The Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone: The Boy who Lived

Note: there may be spoilers!

Here is where we meet many of the important characters in the story; the Dursley's, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid.  We also get a quick reference to Sirius, who we won't hear about again until Azkaban.  We follow Vernon Dursley through a particular day where most of the wizards believe that Voldemort is dead, ending with Harry being placed on the Dursley's doorstep during the night.

You can tell they Dudley is going to be a terrible kid when he's older, as his parents believe his temper tantrums are cute.  Vernon only thinks about selling drills and having a normal family.  Petunia only cares about making Dudley happy and being normal.

I really like how Rowling sets the mystery.  You have all these strange occurrences happening, but so far no explanation as to what is going on. She drops hints and clues to keep you interested, relaying that The Dursley's would know that something magical is happening, but choosing to ignore everything.

What's interesting about being American is learning about other cultures by checking out their media.  I'm also an anime fan, and part of that love come from what part of Japanese culture they put into their anime and manga.  In this case, Vernon is watching the news, and they reference Bonfire night.  First reading this, back in third or fourth grade, I probably didn't even register that they were talking about a holiday.  Now that I'm an adult with the internet and other things/people to talk to about things, I now know about Bonfire night, or Guy Fawkes Night, which is November 5th, and where the movie/comic book V for Vendetta was inspired from (Remember, Remember, the Fifth of November).  It's usually celebrated with fireworks, so it makes sense that Muggles could mistake falling stars for fireworks.  I know from personal experience that people with fireworks can get a little excited and shoot them off early, as example from the most recent fourth of July.

My favorite part of this chapter is imagining Dumbledore as he shut down all the lights on the street.  They captured his likeness very well in the films, even when they got the new actor.  There's quite a bit of exposition between Dumbledore and my favorite teacher, McGonagall.  Dumbledore has a point of trying to not let Harry get too full of himself before he can take it.  Kids are very selfish creatures, and any amount of leverage they get they'll take.  But I'm sure it was much better for him to be with the Dursley's.

The chapter ends with a sleeping baby Harry, unaware of how terrible the next ten years are going to be.