderful wisdom packed into the equally wonderful wizard tales. Big Ideas we explore include: The Mirror of Erised (and how it relates to modern science), the well-organized mind and its attitude on death (and how it relates to ancient Stoicism), the power of naming your fear (Voldemort! Not “You-Know-Who”!), and how to get the Philosopher’s Stone.


“A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours’ time by Mrs. Dursley’s scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley. . . . He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: ‘To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!’”

~ J.K. Rowling from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter.

You might have heard of him. He’s one of the world’s coolest wizards.

And, his story is one of the most epic and epically well-told hero stories ever. (Literally.)

Then, of course, we have J.K. Rowling and her own personal hero’s journey. With over 400 million (!) Harry Potter books sold, she is the best-selling living author and one of the wealthiest women in the world. All after overcoming the challenges of being a single mom on welfare.

!!!

I loved reading the books as they came out years ago and now I get to relive the magic as I read them to my son, Emerson. We just finished Year 1 and I figured we could have some fun looking at the wonderful wisdom packed into the equally wonderful wizard tales.

So, here we are.

Note: I suppose I should give a “spolier alert.” My hunch is you’ve read the book. If not, I think you’ll love it. Get a copy here.

Let’s jump on our broomsticks and have some fun Seeking wisdom. :)

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About the author

Authors

J. K. Rowling

Novelist and screenwriter who wrote the Harry Potter fantasy series.