Title: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
Author: JK Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 26th of June 1997 (first published) – 2017 marks 20 years
Format: Paperback
Pages: 223
Price: $16.99
Synopsis: Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter “H”.
Harry Potter has never heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
An incredible adventure is about to begin!
~*~
As 2017 marks twenty years since the world met Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, a bespectacled, messy haired eleven year old, I am celebrating with a series of posts, including a review of the first book.
At age one, Harry is sent to live with his awful relatives, the Dursleys, following the mysterious death of his parents, Lily and James Potter. Unbeknownst to him, they were murdered by a Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort, whose ambition to take over the wizarding world was thwarted when he turned his wand onto Harry, and the Killing Curse bounced back onto Voldemort, sending him into an oblivion he longed to get out of.
Ten years later, Harry begins to receive mysterious letters in a parchment envelope, addressed in emerald green ink, pinpointing his exact location: the cupboard under the stairs, the smallest bedroom, and the hut on the rock, before he receives his letter when Rubeus Hagrid is sent to help. From here, Harry enters the Wizarding World, and is soon attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, despite his aunt and uncle’s attempts to stamp the magic out of him.
Harry’s time at Hogwarts is not without troubles. He earns a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, courtesy of his Head of House, Minvera McGonagall, earns an enemy because he chose Ron Weasley as a friend over Draco Malfoy, fights a Mountain Troll, and ventures into the Forbidden Forest for a detention when he is caught out of bed. All of this leads up to a battle between Harry and the person he never thought he’d face, or ever have to face beneath a trap door in the school, guarded by a three headed dog called Fluffy.
I enjoyed this book, and the rest of the series, and still have them on my shelf. A great series to read and re-read over and over again, it allows you to suspend belief and go to Hogwarts. As a start to a series, I found it well written, and each time I read it, there is something comforting about it and new to discover. For Harry, finding himself in a world where he has friends and is accepted and loved, even by people he has never met, like Molly Weasley, who steps in as a mother figure when he is lost at King’s Cross, it is a comfort to know he will never be alone, now that he has found Hogwarts. Filled with quirky characters and the beginning th
reads of a mystery and plot that traverses seven books, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is a great book for confident readers aged nine and older, including adults.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opened the Wizarding World up to children and adults alike in 1997 across the world. Now twenty years old, it still endures as a favourite for many, and begins a series that becomes increasingly complex with each book. As Harry ages, the fans aged, and the darkness that threatened to engulf Harry’s world entered the books. The first book is light, with a few dark moments, but manages to get the balance right for a children’s book. It is a world of wonder but also a world where nothing is certain, and you learn to trust your friends.
The Harry Potter series is a favourite, and the first book is a nice introduction to the series. Harry got a new generation of children interested in reading, and that is a good thing.
Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Hogwarts textbook that inspired the movie of the same name, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has been res-issued, with the addition of six beasts that Newt discovered during the course of the movie. Writing as Newt Scamander, JK Rowling brings the magical creatures of the wizarding world to life. From the treasure seeking Niffler to the water horses and kelpies, to the breeds of dragon that populate the world, and the American Creatures that Newt was forbidden from revealing after his 1926 visit to New York, including the Thunderbird, Horned Serpent and Wampus Cat, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them brings to life a new facet of the world of Harry Potter.
Since 2015, one of my favourite series has had illustrated editions released for each book, and this year not only marks the twentieth anniversary, already discussed in a previous post, but a
new addition to the already released illustrated editions:
illustrated editions, Jim Kay has illustrated the story, and brought iconic aspects of the novel, such as the Knight Bus, seen here on the cover, to life. This hardback edition will have a ribbon marker, head and tail bands, illustrated end papers, and has over 115 colour images. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite of the series, and I can’t wait to see the illustrations to accompany the Dementors and the Boggart scenes.
On the 26th of June, 2017, it will have been twenty years since the 
first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published. Like all good ideas, Harry Potter started as a seedling idea on a train journey, and soon became a worldwide sensation and phenomenon – selling 450 million copies worldwide, and being translated into 79 languages.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Bloomsbury is reissuing special twentieth anniversary editions in the house colours in both paperback and hard cover. Levi Pinfold has illustrated the crests for each house, and on the black hardcovers, the crests are in the respective house colours: red for Gryffindor, yellow for Hufflepuff, blue for Ravenclaw and green for Slytherin, with striped page edges. In the paperbacks, the covers and edges of the paper are in the house colours, with the crests in black. 
ristics of the houses. These designs were created by Levi Pinfold, a Kate Greenaway Medal winner, and will also contain three illustrations within the books, to go with the additional information about the houses. These editions will be published at the beginning of June, and cost $16.99 for the paperback, and $27.99 for the hardcover in Australia.
Harry Potter is a story that has inspired many children to read since it was released in 1997, and continues to
do so, forming a large part of childhood for many. It continues to gather fans and older fans pass their love onto others, sharing the magic of Harry, Ron and Hermione for years to come. These twentieth anniversary editions will be a great addition to any shelf.
Alongside these new covers, Bloomsbury will be marking the celebration with various events, and competitions.