I think there is very little point in me explaining anything about the concept of this book, as only someone living under a very oblivious rock, wearing ear plugs and buried somewhere closer to the centre of the Earth than the surface could be unaware of the world of Harry Potter. I recently sat down to re read the series and as this is the 8th time I have read this specific book I felt that it was slightly criminal that I'd never sat down to review it. In the old days when only 5 Harry Potter books existed and before most fan fiction found itself to be shockingly inaccurate when compared to cannon, I regarded this book to be my least favourite of the five after reading them all. Thinking about this now I feel this was rather unfair and have tried to recall how I felt when I first finished the book, around the age of 14. My initial reaction at the time was that I had just read something special and found a new world to yearn for. Even when this book was my least favourite of the series the world building could not be faulted. Rowling had built up a new universe completely, with characters that leapt from the page and locations that not only could I see in my imagination, but hear and smell as well. The book is also filled with lots of subtle moments of humour, particularly at the beginning when the horror of the Dursleys is being described, trying to hide Harry from the wizarding community.
I always felt that this book had a certain juvenile quality to it, when compared to the others in the series, I think this was why I didn't appreciate it as much as I did them, but I should try and remember that it is from the perspective from a boy who has just turned 11 years old. It took me a while to realise that the easiest solution to stop this book from suffering in comparison is to simply stop comparing it! J K Rowling spent a long time trying to get this book published and got no appreciation for it for a long time. I can just imagine how the publishers who rejected it are feeling now. *beams*
This book introduces the reader into a world of wonder and magic from the perspective of a young boy who never knew it existed. His wonder is our wonder, his shock our shock. I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime and I have never found a series that gripped me as much as this one did. I still count it as my favourite series of all time, and nothing has beaten that yet. For a long time I was quite an obsessive Harry Potter fan, I cringed when the films were inaccurate and yet still collected the merchandise with a fervour that was slightly scary to my friends and family at the time, I'm sure. A few years ago when I was moving house and could only take a small bag of things my priorities were inevitably my laptop and my Harry Potter series. I don't think that this type of wonder will ever really leave me, and if anyone ever asks for a book recommendation then this is the first one that I give. I want to share the Harry Potter series with everyone and often make it a prerequisite for anyone requesting my friendship. *shifty eyes*
I know that I'm not the only person who felt their entire view on reading change because of this series, for this reason it will always be special to me and I will continue to recommend it to everyone and anyone that crosses my path.
