飛び出す絵本 仕掛（しかけ）絵本

   もしも人生最初の10年間を、自分をひどく嫌う一家の階段の下で寝泊まりするとしたら？ そこを途方もない、「魔術的な」運命のいたずらで、いきなり魔法使いや、カゴに入ったシロフクロウや、不死鳥の羽根の入った杖や、イチゴ味、カレー味、草味、イワシ味…などなどのゼリービーンズに取り囲まれたとしたら？ いや、そればかりか、なんと自分まで魔法使いだとわかったとしたら！    これらはまさに、J.K.ローリングの魅力的で笑いにあふれるデビュー作、『Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone』（邦題『ハリー・ポッターと賢者の石』）の主人公、幼いハリー・ポッターの身に起こったことなのだ。魔法とは無縁の人間（「マグル」）の世界では、ハリーは何者でもなく、おじやおばから邪魔者扱いされているばかり。おじとおばはハリーの両親が邪悪な魔法使い、ヴォルデモートに殺されたあと、いやいやハリーを引き取ったのだ。ところが魔法使いの世界では、小柄でやせっぽちのハリーは、ヴォルデモートに殺されそうになりながらも生き残った子どもとしてきわめて名の通った存在。死を免れたハリーには稲妻形の額の傷と、驚くほど研ぎ澄まされた感覚だけが残ったのだった。それに、あふれるほどの不思議な力が、自分はおばやおじや、わがままでブタそっくりのいとこのダドリーとはまったく…何から何まで違うんだと気づかせてくれるのだった。    気さくな巨人、ハグリッドが届けてくれた不思議な手紙がもとで、マグルに虐げられていた、惨めなハリーの生活は一変する。「貴殿にホグワーツ魔法魔術学校の入学許可が下りたことをお知らせできるのは誠にうれしいかぎりです」。当然、バーノンおじさんはめちゃめちゃ不機嫌になってわめき出す。「気の狂ったまぬけじじいがこいつに魔法なんぞを教えるのに、わしは金なんか出すつもりはないぞ！！」ところが、あっという間にハリーはフクロウのヘドウィグとともにホグワーツ校に到着している。この学校で、本当の冒険── 愉快で不気味でスリル満点の冒険── が始まるのだ。  『Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone』は当初イギリスで『Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone』として出版され、その後イギリスの主な賞を獲得し続けている。これまでに英国文学賞、スマーティーズ賞、児童文学賞を受賞、カーネギー賞やニューベリー賞英国版の候補にもなった。この不思議な魔力で心を引きつける本は、将来も古典となって読み続けられることだろう。本書を読んだ子どもたちは、『Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets』（邦題『ハリー・ポッターと秘密の部屋』）や『Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban』（邦題『ハリー・ポッターとアズカバンの囚人』）も夢中で読みたがるはずだ。

Sure, the book is full of fun ideas, such as a mirror that relects your deepest desires, people in photos appearing and disappearing, jelly beans in every possible flavor that exists in the world, and the "sorcerer's stone", etc.etc., but for those adult readers who are expecting some kind of philosophical, life-changing depth from this book, you may be disappointed. Although many of the Japanese reviewers here kindly recommend this book as enjoyable for both adults and children, I would say the book is for children. There is nothing more here than the plot itself, unless one wants to interpret the plot as a metaphor. So if you're not particularly a fantasy book fan, and you're just curious as to what the fuss is all about, don't waste your time reading the book, and wait for the Hollywood version to come out. The plot is more suitable for a movie than a book anyway.

I am probably one of the few people who has read "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" AFTER the movie came out. The reason is because I didn't find any interest in it at all. But after seeing the movie and finding it very interesting, I wanted to read the first book to see what it was like. And I must confess, I found the world of Harry Potter to be rather fun!
Ever since he could remember, Harry Potter had been living with his awful Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and abominable cousin Dudley. He cannot remember his parents and does not know how he came about having the strange lightening scar on his forehead. Then surprisingly, on his 10th birthday, he finds out from the giant Hagrid that he is really a wizard! And not only that, he is now being offered to be enrolled into Hogwarts School of Wizardry, a very distinguished and best school. There, Harry makes friends Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger and begins to learn the art of wizardry. But something is amiss, something that concerns a mysterious trapdoor guarded by a terrible three-headed dog. And that something has something to do with Voldemort, the evil wizard, and... the sorcerer's stone.
A totally enchanting book, it's one of the best fantasies I've ever read. J.K. Rowling has made up a world of imagination you could never dream of. Parents who are worried about the books involving wizardry should be warned though in this way. If children cannot understand that there is a difference between reality and fiction, imaginary places, and magic, I suggest that they should know that. Other than that, I think it's fun for kids to read, mostly around the ages of 8 and or older. I cannot say anything about the other books in the series though because I have yet to read them.
But I have to agree with some people who said that the Harry Potter series aren't the best. "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" are so far the best fantasies ever written of its kind though these books are mostly recommended to older kids and adults. Another series that draws greater attention for all ages are the "Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis (by the way, writer J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were the greatest of friends!). So if you have enjoyed the Harry Potter books, I greatly recommend all books by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

I will not go through the story reviews as that has been done thousands of times. What you do not want to overlook (even if you bought the book) is this most excellent tape. Many people that thought the book too long or convoluted or (even though it is supposed to be) juvenile. Can appreciate the TAPE version. It even works in the car. I have both the tape and the book so I can see how the names are spelled. I also bought the English "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" ISBN: 0747542988 from Amazon U.K. for the unique cover. People are always listening to the tape again to hear the parts that they missed the first time when they were just concentrating on the plot.
What really makes the tape impressive is the reader (Jim Dale.) He stresses the different characters when he is reading their part; just like watching a movie you can not read the book without hearing Jim Dale.

I’ve known this for several years but had never been interested in it until the movie came out. I saw the movie first, and loved it! Now, I am completely into this series.
After listening, I found it better than the movie version (as it always has been in the most cinematized novels). The great thing about the unabridged listening Audio CD is that it provides more detailed descriptions of Harry’s (and other characters’) feelings and behaviors that you would need to guess if you watch the movie, and just hearing this put you into the realm of J.K. Rowling. Although Daniel Radcliffe did great job acting as Harry in the movie, Jim Dale, the narrator also perform each character excellently. It is truly amazing that you can capture uniqueness of each character even better because his reading appeals your most creative imagination.
Comparing to the “LOR”, I have to admit that Potter stories lack some aspects such as its mytho-historical scale and depth of characters. But still it is entertaining and thrilling enough for an adult like me! (Running time: approximately 8 hours)
8時間ほどで聞き終えることが出来ます。映画で見るよりも、登場人物の心情が細かく表現されていて、物語に入りやすい。映画だとセリフには限界があるから仕方が無いのだけど。しかし、Daleのナレーション、素晴らしいです。
米国版とのことですが、私にはかなりイギリス英語っぽく聞こえました。あまりイギリス英語は詳しくないのですが、セリフはそれ程現代の日常会話では使わないかも？でも、単語は易しめなので頑張れば中学・高校レベルの英語力でもなんとなくストーリーをつかみやすい。ナレーションが上手なので英語力云々より、ポッターシリーズが好きなら十分楽しめると思います。

日本語版は前に読んでいたが、英語版も読んでみたくなって買った。
そんなに難しくない英語なので読みやすかった。