Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic

Copyright Date: 1997

Number of Pages: 309

Reading Level: 9-12

Summary:

Harry Potter lives with his aunt and uncle, the Dursley's. His parents were killed in a car accident when he was one and he has been living under the Dursley's staircase ever since. The Dursley's have a son named Dudley who is a bully to Harry and has been ever since they were small. Harry was left on their doorstep with a mysterious note explaining what had happened. Now, at 10 Harry was used to being shunted aside. When they went to the zoo for Dudley's birthday it was no different. His aunt and uncle bought Dudley souvenirs and food and didn't give Harry any. When they went into the reptile house Harry was excited to see the snakes. He walked up to one cage and started talking to a snake, more to himself about how he knows how it feels to be in a cage. All of the sudden, the snake started to talk back! He was talking to the snake for a while when Dudley noticed. He started in on Harry then all of the sudden the glass on the cage disappeared and the snake slithered out. That's when Harry knew he was different. He had suspected it all along but this was a big deal. Of course he got into trouble.

Soon after that a letter came in the mail for him. This was a big deal because he never gets any mail. As he was about to open it, Uncle Vernon took it away from him. HE was angry obviously because that was his letter! No matter though, because the next day a few more letters came for him. Uncle Vernon took those too! One morning he was determined to read his letter so he snuck to the front door and opened it only to find Uncle Vernon sleeping on the front porch! Letters kept coming and coming for him! Uncle Vernon, determined not to let Harry read his letter, packed up the family and drove them around until he found a spot where no one could find him. On and island, in the middle of the sea...

The next day happened to be Harry's 11th birthday. At midnight according to Dudley's watch there was a banging at the door! On a deserted island!! The door flew open and there was a giant man standing there. Take a long story short, his name was Hagrid he worked at a wizarding school called Hogwarts, Harry's parents did not die in a car crash but were murdered by the most dark wizard who ever lived, Harry survived and in the process vanquished the dark Lord, thereby making him famous. He was now old enough to attend Hogwarts and he was there to give him his letter.

Hagrid took him to a Diagon Alley, a Wizarding street in London. There they got his books, supplies, robes, a wand, and an owl called Hedwig. Hagrid dropped Harry off back at home. He was to get on the Hogwarts Express from platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station on September first.

A month later he was at Kings Cross trying to find PLatform 9 3/4 when he met the Weasleys. HE and Ron sat together on the train and they were instantly friends. Just as When he met Draco Malfoy, they were instantly enemies. Everyone knew who he was. Everyone wanted to meet him. It was weird to Harry. While on the train he met Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. At school they were all sorted into different houses and Hermione, Ron, Harry and Neville were all placed in Griffindor.

As time went on Harry learned that Professor Snape hated his dad in school and thereby hated Harry. Harry was great at being a seaker in Quidditch and was placed on the Griffindor Quidditch team as the youngest seaker in history. Harry and Ron became friends with Hermione after they saved her from a giant Troll. Harry got an invisibility cloak from someone that was his dads when his dad was in school so he would explore the school under it at night. That is when he came across the mirror of Erised. When you look in this mirror, you see what your heart truly desires. When he looked in, he saw his family. He went back night after night to sit in front of it. Dumbledore found him there and told him about it. He said that it would be moved and that it would be wise not to go looking for it.

Throughout the school year Harry, Ron and Hermione suspected that Snape was up to something. There was a hallway on the third floor that was restricted and they found out what was behind it. There was a giant three headed dog, and it was guarding something. They suspected that Snape was trying to get passed it to whatever it was guarding. It was obvious that Snape hated Harry, he tried to throw him off his broom during Quidditch.

Many things were going on. Hagrid hatched a dragon in his wooden cabin that was growing alarmingly fast. Harry, Ron and Hermione had to take it through the castle up to the astronomy tower to meet some of Ron's brother's friends who were going to take it with them. They got caught in the process by Draco Malfoy and they all were sent to detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. While there they were searching for a hurt unicorn and they came across an evil figure that came after them until a Centaur came and saved Harry.

One night Harry knew that Snape was going to try to get through the trap door to steal the Sorcerer's stone (they found out from Hagrid that that was what was hidden below). The three of them snuck out that night to go and stop him. When they got to the three headed dog it was already asleep. They went through the trap door and they had to go through a bunch of obstacles (devil's snare, flying keys, poisoned potions, and an enchanted chess game) to get there, but with Ron and Hermione's help he succeeded. Come to find out however, that it was Quirrel - the defense against the dark arts teacher - who had come to steal it. He had Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. The mirror of Erised was there and when Harry looked into it he saw himself put it into his pocket, and all of the sudden, it was in his pocket. Quirrel tried to get it from him but when he touched Harry he burned up. Which gave Harry the idea to grab his face. He did, Quirrel died and Voldemort's spirit flew at him and out of sight.

He woke up in the hospital wing where Dumbledore explained what happened. HE also had a lot of gifts from well wishers. He, Ron and Hermione, and Neville were all awarded house point which made them win the house cup.

Who would benefit from reading this book/ who would I recommend this book to?

I would and have recommended this book to anyone who has never read it. It is the first book in the long line of my favorite series!!

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

There is the whole "Harry Potter is evil" thing going on, so that's a problem. Some people don't want their kids to read about witches and wizards because it could corrupt their kids.

My Reaction:

I love it. J.K. Rowling is the best author ever and I enjoy reading every book that she writes. The characters are believable and lovable. I can read Harry Potter any time and never get bored.

The Tourtise and the Dare by: Terry Deary

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Picture Window Books

Copyright Date: 2007

Number of Pages: 63

Reading Level: 7-11

Summary:

The Olympics were coming up in ancient Greece and so the local school was holding a smaller version of the Olympics for all the boys in celebration. Girls couldn't participate in, or go to the Olympics at all. Ellie's brother, Cypselis, came home from school and announced that he was going to race against Bacchiad the biggest kid in school. They had a bet against each other, if Cypselis won then Bacchiad would give him a goat, but if Cyselis won, he said he would give him... Ellie! Ellie was furious! In those days, when men made an agreement it had to be carries out. Her brother was a slow runner and now she was to become Bacchiad's slave! Well, she decided she better help her brother practice if she wanted to stay free. When they went out and raced each other, she won. She was afraid. They came across the track where Bacchiad was practicing... He started to trash talk Cypselis and he was telling Ellie what he was going to use her for. Ellie fought back. She bet that he probably couldn't beat her and Cypselis is much hfaster than her! So, they raced. She would have beaten him if he hadn't kept elbowing her... She had stamina and he was strong so it was a close race. Cypselis was distraught what had he gotten Ellie into? That night they decided that Ellie would race for him. They were identical twins and so she cut her hair to look like a boy. Race day came. They went to the track. Then, the runners were all told to take their clothes off. She rounded on Cyslslelis. Now what was she supposed to do? Girls weren't allowed to watch the Olympics so how was she supposed to know they raced naked?? She decided she'd have to let Cypselis race. Halfway through the race Cypselis and Bacchiad were shoulder to shoulder... Bacchiad tried to elbow Cypselis but he ducked out of the way and Bacchiad lost control... He fell! Cypselis took off. But Bacchiad caught up. at the last second, he passed Cypselis. He won. But the referee found out that Bacchiad had eaten a leaf that would make him run faster so he had to forfeit. Cypselis won and they got a goat!

Who would benefit from reading this book/who would I recommend this book to?

This is a good book to teach about ancient Greece. IT is fictional but it talks about the Olympics when they were pretty recent.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

Well, the boys run naked so that could be a problem for some parents. They also say words like stupid and I know some kids aren't allowed to say that word.

My reaction:
I thought this was a cute book. It had a fun story line that incorporated Ancient Greece culture. I would use this to teach.

The Lion's Slave by: Terry Deary

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Picture Window Books

Copyright Date: 2007

Number of Pages: 63

Reading Level: 7-11

Summary:

Lydia is a servant who works for Archimedes (the lion of Syracuse) the famous Greek inventor/mathematician. She doesn't really like working for Archimedes because he always calls her stupid and useless. She doesn't like this treatment but believes that in comparison to Archimedes she is stupid and useless. One day the Romans came to attack Greece. Archimedes knew that his life would be over and Lydia worried that hers would be too but he told her she is too stupid to be killed she would be taken as a slave. She begged him to invent something that would stop the Romans from attacking. She suggested they throw rocks at them. He laughed at her. But she showed him how she and her brothers used to do it as kids. She grabbed a plank of wood and put a rock underneath it in the middle. She put the rock to be thrown on one end and then jumped on the other launching it into the air. This gave Archimedes and idea, and then the catapult was invented. She showed him two more childish games they used to play that led to him inventing something else. including, a giant crane, and a giant mirror that could reflect the sun's light and burn down the ships. All these inventions worked. But then the Romans came to attack on land. One soldier arrived at Archimedes house demanding to know who lived there. Lydia told him, and the soldier said that he was told not to harm him. In response, Lydia said, "that's nice of you seeing all that Archimedes did to you." She went on to explain that He was the one who invented the catapult, the claw, and the mirror that destroyed their ships. The soldier was so mad, he killed Archimedes. Lydia did in fact become a Roman slave, but she liked it better.

Who would benefit from reading this book/Who would I recommend this book to?

This is a good book for teachers to have when talking about ancient Greece. It has vocab words in the beginning that they should learn. Then at the back it talks about the true elements of the story and those that are fictional.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

None that I know of.

My reaction:

I thought this book was great! It was a cute story that showed who Archimedes was and what he did in a way that kids could understand. I thought it was really well written.

The Drinking Gourd by: F.N. Monjo

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper and Row

Copyright Date: 1970

Number of Pages: 62

Reading Level: 4-8

Summary:

Tommy Fuller was sitting at church one day and he was bored. In those times, they went to church all day long. All the kids sat on the balcony while the adults sat in the congregation. Tommy had an apple and a string ans so he tied the apple to the string and three it out the window to where a bunch of geese were sitting. One goose latched on and Tommy pulled up. He was fishing for geese! The goose made a horrible racket and Tommy was sent home. He was told to go and wait in his room but he went to the barn instead. He talked to the horses a bit and then decided to jump off of the loft into the hay stacks. When he got to the top of the loft he heard a baby crying. He thought that was odd... Then there was a mans voice that said, "You won't take us alive!" Tommy was scared. Then he saw that it was a slave family hiding in the loft. Apparently this barn was a checkpoint on the underground railroad and his dad was involved in helping slaves escape. His dad got home and explained the situation. Then they set off to take this family to their next checkpoint. They were making their way to Canada so they could be free. The son of the black man explained to Tommy that if a slave wanted to be free all they would have to do is follow the drinking gourd, which Tommy knew as the big dipper. The last star on the drinking gourd pointed north so they just had to keep following it. Tommy's dad hid the family under some hay in the back of the horse trailer and they set off. Once they got to their destination on the bank of the river, his dad set off to find the boat and Tommy sat in the wagon. All of the sudden a "hunting party" arrived in search for the exact family that was in the back of their trailer! He knew the men because they were a part of the congregation at church. They asked him about the goose fishing and they all had a good laugh. They said it was procedure to check all the wagons. Tommy came up with a story. He said that he was afraid he's get a spanking when his dad got home so he took off in the trailer to go fishing. He said that he was a runaway but not the one they were looking for. They believed him and told him to run along home. He said ok! Shortly after that, his dad came for the family and he took them across the river in the boat. When his dad got home that night he explained that he believed in obeying the law but not when it came to people's lives. Slavery was wrong and he would do everything in his power to fight it.

Who would benefit from reading this book/ Who would I recommend this book to?

This is a good book to teach when talking about the underground railroad and slavery. I would recommend this to teachers who plan on teaching that part of history.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

None that I know of.

My Reaction:

This is a simple book that teaches a great part of history. This teaches a valuable lesson about laws. I like the end when the dad is talking to Tommy and he tells him he is a law abiding citizen but sometimes it takes a moral judgement to determine what is right and wrong rather than just following the law blindly. I liked the story line and i would use this book if I ever have to teach about slavery.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by: Patricia MacLachlan

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper and Row

Copyright Date: 1985

Number of Pages: 58

Reading Level: 9-12

Summary:

Anna and Caleb's mother died a few days after Caleb was born. They were older now and Anna remembered much about her but Caleb couldn't remember anything so he always asked questions about her like if she sang a lot. One day, their dad came home from the fields and he had news. He had put an add in the newspaper saying that he was looking for a wife and mother to his kids. He got a response from s lady named Sarah who lived in Maine by the sea. They were all excited and they wrote her letters asking her questions. Finally it was determined that she would come and stay with them for a month to see if it was a good fit. She came. They loved her. She loved to get down and dirty and help with the chores. She brought suveniers from the sea that she missed very much. Caleb was anxious to see if she was going to stay with them forever. They would all play with the animals, swim, and eat meals together. Their dad taught her to ride a horse and drive a wagon. The kids could tell that she and their dad got along very well and that they were growing to love each other. There was a huge storm one night and they all had to hide in the barn with the animals. Their father held Sarah close. One day she went into town by herself and everyone thought that she was leaving for good, but she came back! She came back and brought with her colored pencils, the colors of the sea. She had drawn pictures and wanted to finish them. Caleb admitted that he didn't think she was coming back. She told them then that she was going to stay for good. She and their father got married and they ate dinner together, the four of them, from then on.

Who would benefit from reading this book/Who would you recommend this book to?

This is a short simple book that is easy to read. I would recommend it to children who are studying this time period because it is a historical fiction book.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

None that I can see.

My reaction:

I thought it was ok. It was an easy read with a simple plot but I thought it was almost too simple. There weren't many descriptions about things that could make me really see what was going on. Sarah bugged me. I don't know why... Maybe its just because of how often she talked about missing the sea. In my mind I was thinking, why did you decide to leave it then? I know that question is answered but, overall, not my favorite book.

Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban by: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Scholastic

Copyright Date: 1999

Number of Pages: 435

Reading Level: 9-12

Summary:

This is the third book in the Harry Potter series, and Harry's thrid year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. In the beginning of the book Harry is stuck at his aunt and uncle's again bored and bullied as usual. He has recieved a couple letters from his friends Ron and Hermione, but otherwise there has been nothing. He is ready to go back to school. After a week of mysery when his Aunt Marge comes to visit (she thinks he is a juvinile delinquent) he gets so angry at her one night for going off about his parents that he accidentally blows her up like a balloon. All the sudden she started to swell and then she was floating as if full of helium. Harry was furious and he was also on the run. Young Wizards are not supposed to do magic outside of school. He unintentionally calls upon the night bus to come get him when he fell to the ground after seeing a mysterious animal staring at him from the shadows of the houses, and it takes him the Diagon Alley where the Minister of Magic is waiting for him. Oops. Sure that he was going to be expelled or maybe even arrested he is surprised to find the minister relieved that he was ok. Why shouldn't he be?

He spends the next two weeks doing his homework and walking the streets of Diagon Alley. On the last night before term started Ron and his family come to stay at the Leaky Cauldron along with Hermione. That night Harry over hears Ron's parents having an argument about him. In a nutshell, Sirius Black, famous mass murderer broke out of Azkaban and is after him. They were having an argument on whether or not it is the right thing to tell Harry or not. The next day Mr. Weasley ends up telling him anyway and tells him not to go after Black. Harry is confused by that, why would he go looking for someone who wants to kill him?

On the train ride to school Dementors (the guards of Azkaban) come aboard the Hogwarts Express and Harry discover's first hand what they can do to people. They suck the happiness right out of you. Harry passed out because of all the horrible things that have happened in his life. It is then that Harry meets professor Lupin for the first time. Harry has a problem with dementors all year and professor Lupin gives him anti-dementor lessons. It is a charm called the patronus that acts as a shield to protect him.

It is a busy year for Harry, from passing out on his broom during quidditch from the dementors and being tailed by teachers all tring to make sure that he is safe from this Sirius Black... He also is in divination for the first time with Professor Trelawney who "predicts" his death every day. Somehow Hermione is taking two classes at once and he always has ongoing battles with Professor Snape. Ron and Hermione are always fighting because Hermione's cat is always trying to eat Scabbers, Ron's rat, who is looking older and closer to death by the day. Draco Malfoy is on a warpath to get Hagrid fired because the Hippogriff, Buckbeak attacked him, and oh yeah, a killer is after him.

There are a few times that Sirius Black breaks into the castle. The first time was on Halloween. He snuck up Griffindor Tower and slashed up the Fat Lady portrait because she wouldn't let him in. The second time, he breaks into Griffidor Tower and slashes the curtains on Ron's bed, but when Ron yelled out, he left quickly. Everyone was confused that he didn't just silence Ron and move onto Harry.

Harry, who didn't get permission to go into Hogsmede, snuck in with ron and Hermione. While at the Three Broomsticks, under his invisiblity cloak he over heard some of the teachers and the Minister of Magic talking about Sirius Black. He found out that Black and Harry's dad were best friends in school and apparently it was because of Black that Harry's parents were killed. Black joined the dark side and told Voldemort where Lilly and James were hiding. That filled Harry like fire. His parents best friend, turned them into Voldemort.

As the end of the semester drew near they had exams to take. During Harry's divination exam, Professor Trelawney, who everyone thought to be a fraud, made a real prediction that a servant of Voldemort will escape tonight and will rejoin his master to make him stronger. The Dark Lord will return stronger than ever before. Unnerved, Harry hurried to tell Ron and Hermione only to find out that Buckbeak the Hippogriff, who had attacked Malfoy, was sentenced to death that night. They wanted to be with Hagrid when it happened because he was so distraut. Because it was a formal execution the minister, an executioner, and Dumbledore were all going to be there for it. When Harry, Ron and Herminone arrived at Hagrid's hut Hagrid made them go back to the castle because they weren't supposed to be out of the castle! They left just as the Execution Party arrived. On their way, Scabbers was going crazy. He was squealing and freaking out. It was because Hermione's cat was slinking along behind them. Well Scabber's escaped Ron and was running across the lawn and ron ran after him. Just as a great black dog, the one Harry saw at his aunt and uncle's and the one he had been seeing all year, came running up. It latched onto Ron and took him underneath the Womping Willow.

They followed, afraid at what might be on the other end. When they got there, they realized that it was the shrieking shack. They found Ron and apparently, the dog was Sirius Black who was an animagious! To make it short, Lupin came in after them and they found out that Lupin is a werewolf, Sirius and Lupin had been friends too at Hogwarts and Ron's rat was an animagious as well, and he was the real one that betrayed Harry's parents. Sirius was not after Harry, he was after Peter Petegrew. After much explanation (including, revealing Peter Petegrew, stunning Snape who followed them, and learning the truth) Harry believed Lupin and Sirius.

They all made their way out of the shrieking shack pulling along with them Snape and Petegrew. They were taking Peter up to the castle to be turned in so that Sirius's name could be cleared. Once they were out on the grounds the clouds shifted and the full moon shown down on Lupin who turned into a werewolf. He was chased into the woods by Sirius, and Peter escaped (making Trelawney's prediction true). Eventually they made their way to the lake where they found Sirius benig converged upon by dementors. Harry tried to save him but the dementors turned on him too. He passed out but not before he saw someone across the lake conjure a patronus that drove the dementors away.

He woke up in the hospital wing. Apparently Sirius was being held and he was awaiting the dementor's kiss (sucking out of his soul). Dumbledore came in and explained that they needed to save him and that Hermione knew how. He said that there could be more than one innocent life that could be saved. Hermione had been using a time turner all year to get to her classes. They used it now. They went and relived the past 3 hours and in the process, they saved Buckbeak, flew him up to where Sirius was and Sirius escaped on him.

Now, Harry had a Godfather who cared about him and who he kept in contact with. It made for a very promising summer.

Who would I recommend this book to/Who would benefit from reading this book?

Anyone and everyone. It is a marvelously written book that has amazing descriptions and plots.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

None, personally. But, there are a lot of religious groups who do not support Harry Potter because it is evil and sacreligious. I would be careful reading it in the classroom.

My Reaction:

There isn't much to say except, this book is amazing and it is my favorite of all the Harry Potters. Sirius Black is one of my favorite characters and so it is exciting that he is introduced in this book. The adventures that Harry and his friends go on are not only entertaining but they are clever and intense and proof of what a master writer J.K. Rowling is.