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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Summary

Wizards and Hogwarts! Muggles and Mudbloods! Quidditch and Broomsticks! None of those things mean anything to Harry Potter, a small, skinny, bespectacled boy with an unusual lightning-bolt shaped scar on his forehead - until his eleventh birthday. That's when he starts receiving letters inviting him to The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that his parents did not die in a car crash but were killed by Voldemort, the Lord of Darkness, and that he himself is famous in the world of wizardry. So Harry leaves the home of his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and their hateful son Dudley, who are mere muggles (humans without one drop of magic in them), and embarks on a new life. And the changes continue as Harry spends year after year at Hogwarts, a place where he not only learns about being a wizard, but also about friendship and loyalty and fear and courage, and about his own past and future, his family, and his destiny.

309 pages, 4th grade and up

Summary

Warning! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!

  1. What was Harry's home life like before finding out about his secret past?
  2. Why do you think the magic community allowed him to live with Muggles for so long? Why not take him in themselves?
  3. What are your impressions of Dudley?
  4. Why do you think J.K. Rowling depicts the Dursley's as being so terrible?
  5. What are the advantages to Harry not having known how special he is before he starts school? Disadvantages? What are some of the instances when Harry acts more like a bumbling Muggle than a great wizard?
  6. What are your first impressions of Hogwarts School? What about it makes it seem special and different?
  7. If you could have one magic companion, what would it be and why? Rat, cat, owl, dragon, unicorn . . .
  8. What does it say about Lord Voldemort and his followers when Quirrell tells Harry that, "There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it." (p.291). Find other examples throughout all three books where the author helps us understand characters by telling us what these characters believe.
  9. What event brings Harry and Ron together with Hermione that makes them such good friends?
  10. Consider the professors at Hogwarts, including Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Quirrell – what does each character stand for? What does Harry learn from each one?
  11. The Harry Potter series is the most popular children's book series ever written. Why do you think it is so popular? Why do you think adults and kids both like it?
  12. What do you predict might happen in future books?

Activities

Make wands out of dowels, glitter, and metallic markers. Paint lightning scars on your foreheads.

Snack ideas: Jelly beans - have kids name each one before eating it - or after, depending on the taste. Make Knickerbocker Glories with lots of toppings!

Portions of this discussion guide are credited to the Scholastic, Inc. Harry Potter Discussion Guide

Created in part with funds granted by the Oregon State Library under the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Oregon State Library. Send feedback to Katie O'Dell, Reading Promotions Coordinator