Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Unabridged 6 Audio Cassette Set) |
 |
 click here for more details, find new or used items |
J.K. Rowling
|
|
Pages: (Audio Cassette)
ISBN: 1855493942
Pub: BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Pub date: 1999-11-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 92302
Editorial Review:
Say you've spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand and jellybeans that come in every flavour, including strawberry, curry, grass and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J K Rowling's enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In the non-magical human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is renowned as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoilt, pig-like cousin Dudley.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig ... and that's where the real adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins.
This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future classic to be sure--will leave children clamouring for a sequel. (Ages 8-13) --Karin Snelson
Reader Reviews:
Pants. (0/3 people found this helpful)
Pants. Pants. Pants.
Frodo goes to Mallory Towers or something.
It's unimaginative, derivative, dull tosh.
Kids might like it, but only if they've never read The Hobbit, or Earthsea or something good.
Personally I'd nick the kids' wands and send 'em to borstal. Then you might get an interesting story.
This is just a pile clichés.
J K Rowling said she was trying to subvert the genre.
What a laugh.
Enid Blyton (Mallory Towers) and Frank Richards (Billy Bunter) wrote like this about public schools decades ago, and as for the magic.... PAH!!!
They were doing better stuff than this is Hanna-Barbera cartoons in the 1960s.
It might keep your kids quiet for a few rainy afternoons, but don't they deserve something better?
If must go retro on them, why not get them HG Wells' short stories, or Sherlock Holmes, or something of value that might inspire them and make them think.
They'll hate you for it of course, but don't worry. They'll probably end up doing that anyway.
One star because I can't go any lower.
Magical (0/1 people found this helpful)
Harry Potter is very magical and mysterious, by Hadeel.
Hermione is very clever and I'd like to be like her, by Aqeela.
My favourite part is when Potter fought the dragon, by Jordan.
Fred and George are very funny too!
Does it have to be so boring? (2/32 people found this helpful)
How can so many people like JK Rowling??? If someone offered me one of her books for free I would never take it just because all of the Harry Potter books are such heaps of junk. I got this one from my brother because he said he`d started it but got bored of it in the first chapter so he thought I might like it. He was so wrong. I started it eagerly as with all my books, but after reading just a page I got fed up with it. It was quite some time later before I made the effort to open it up again, and what do you know? It was just the same as when I closed it - boring like hell. Then it went into the trash and probably became something more exciting like a chinese prayer book or something. Hopefully. Anyway, I`m waiting for the new release of `Harry potter and the jar of money` by JK Rolling [get it!]. So anyone who can enjoy this book really really diserves a prize.
Magical! (25/26 people found this helpful)
In my overly-excited anticipation of the seventh and final novel coming out on 21st July `07, I've started reading the Harry Potter series again (for the third time) and I'm enjoying them just as much now as I did the very first time I read them.
`Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' is the first book in the magical 7-book saga, introducing an orphaned young boy, Harry, who has been bought up for the past 10 years by his aunt and uncle, who have been keeping Harry's secret very well hidden from him.
To Harry's surprise and disbelief, once he reaches his 11th birthday he finds out that his is a wizard and is invited to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And so this begins one of the most engrossing and enjoyable stories ever written.
The first book is obviously a great place to start. The book is reasonably short, the story is fairly straight-forward (for now!) and once you have gotten a few chapters in you will without a doubt be already deeply absorbed and won't be able to put it down.
JK Rowling has a special writing talent that many (most) other authors don't, where you actually feel like you have been to places like Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, Platform nine & three quarters and Privet Drive and have really met the likes of Ron and the Weasley family, Hermoine, Dumbledore, Snape, Voldermort, the Malfoys, the Dursleys, Hagrid and the rest of the memorable characters.
To anyone considering reading the Harry Potter books for the first time my advice would be this - join the hype, forget about the real world and enjoy six (most likely to be seven) of the best books ever written, that can be enjoyed by both children and adults alike.
Already a classic (5/6 people found this helpful)
A lot of things are overhyped these days, but this book isn't one of them.
Harry Potter is an orphaned child, living a miserable existence with his cruel uncle and aunt, and their dreadful, spoilt son, when, suddenly, his luck changes, and he gets the opportunity to go to a new school, Hogwarts.
There are four houses at Hogwarts, and Harry ends up in Gryffindor, who are determined to end Slytherin's hold on the House Cup, and Harry's amazing powers make him their main hope. A star at Quidditch, it looks as if his reckless behaviour looking for the magical Philosopher's Stone, with his friends, will cost Gryffindor dearly. What happens after that...well, that would be telling!
The good characters in this book are delightful, especially the three child heroes (four if you include Neville!) Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall - and even the fur-wearing Hagrid (speaking as a vegetarian, one of the book's faults is it's not veggie friendly!).
The unpleasant characters are hissable - Snape, Malfoy, and Voldemort, plus one or two surprise baddies. The book has a balanced mix of light and dark, and the vivid descriptions of the Quidditch matches mixes the two.
What makes this book special is really the mix of old-fashioned storytelling, involving wizards, monsters, ghosts, and good and evil, but placed in a modern setting - which, though giving you the feeling you've read something similar before, you know you haven't!
- Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.
Similar Products
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2 - Unabridged 6 Audio Cassette Set)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [2001]
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [2002]
Tom Brown's Schooldays (Oxford World's Classics)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Complete and Unabridged (Harry Potter)
Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Music -> Styles -> Soundtracks -> Themes -> Science Fiction
Music -> Substores -> Used Music -> Soundtracks -> Bestsellers
Music -> Substores -> Used Music -> Soundtracks -> Themes -> Science Fiction
Books -> Subjects -> Young Adult -> Science Fiction & Fantasy -> Fantasy
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Complete List
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Audio Cassettes
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Fiction -> Science Fiction & Fantasy
Books -> Subjects -> Children’s Books -> Ages 5-8 -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Books -> Subjects -> Audio Cassettes -> Children’s Books -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter
Books -> Subjects -> Audio Cassettes -> Children’s Books -> Harry Potter
Books -> Subjects -> Audio Cassettes -> Children’s Books -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Toys & Games -> Characters & Brands -> Harry Potter -> Books -> Audio Cassettes
Toys & Games -> Characters & Brands -> Harry Potter -> Books -> Complete List
Toys & Games -> Characters & Brands -> Harry Potter -> Music
Toys & Games -> Age Ranges -> 5-8 Years -> Books -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Toys & Games -> Age Ranges -> 9-11 Years -> Books -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Complete List
Toys & Games -> Age Ranges -> 9-11 Years -> Books -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Audio Cassettes
Toys & Games -> Age Ranges -> 9-11 Years -> Books -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Toys & Games -> Children’s Books -> Ages 5-8 -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Toys & Games -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Complete List
Toys & Games -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter -> Audio Cassettes
Toys & Games -> Children’s Books -> Ages 9-11 -> Authors -> Rowling, JK
Toys & Games -> Children’s Books -> Fiction -> Science Fiction & Fantasy
uk-shops -> Travel -> Audio Books -> Children’s Books -> Characters & Series -> Harry Potter
uk-shops -> Travel -> Audio Books -> Children’s Books -> Harry Potter
uk-shops -> Travel -> Audio Books -> Children’s Books -> Authors -> Rowling, JK