Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Fantasy

Grade level: 3-6

There is a boy named Harry who's parents were killed by a bad wizard named Voldemort. He tried to kill Harry but was unsuccessful. Harry lives with a family called the Dursley's and they spoil their own children while Harry has to sleep in the attic. Harry exhibits special powers at the zoo when the glass breaks and he is punished for the incident. Letters come for Harry but Mr. Dursley hides them. Eventually Hagrid comes to give him his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. A month later he boards the train to London to go to school. He meets Hermoine and Ron on the train and they become great friends. There is a troll roaming around the school and together they defeat the troll. For Christmas he receives his fathers invisibility cloak and he explores the school. They find out a three headed dog is guarding the sorcerer stone which is capable of providing eternal life and wealth. Harry finds out that Voldemort is trying the steal the stone. Harry decides that he should find the stone before Voldemort does. They make it past lots of different quarrels and eventually make it to be face to face with a guy named Quirrell and he puts him in front of the mirror that shows you what you always desire and he desires to have the stone and he feels it in his pocket. He tells Quirrell something else and a voice tells him that Harry is lying. He reveals a face on the back of his head and that face is Voldemort who tells Quirrell to kill Harry he is burned when he comes in contact with Harry. Harry faints and wakes up in the hospital with Dumbledore the headmaster by his side who tells him that he saved him just in time and they decided to destroy the stone. 

This book is a very good book to introduce to your students. There is a lot of very good vocabulary that can be used in weekly vocab and spelling tests. It is a very imaginative book that can be used for all sorts of activities and prompts for journal writings. 

The cover art is very cartoonish and there are a couple hints to what the book would be about with the unicorn in the background and the broomstick. On hardcover books the lettering of the Harry Potter is gold and in different material than the rest of the book.