Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone facts for kids
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is the very first book in the popular Harry Potter series. It was written by J.K. Rowling. The book was published in 1997. A movie version came out in 2001. In the United States, both the book and movie are called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Contents
Discovering the Wizarding World
This first book introduces readers to the magical world of Harry Potter. It sets the scene and brings in important characters.
Harry's Unhappy Life
The story begins in an ordinary English town. People are surprised to see witches and wizards in strange clothes. They are openly celebrating something unusual. This shows that the secret world of magic is usually hidden from regular people. These regular people are called "Muggles."
Then, we meet the main character, Harry Potter. He is a baby boy left on his aunt and uncle's doorstep. An old wizard with a long white beard delivers him.
When we next see Harry, he is eleven years old. He lives unhappily with his mean aunt, cruel uncle, and bullying cousin Dudley. But then, a huge, half-giant man rescues him. This man has a big black beard and rides a flying motorcycle. His name is Rubeus Hagrid.
A New School for Harry
Harry learns he is a wizard, even though he didn't know it. Hagrid has come to help him get ready for school. This school sounds very exciting. It is called "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
On the train ride to Hogwarts, Harry meets two new friends. They are Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron and Hermione are very different. Hermione has "Muggle" parents. She is very smart and talented. At first, the boys don't like her much because she acts like a know-it-all.
Ron, on the other hand, comes from an old wizard family. He is the sixth of seven children. He wears hand-me-down clothes. Even his pet rat used to belong to his brother. Ron knows all about Harry Potter.
The Boy Who Lived
Harry is famous in the wizarding world, but he doesn't know why. He was left with his aunt and uncle because his parents died. They were killed by an evil wizard named "Lord Voldemort." He is so evil that people are afraid to say his name.
Harry is famous because he survived Voldemort's attack. After that day, Voldemort disappeared.
Life at Hogwarts
J.K. Rowling then describes Hogwarts, which becomes Harry's home. Each book in the series covers one year of his life there. The book shows the teachers, lessons, customs, and even the school sport. It makes Hogwarts feel like a real place.
Students learn and use magic. But the book also shows Harry growing up in a new, strange place. It's like any student learning to fit in at a new school.
Harry soon finds that some wizards are kind. These include the School Principal, Professor Albus Dumbledore. Deputy Professor Minerva McGonagall is also kind and encouraging. But others, like Professor Snape, are hard to trust. Snape has greasy black hair and makes nasty comments.
One important subject Harry needs to learn is "Defense Against the Dark Arts." But the teacher, Professor Quirrell, is nervous and clumsy. He doesn't seem to teach Harry much at all.
As the year goes on, Harry discovers a precious treasure hidden at Hogwarts. If Lord Voldemort got it, it would be very dangerous. Harry also learns that having friends with different skills helps a lot when solving problems.
Key Ideas in the Book
The Harry Potter books are fictional stories. J.K. Rowling created a fantasy world. This world exists as a secret part of our own. The magical people are mostly ordinary. They just have an extra talent: they can do magic.
Magic and Muggles
Magic people go to a special school to learn how to use magic safely. Like a talented musician might go to a music school. Students must learn to use spells carefully. Magic can be dangerous if not controlled. Sometimes, a license is even needed to do certain magic.
Magic people and Muggles are actually very similar. Muggles don't know about magic people. Magic people don't fully understand how Muggles live without magic. But their daily lives are much alike. They go to school, study, play sports, and make friends. They also fall in love, get married, and work. They shop, cook, read, and have pets. They grow old and pass away.
Like all people, they feel love, hate, fear, and jealousy. They also feel loneliness, prejudice, and distrust. Harry Potter is a talented wizard. But he still deals with all these normal feelings. How Harry's feelings change is a big part of the stories.
The Power of Love and Sacrifice
Two very important ideas in this book are "Love" and "Self-sacrifice." It's important that Harry grew up without love. His aunt, uncle, and cousin didn't want him. But they kept him because they cared what neighbors might think. Harry never had friends at school because of his cousin Dudley.
He didn't know what having a friend was like until Hogwarts. There, he met Ron and Hermione. Harry wasn't used to trusting people. But he quickly learned to trust his new friends.
Three loving adults are also in Harry's life. Professor Dumbledore is wise and caring. He is not afraid of Voldemort and gives Harry good advice. Harry should trust him completely. But Harry usually lies or hides things from adults. This is a silly way to treat Professor Dumbledore, but it's what Harry does.
Professor McGonagall is the second loving person. She is a strict teacher but always fair. She can be trusted. She quickly sees people's special talents and gives good encouragement.
Hagrid is the third loving person. He is the giant gamekeeper and lives in a small cottage near the castle. Hagrid has a special love for Harry. He rescued Harry when he was a baby. This gives him a strong fatherly feeling. He helps Harry settle in. He is always there to listen and encourage Harry and his friends. Harry slowly learns how to treat his friends well.
"Self-sacrifice" means giving something up, even your own life, to help another person. Sacrifice is connected to love. At the very start of the book, Harry's mother, Lily Potter, made a huge sacrifice to save Harry. She was killed, but Harry survived.
The idea of "Self-sacrifice" runs through the whole book. It shows that a person doesn't have to seem very brave or strong to make a sacrifice for others. If you remember this, you will see that the most important events happen because someone is brave enough to face death to save others.
The Movie: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
The movie was made by Warner Brothers. It followed the book very closely. In the United States, it was called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter. Rupert Grint played Ron Weasley. Emma Watson played Hermione Granger.
See also
In Spanish: Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal para niños
