Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter Illustrated Edition #1)

Gr 4-7--Whether they're committed Potterheads who grew up reading the world-changing fantasy series or children just old enough to enjoy the stories for the very first time, readers will want to pore over this stunning illustrated edition, which features the full and unabridged text (with the exception of the title, the text is from the original British edition). From the dark and stormy endpapers to the ink-sploshed pages to Kay's expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations adorning almost every page, the story of Harry's humble beginnings with the wretched Dursleys, the arrival of his letter from Hogwarts, and his first adventures as "the boy who lived" come to brilliant life in this beautiful--and beautifully designed--edition. Though the size and heft might make library circulation somewhat challenging, this is a fantastic gift.--Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

Praise for the original publication of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

"A wonderful first novel. Much like Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling has a gift for keeping the emotions, fears, and triumphs of her characters on a human scale, even while the supernatural is popping out all over. The book is full of wonderful, sly humor [and] the characters are impressively three-dimensional (occasionally, four-dimensional!) and move along seamlessly through the narrative. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is as funny, moving and impressive as the story behind its writing. Like Harry Potter, [J. K. Rowling] has wizardry inside, and has soared beyond her modest Muggle surroundings to achieve something quite special." — "The New York Times Book Review"

"A charming, imaginative, magical confection of a novel. . . . A glorious debut, a book of wonderful comic pleasures and dizzying imaginative flights. There is no cause to doubt Rowling's abilities and promise, and every reason to expect great things, truly great things, from her in the future." — "The Boston Sunday Globe"

"You don't have to be a wizard or a kid to appreciate the spell cast by Harry Potter." — "USA Today"

"The story delights and the writing gives you goosebumps, the good kind." — "Chicago Tribune"

*"Readers are in for a delightful romp with this award-winning debut from a British author who dances in the footsteps of P. L. Travers and Roald Dahl. Rowling leaves the door wide open for a sequel; bedazzled readers will surely clamor for one." — "Publishers Weekly," starred review