The unprecedented worldwide success of the Harry Potter franchise (to date it is the highest grossing franchise of all time with $2.4 billion in revenue) can make it difficult to recall why the first book was so successful. That success was based on a number of factors but, for a moment, lets ignore some of them: the wildly imaginative magical world that author J.K. Rowling created; the unforgettable and idiosyncratic characters she gave life to; the readable prose that appealed to children but didn’t insult older readers. All partial reasons why Harry Potter became the phenomenon that it did.

But the real reason, and the reason this book is on our list, is that Harry Potter was really a simple story of an unloved boy who discovered that his life had a grand purpose. All children wonder, to varying degrees, if they are important and loved. Are they simply what their parents and peers think of them and say about them? Or are they more than that? Are they destined for great things? The story of Harry Potter inspired an entire generation of children to dream big and believe that no matter what the world might say about them, their lives had purpose and value. Even if they lived in the cupboard under the stairs, they could become the child who saved the world.

~ Evan Derrick

Purchase "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" here.