Magic
I resisted these books for years, thinking they were not quality. Boy, was I wrong. I absolutely love this series and have read it many times. One of the most impressive things to me is how good a writer Rowling is—she mentions things in book one or two, then fully develops them into plot twists in future books. The attention to detail, humor, characterization, and gifted storytelling combine with a novel setting to make each book a compelling read.
This first book introduces Harry to the wizarding world. I love the descriptions of secret passageways and quirky castle magic and Harry’s whole introduction to this life. An important point to note about this series is that books 1-3 are more benign. The story gets increasingly dark with subsequent books.
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Peter, orphaned, poor, and living with a crazy old man, searches for truth and deliverance in a European, fairytale-like setting. A series of seemingly unconnected people and events develops into a magical, sophisticated story. The tale is deeply layered with meaning, themes, characterization, loneliness, despair, suffering, and hope.
The style of this book is entirely different from that of most children’s books. There is a grown up element balanced with an innocent element. It is like the author assumes an intelligent, thoughtful reader willing to accept the unexplained and seemingly confusing and patiently wait for the connections to come.
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