Harry Potter thinks he is a perfectly normal boy. Unfortunately, he lives with his hot-tempered Uncle Vernon, his nosy Aunt Petunia and his bullying cousin, Dudley, who all make Harry’s life miserable. Living in a stuffy old cupboard under the stairs is just one of the reasons why Harry hates living with the Dursleys. Unusual things happen to Harry, such as an incident with a snake at the zoo which resulted in him being locked in the cupboard for a month! Then, some unusual letters start arriving for Harry; this confuses and irritates Uncle Vernon so he takes the family somewhere where he thinks no-one will find him but he was greatly mistaken. A giant-sized man with beetle black eyes goes to tell Harry some very astonishing news: Harry is a wizard! Soon, Harry has lots of adventures in his new wizarding school, Hogwarts, but not all is fun and games. Someone is planning to steal a special object being hidden in Hogwarts… but who is it?

I love this book SO much because when you are reading it, you feel like you are inside the book. I feel like I am actually in Hogwarts, watching the ghosts and duelling enemies. Although some bits are slightly frightening (such as the end), you feel like you are glued to the book and can’t wait to find out what happens next. This amazing book is exciting, fun and hard to stop reading! I think children should read this book when they are 7 or over because it has some hard words in it and some bits are slightly complicated.

Although this book has been made into a film (along with the rest of the Harry Potter series), I personally think that you should read the book before watching the films because you don’t get the thrill of turning the page and reading frantically to find out what happens next. If you like the sound of the book why don’t you read it? Plus, if you liked it, you can read the next 6 books in the series which are just as good as the first. Happy reading!

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

Want to tell the world about a book you’ve read? Join the site and send us your review!