I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (for Americans, that’s the Sorcerer’s Stone - philosopher, sorcerer, no difference) recently.

Without further ado:

I liked the word games (I was very happy to figure out right away that the Mirror of Erised was the Mirror of Desire spelt backwards) and word play, and was surprised at how funny I found the book. For some reason I would laugh almost every time the dog Fluffy’s name was mentioned (that’s the giant, 3-headed dog that will tear you limb from limb unless you play it a song, in which case it will reluctantly lie down and start to fall asleep).

My major complaint was that I wished Rowling had added a little more of a reason to the Muggles’ anti-wizardry behaviour. Because they were uni-dimensional, I found them unconvincing, but I realize the primary audience for the book wasn’t adults.

Overall I recommend it, if only to get an idea of the cultural phenom known as Harry Potter. I just might try the second book.