Additional Information:
- Nestle Smarties Book Prize
Synopsis: Orphaned from a young age, Harry Potter lives under the stairs in the house of his wicked aunt and uncle. He has always been told that he is nothing, and he tries his hardest to go unnoticed. One day, mysterious letters come to the house addressed to Harry. The letter reveals that he is in fact a wizard and must go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Rebelling against his strict guardians, Harry goes to Hogwarts and learns about his powers, the wizarding world, and the true story of his parents' death. The first of a seven book series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone delves deep into themes of good and evil while following a young boy's coming of age.
Book Notes: This book contains strong elements of magic, which many parents disapprove of. If this book is being taught in the classroom, it would be beneficial to communicate with the parents since many disapprove of Harry Potter books. The books are extremely well written and are sure to engage readers with every page flip. The writing is simple to understand, but the themes are deep.
Critique: This is the book that made me love reading. Rowling's writing engages the reader from the first page, and it is easy to get lost in the imaginary world she has created. Genius ideas are woven into the plot of the series, and the connections from one book to another are astounding. Rowling truly created a wonderful series from beginning to end, and this is the book that starts it all. Although parents often disapprove of the book for moral reasons, I believe that there is nothing wrong with the content. It focuses on the power of good over evil and the ability for it to triumph in the end. These are themes that are crucial for students to understand from an early age.
Classroom Activities: This book makes a great novel study for students to read individually and for the teacher to read aloud. It can be analyzed in terms of plot elements, story structure, character development, and writing style. This analysis can take place in literature groups or in whole class discussion. This book can be used for a variety of elementary grades, but may be best used in fifth or sixth grade. Below are more links to classroom ideas.
- Lesson plans: http://www.webenglishteacher.com/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone-lesson-plans.html
- Unit plans: http://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=2952&a=1
- Resource guide: http://www.bookunitsteacher.com/reading_harrypotter/harrypotterandthesorceresstone.pdf
Additional Resources:
- Author website: http://www.jkrowling.com/
- Potterworld: http://www.potterworldmc.com/
- Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm_xb5_dKyg
- Movie trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjvzTXhit6w
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