This fantasy novel is the most popular book on Goodreads.
Owned by Amazon, Goodreads is the world’s largest social cataloging website and app for book lovers, and it’s designed to help readers track, review and discover new books. The site has over 150 million members, where readers can organize lists, rate books and even get personalized recommendations.
In their Listopia section of the site, Goodreads shows the most popular books on the app, which feature novels that have more than one million ratings, and the top story is not a surprise at all.
J.K Rowling’s debut album, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is the most popular book on Goodreads as of Friday, with over 11.4 million ratings and an average of 4.47 stars.
The story introduces Harry Potter, an orphaned boy living with his aunt and uncle, who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard when he is visited by Hagrid. He is invited to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he meets Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. During their first year at Hogwarts, they uncover a mystery involving the dark wizard Voldemort and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Rowling followed the story with six more Harry Potter novels, which also follow the adventures of the title character and his friends while studying at Hogwarts. In addition to the books, there is a 2016 play titled Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway that is often considered the eighth story. The author also wrote three companion books for the series: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
When Rowling released the first Harry Potter book in 1997, it achieved rapid success, thanks to word-of-mouth and strong reviews from critics. Four years later, the book (and then eventually, the rest of the series) was adapted into movies. All released from 2001 to 2011, Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets were directed by Chris Columbus, while Alfonso Cuarón and Mike Newell directed the third and fourth books, respectively. Lastly, David Yates served as the director for the last four films.
As for the cast, Daniel Radcliffe played the title character, while Rupert Grint and Emma Watson played the roles of Ron and Hermione, respectively. Other ensemble cast members included Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Richard Harris, Michael Gambon, Tom Felton, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch and James and Oliver Phelps.
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone can be purchased on Amazon for as low as $1.35. In addition, all of the movies can be streamed on Peacock, HBO Max, YouTube, Hulu, The Roku Channel, or Amazon Prime Video with a subscription.
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