Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Funny, imaginative, magical ... Rowling has woken up a whole generation to reading. In the 2020s, thirty-something book-lovers will know each other by smug references to Diagon Alley and Quidditch' The Times

When a letter arrives for unhappy but ordinary Harry Potter, a decade-old secret is revealed to him. His parents were wizards, killed by a Dark Lord's curse when Harry was just a baby, and which he somehow survived. Escaping from his unbearable Muggle guardians to Hogwarts, a wizarding school brimming with ghosts and enchantments, Harry stumbles into a sinister adventure when he finds a three-headed dog guarding a room on the third floor. Then he hears of a missing stone with astonishing powers which could be valuable, dangerous, or both.

'This is a terrific book' Sunday Telegraph

'Has all the makings of a classic ... Rowling uses classic narrative devices with flair and originality and delivers a complex and demanding plot in the form of a hugely entertaining thriller' Scotsman

'And you thought wizardry was for children. Harry Potter will make you think again. He casts his spells on grown-ups too' James Naughtie

'Full of surprises and jokes; comparisons with Dahl are, this time, justified' Sunday Times