Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (published as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone outside the U.S.) is the first of seven novels in the Harry Potter series by British author J.K. Rowling. It was published on June 30, 1997.

Plot

The story centers around Harry Potter, whose parents, James and Lily Potter, were a respected wizard and witch until they were murdered by a dark lord named Voldemort. Harry survived the attack through his mother's love, and was taken to live with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon, and their son, his cousin Dudley. This is where the novel begins. Petunia and Vernon mistreat Harry, but he is rescued from their outrageous neglect when he reaches the appropriate age to enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the famed wizard Albus Dumbledore is headmaster. Hagrid, a teacher at Hogwarts, comes to take Harry from his borderline abusive uncle and aunt.

At Hogwarts, Harry makes friends at Hogwarts with fellow students Ron Weasley and Hermione Grainger but also makes enemies in fellow student Draco Malfoy and the sinister Hogwarts Potions Master, Severus Snape, both of whom are ruthless bullies.

Hogwarts is divided into four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Harry is in Gryffindor and dislikes the Slytherins, and Hagrid tells him that "there's not witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin, You-Know-Who was one", referring to the Dark Lord Voldemort. Snape is the head of Slytherin, and Draco is a Slytherin student.

Harry finds out about an object called the sorcerer's stone which will make its user immmortal. Harry begins to suspect Snape is trying to steal it. He goes past the obstacles to it to head Snape off only to discover that Quirrell, a different teacher, was the person seeking to steal the stone, not Snape.

Movie

A film version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, directed by Chris Columbus, was released in 2001. It was nominated for three Academy Awards.