95 pages 3 hours read

J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1997

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary

The omniscient narrator of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone begins by describing Mr. and Mrs. Dursley and their infant son, Dudley. The Dursleys strive to fit in with their neighbors on Privet Drive. To maintain an image of complete normalcy, Mrs. Dursley ignores the existence of her sister, Lily, and her family. On a dreary Tuesday morning, the Dursleys are so busy with their daily routine that they fail to notice the strange goings-on around town. As he leaves for work, Mr. Dursley notices a cat that appears to be reading a map.

Mr. Dursley convinces himself that he is imagining things. However, on his morning commute, he notices groups of people dressed in odd clothes. Mr. Dursley doesn’t notice all the owls flying outside, but during lunch, he overhears some people in cloaks talking about the Potters. Mr. Dursley is filled with panic and immediately heads back to the office to call his wife, Petunia. He decides against calling her, though, as “Potter wasn’t such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn’t even sure his nephew was called Harry” (3).

Related Titles

By J. K. Rowling

SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
J. K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
J. K. Rowling
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
J. K. Rowling
Guide cover image
SuperSummary Logo
Plot Summary
J. K. Rowling
Guide cover placeholder
SuperSummary Logo
Study Guide
J. K. Rowling
Guide cover image