________________ CM . . . . Volume VI Number 2 . . . . September 17, 1999

cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

J.R. Rowling.
London, UK: Bloomsbury Press (Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books), 1997.
223 pp., paper & cloth, $12.95 (paper), $25.95 (cloth).
ISBN 0-7475-3274-5 (paper), ISBN 0-7475-3269-9 (cloth).

Subject Headings:
Magic-Juvenile fiction.
Wizards-Juvenile fiction.
England-Juvenile fiction.

Grades 4 - 9 / Ages 9 - 14.
Review by Mary Thomas.

**** /4

excerpt:

"Still got yer letter, Harry?" Hagrid asked.
Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.
"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list of everything yeh need."
Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before and read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Uniform
First year students will require:

  1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
  2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
  3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
  4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.

Set Books
All students should have copies of each of the following:

  • The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk
  • A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
  • Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
  • A Beginners' Guide to Transfigurations by Emeric Switch
  • One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
  • Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
  • The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble
Other equipment
  • 1 wand
  • 1 cauldron (pewter, size 2)
  • 1 set glass or crystal phials
  • 1 telescope
  • 1 set brass scales
Students may bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

"Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.
"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.

Until his eleventh birthday, Harry seems to be a more or less ordinary boy in spite of the strange lightening-shaped scar on his forehead and the propensity for peculiar things to happen when he gets upset. At that point, however, he receives his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, takes the train from platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross railway station, and leaves behind the dull and ordinary world of the Muggles (i.e., ours!) to enter the fascinating one of magic where classes are for being taught about potions and spells, and recreation is the game of Quidditch which is played with 4 balls, 6 baskets, and two teams of seven people, all riding broomsticks.
     The plot is of the fairly standard good-versus-evil variety, with good triumphing in the final chapter and Harry's "house" (that is, his team, into which he had been placed on entry to the school for the purpose of classes and games) winning the grand prize for the year. Witchcraft gives the story very entertaining twists throughout. Puns abound, as do take-offs on general school rules and regulations. These may be somewhat foreign to Canadian readers, unaccustomed as they are to boarding-school terminology and mystique, but even though some elements will be a bit strange, the plot pulls the reader in and conventions become clear as the story progresses.
     As one of the blurbs on the cover points out, Harry Potter invites comparison with the novels of Roald Dahl, and, in my opinion, it comes out a long way ahead. This book is good fun and would be a super read-aloud for home or classroom. What's more, it serves as an introduction to such books as Stalky and Co., by Rudyard Kipling, for those who have found it appealing. Kit Pearson's The Daring Game is another good book with a boarding school setting, in Canada this time, that could be enjoyed and compared with Harry Potter. In other words, it opens windows, and I can't recommend a book more highly than that!

Highly recommended.

Mary Thomas is at present on leave from her job in elementary school libraries in Winnipeg, but all sabbaticals come to an end, and she is looking forward to returning to the real world in August.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE -September 17, 1999.

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