The Unofficial Harry Potter Companion Volume 1: Sorcerer's Stone: An in-depth exploration

by Alohomora!

Rediscover the book that launched a phenomenon!

When it comes to Harry Potter’s first year at Hogwarts, there’s a lot to unpack―and that doesn’t just include his Invisibility Cloak! In The Unofficial Harry Potter Volume I Sorcerer’s Stone , first-time readers and longtime fans will discover deep and insightful analysis, Hermione-worthy commentary, and a Hogwarts library-sized collection of fun and magical Potter facts summoned from a variety of official sources.

Whether you are studying with your class, re-reading for pleasure, or looking for a great fact to stump your friends at trivia night, this is the book for you!

Discover &
- Harry’s four classmates who are never mentioned again.
- Can owls use the Floo Network?
- Which character has a connection to Jane Austen?
- The real significance of “Mars is bright tonight.”
- On what day did Harry’s first Quidditch match take place?
- How the Mirror of Erised arrived at Hogwarts.
- What is the meaning behind Hagrid’s name?

Presented by the dedicated minds behind the popular Alohomora! podcast, which has been downloaded by more than 7 million global listeners, there is always something new to ensnare your senses. From magical theories about the wizarding world to real-life literary references, this book will help you see Harry’s incredible journey as if you’re stepping onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time…again.

Genres: Harry Potter, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

128 pages, Hardcover

Published May 3, 2022

Reviews

[Rebecca Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting but not as deep diving as I’d hoped. I still really enjoyed the connections that were made and discussed, and the facts along the way made it fun. I can’t wait to continue on with these books and see how the next books in the series get unraveled.

[Laureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a die hard fan, this was a lot of fun. There could have been more to it, but I enjoyed what there was, and I liked hearing more about the concepts which are so familiar in a different way.

[Carrie Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish that there were more books like this for other newer fantasy series. Ones that look in-depth into books in a way like this does. This was a great little book that deep-dived into the first book in the Harry Potter series. I have never listened to the Alohomora podcast before but this made me interested in it. My favorite section of the book was at the very end when they discussed the different tasks that Harry, Hermione, and Ron have to do at the end of the book. They discuss the connections between the tasks and plot points from the other six books in the series. This book was full of information that I mostly knew about the series but some of the tidbits were quite interesting. I enjoyed this book a lot and it just made me want to read the series again.

[Olivia Benton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved diving deeper into the lore of the series that I already know and love. There was a lot of world building happening beyond the books that I was unaware of, and this companion piece really helped me put everything together.

That being said—basically every “From the Podcast” section was virtually useless, or even worse, a bad take. I think much of the analysis of the writing itself was surface level at best, and most of the commentary provided was silly or wrong.

[Hadiqa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best ever analysis on the book.. I can't wait for the Alohamora team to wrote more such books. Will buy every single!! Such qn in depth analysis covering so small details. This book is a gem!

[Jo Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read for lovers of the francise.
A great companion to add to my yearly re-read of the francise.

Highly recommended

[Emma Stubbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so fun to read this while rereading the first book, chapter by chapter 🥹 I felt like I was reliving the HP universe. Off to watch the movie now, brb - busy 🫢

[Matthew McCready · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and enjoyable book, far better than I had anticipated.

Each chapter starts with a short summary of the chapter. Then, there is a longer, more detailed through the chapter. Included are a time-line, beyond the books, ring theory, fan theories, etc.

Many great insights, both internal to the text and from outside sources as well as speculations.

I am only disappointed that I will have to wait for four months for the next volume comes out.

[Hannah Potantus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun book! It made me look at things from the series in different ways even though I’ve read them multiple times.

Warning though to those of you who haven’t read all 7 books, there are spoilers in this book because they talk a lot about parallels within the series.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice info to go along with a reread.

[Bernard Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

#BernardReads | BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Unofficial Harry Potter Companion: An In-Depth Exploration Volume I: Sorcerer’s Stone by Alohomora! 🪄

I bought this just a few days before I started reading. It was destined to be I believe since I was about to read the second book in the series and I’ve read the first one like a year ago.

I just saw this at the booksale. It’s a sort-of book version of a podcast tackling the series chapter by chapter. I didn’t grew up with #HarryPotter admittedly so I’m just starting my journey as a wizard and this book helped a lot.

It has spoilers for the whole series so it is better to be read while rereading. Good thing is I already watched the whole film series and I’ve read about the books before as I was writing my own stories so spoilers are ok for me.

It was a good reading experience as if I’m back to the magical world of Harry Potter. It was so engrossing. I hardly noticed the time as I read through lots of information about the books.

I hope they do continue the companions for all of the books though. I’m not sure if they will but I wanted to.

#bookrecommendations #bookreview

[Brittany Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filled with fan theories, debunked theories, background information, timelines, things to consider, fun facts, and quotes from the Alohomora podcast wrapped around breakdowns of each chapter in the first book.

I read this while rereading the first book and it was a new experience that made me think about things on a deeper level and see things I overlooked before.

Perfect for fans of the books.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this was a interesting book 📖 having to do with the Harry Potter series. Basically this one covers book 1 and the movie also talks about interesting facts and quotes from the author if you like the Harry Potter books it is a good book with lots of information to it enjoy also gives behind the scenes stuff also.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with other reviews that I wish this companion dove deeper into different aspects of the story. It was fun to read as someone who listened to the podcast episodes, but I dont feel I gained a lot of new Potter knowledge from it.

I hope the future companion books bring more detail.

[Sam Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to witness other people get involved with and dissect the Harry Potter content in the same way that I do! Love the layout of the book and find it just thought-provoking enough, though kind of wish it did go more in depth.

[Cydney Fansher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fun way to delve deeper into some parts of the book. It provides little tidbits and other pieces from the author and just questions from their podcast. Definitely a quick read, but a fun one.

[Piepie | The Napping Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I reread The Sorcerer's Stone in December 2024, and read this book before and after rewatching the movie (I've seen the movie at least 4 or 5 times!). Some of the things analyzed in this were new to me -- others, I had recognized on my own. A really great addition to any wizarding library ;)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick and cute. Not too in-depth but still a fun read

[Sarah Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful would definitely recommend to any fan of the harry potter series or people discovering the series for the first time.

[Anelise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It took a nice dive into the first movie and brought up a lot of minds that made me really stop and think.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I (like many others, it would seem) would have liked to have an even more in-depth analysis of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but I was still very satisfied with this book and found it to be both thought provoking and interesting to read!

[Jeni · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine. Some of the fan theories are based in nothing, and the literary analysis is good but not very deep.

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series. Highly recommend!

[palme · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5? Me gustó la ring theory y hubieron cosas entretenidas pero gran parte simplemete no me importaba

[W Tupps · Rating 5 out of 5]

It went into a lot of detail, and there was a lot of stuff I had never thought about before in the Harry Potter series!