Classic of the Month: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

We can’t really talk about the 90’s without mentioning the classic book from the decade: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone;  the one that started it all, way back in 1997.
I remember being read this by my Year 4 teacher; near the end of every day she would sit us all down and read us a bit from this wonderful book she’d bought.
We were all enthralled or, at least, I was.
When we got to the end of term she hadn’t finished reading it to us and, with the long summer holiday stretching before me, I HAD to find out what happened to Harry, Ron and Hermione.
What was Snape up to? What was the deal with the Mirror of Erised? An invisibility cloak…cool!
If you don’t know the story by now, I’m not sure if you should be allowed out of the house. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, is a maltreated ward of his Aunt and Uncle until the day someone tries to deliver him a letter via owls and, eventually, a demi-giant with a great big bushy beard and a pink umbrella for a wand. The letter is his offer to study at Hogwarts, a literally magical place where Harry discovers he is a wizard, makes lasting friends, and has perilous but wonderful adventures.
Basically, it’s amazing, we all know this. It’s Harry Potter by Merlin’s beard!