Too old to read a JK Rowling. Well, that’s what I first felt when one of my friends gave me her opinion about the book. Incidently she had purchased it for her nephew, thought of reading it and ultimately decided to keep it for herself. This effect on her made to try the book and I ended up reading all the 4 books.
About J. K Rowling
J. K Rowling started writing the first Harry Potter book in 1990. The idea came to Rowling while she was stuck on a delayed train between Manchester and London. She left England a short time later to teach English in Portugal. She returned to Britain in 1993, divorced after a brief marriage in Portugal. Now she had to suffer through a period of poverty and depression while she struggled to earn a living and take care of her daughter. It was during this difficult time that she finally completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which was renamed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the U.S. edition.
About Harry Potter
Harry is a lonely, downtrodden orphan who spends the early years of his childhood with a family that hated him (for reasons unknown to him). He is treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who inherited him when his parents were killed in a car accident (actually by the evil Voldemort). Then, in a magical twist of fate he finds himself surrounded by wizards, a caged owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. On his 11th birthday he learns that he is actually a wizard and is invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is the best school of its kind in the world. The greatest witches and wizards of the age founded Hogwarts more than a thousand years ago. They built a remote castle, far away so that witches and wizards could train in safety. Pupils attend from age eleven for seven years of rigorous training in the art of witchcraft and wizardry. There are a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts and everything keeps moving around, so things are not always in the same place.
In the nonmagic human world--the world of ’’Muggles’’--Harry is just another human. But in the world of wizards Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead. He has a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he is indeed altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled cousin Dudley.
Suddenly, Harry is plunged into an entirely new world of magic. At Hogwarts Harry has friends for the first time in his life. Ron and Hermione are his best friends at the school and they are the ones who help Harry through all of his troubles. From the very beginning though, Harry is slightly aware of something strange going on at Hogwarts. Harry pieces together the mystery slowly throughout the school year in while he isn’t busy working on schoolwork or Quidditch (a magical game played on broomsticks).
What remains ahead is a world never seen or heard of. It needs imaginative and creative brains to churn out a book like this. Hats off to JK Rowling. To understand, it is better to read the book as I did.
A Short Glossary
The best part about the book is the terminologies used.
Muggle A person without anymagical powers i.e. human beings. Muggles live in ignorance of the world of wizards and witches.
Squib: Someone born to mixed, magic and non-magic parents.
Acid Pops: Wizarding sweets that burn holes in the tongue.
Platform nine and three-quarters: The platform at the railway station where students gather to board the Hogwarts Express. Muggles don’t know about its existance.
Alohomora: A spell that unlocks the door.
Animagi: Wizards who can turn themselves into animals at will. The singular form is animagus.
Aparecium: Spell to make invisible ink visible.
Peppermint Toads: Toad-shaped peppermint sweets that hop about in the stomach after they’ve been eaten.
Invisibility Cloak: Magic cloak that makes the person waering it invisible.
Jelly-Legs Jinx: Makes the legs wobbly.
WWN: The Wizarding Wireless Network.
You-Know-Who: The evil Lord Voldemort, a Dark wizard who killed Harry’s parents. Also referred to as He Who Must Not Be Named.
Azkaban: Prison fortress where wizarding criminals are sent.
Great Hall: The main hall in Hogwarts where Sorting takes place and where meals are served and meetings take place. The ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside.
These are just a few of the terminologies used in the book. I can’t think of more now.
On the whole a nice book to start with the fantasy world.