Tom Thumb
Written by Josh Verbae
Narrated by Josh Verbae
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Long ago, in the merry days of good King Arthur, there lived a ploughman and his wife. They were very poor, but would have been contented and happy if only they could have had a little child. One day, having heard of the great fame of the magician Merlin, who was living at the Court of King Arthur, the wife persuaded her husband to go and tell him of their trouble. Having arrived at the Court, the man besought Merlin with tears in his eyes to give them a child, saying that they would be quite content even though it should be no bigger than his thumb. Merlin determined to grant the request, and what was the countryman’s astonishment to find when he reached home that his wife had a son, who, wonderful to relate, was no bigger than his father’s thumb! Read in English, unabridged.
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Reviews for Tom Thumb
885 ratings727 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The beginning of Harry’s wizarding life. A magical theme.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do I really need to explain what this book is about? Doesn't everyone and their mother, neighbor, boss, bank teller, mailman, etc. already know?? They do? Great! On to the review!
To start off let me just apologize to both JK Rowling and all the diehard Harry Potter fans. For years, I mocked you and made fun of this fandom and this book series. I found it odd and just not something I could ever into. Yes, I do realize that I essentially judged a book before ever actually reading it. I was first introduced to the world of Harry Potter by my now ex-wife. She loved the movies, not sure if she read the books. But I figured if she enjoyed them, they probably weren't for me. She also likes Twilight, but I'm not going to go there.
So here I am, in the midst of Booktubeathon and my first read was decided by a coin flip between Harry Potter and The Great Gatsby for the movie adaptation challenge. I started to read it skeptically. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it nor was I expecting to finish it in a day! But I did just that. I found the story so fun and cool, as well as the characters. I loved the way the story flowed and I especially enjoyed the world of Harry Potter. I can't wait to watch the first movie later and read more in this series.
UPDATE
While the above is still all true, I have been sitting with this book in my mind for a little bit now and have realized I was a little bit taken in by the hype of this series. While I still really enjoyed the book and loved it. It was not worth a full 5 star rating.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5(original review, 1999)One of the main things that Harry Potter has taught me is that people who dismiss the series out of hand and people who laud it as the best thing since sliced bread are equally annoying. People who dismiss it tend to be those who are overly eager to demonstrate how terribly mature they are, and end up proving the very opposite. And I can't help thinking that people who laud it as literally the best thing ever do so because they've never read anything else or any of the other hundreds of franchises that essentially tell the same (rather tired) story, often in a more inventive way. That or they're anglophile Americans who are swept along with the quaint Britishness of the series. Essentially, they're not that good children's books. The fact that they stretch a pretty thin, derivative story over seven installments is made up for by the novel setting and some really fun characters and concepts. I'm glad they exist, but have always been slightly mystified by the obsessives (though to each their own, I suppose). But all literature is derivative; the Greeks did it all long ago and probably filched it from aural tradition. The key is how well do you it and can you capture the imagination of the reader.One of my gripes with the books is their length. The author could have slashed the page length by half and the story wouldn't have changed at all. Maybe as she became famous after the second book the editors stopped trying to improve the content. I felt like the HP books were too much, because there was so much fluff around the main story, and also not enough because the main story felt a bit squeezed by the fluff. My impression is that the HP books should have been split into two series, one that deals with the dark lord, and a second one that deals specifically with the overarching lore, subplots, world-building, etc.For the record, my opinion is not exactly mainstream, I read the HP books when I was much older than a teenager and didn't have to wait for them to be released. So I do understand if you suddenly have to urge to start throwing things at me. :)
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I have read this book repeatedly over the years. If you haven't read the Harry Potter books yet, it's really about time you do. They are better than the movies of course, though the movies are great too.
*Read on June 13th, 2011
*Read on August 18th, 2012
*Read for Group Read on FB on January 29th, 2015 - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Even after the umpteenth re-read of this book, I still love it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Harry Potter series is so wonderful that every student should read, at the very least, the first book. The world that Rowling paints is so rich, and the characters are so wonderful, that they are almost impossible not to adore. I would recommend that students try the first at around 3rd grade.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5As great now as the first time I read it, it's neat finding the lines and parts that completely match the movie.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It was a great book!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I read this series later in life...and I'm sorry I waited so long! Everything in the world of Harry Potter and this first book is just enthralling and fun (even for an older lady like me). To date-it's still my absolute favorite series and I stand by book 1 also being my favorite. I've read them to my children and usually re-read the series each year...just because they are that amazing. When a story transforms you into another place and you lose track of time and find yourself completely enthralled...then you know, the author has done it right.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Read it again after approx 18 year. Still loving it!
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5it was interesting and new for me as i never read folk tales
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The narrator was amazing!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is an engaging, magical, wonderful story of a boy transported to a world of magic. J.K. Rowling teleports the reader into a new universe filled with witches and wizards, goblins and trolls, potions and spells, and castles and monsters. For me, it was a huge part of my childhood. The language used is wonderfully descriptive and new; it teaches new words such as muggle, wormwood, alohomora, and many more. It brings every reader to the beginning to an adventure of learning about Harry's adventures as a young boy and eventually a young adult. It's the first step in a long journey of trying to defeat evil. You learn about friendship, sacrifice and love when reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". There is no argument, the Harry Potter series is my absolute favorite series I've ever read. It's appropriate for all ages; my dad and I both love it and always talk about it with each other. In my opinion, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is one of the most amazing books in the world.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5OK...this is the second time I've read it, and it was much better this time (maybe it was because I attempted to read Twilight and realized how craptacular THAT writing was). Although J.K. Rowling's writing style still isn't my favorite, it certainly isn't the worst. I appreciate the story, and I'm looking forward to the rest. It's like marshmallow fluff. Not too much nutritional value, but it tastes SO good.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although this book hardly needs another review, this is just as a proof that the amazing magic of the Harry Potter series has not- cannot- die.Harry is just as real as you or me, and I still wonder why I didn't get a letter from Hogwarts when I turned 11. This one can truly be said to be the best of the whole series, and if you haven't read it yet, you have no idea what you're missing.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was such a treat! This is my third time reading the book, and this time around I chose to listen to the audiobook. I've heard the Jim Dale version--so actually this probably be my fourth time round. I managed to track down the UK audiobook version and Stephen Fry was an absolute delight to listen to; he nailed the characters perfectly.The first time I read this book, I was reading it to my oldest daughter. She was between 5-7 at the time (we were late to the Harry Potter craze). She's 22 now and it boggles my mind that this book is 20 years old. It was fantastic then, and it held up over the years.I never forgot how much more Hermione was in the books than she was in the movie. But Harry...I forgot how sweet and innocent Harry was in the beginning. Later he becomes more petulant and you can see why the sorting hate wanted to put him in Slytherin, with his "any means necessary" attitude. But here, in the first book, he's just an emotionally and physically abused boy, who is unwanted by his remaining family. He just wants to fit in and receive affection, and he finally finds it when he gets to Hogwarts. Never was there a better example of picking the family that's best for you than this book.I enjoyed re-reading (listening) to this again, and I look forward to getting to the rest of the series. If you haven't heard the Stephen Fry version of the book, I highly recommend it!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ein faszinierendes Buch für Jung und Alt. Es erzählt die Geschichte des Jungen, Harry Potter, bevor er in die Welt der Magie eintaucht und dort allerhand Neues entdeckt. Eine fantasievoll geschiebene Parallelwelt mitten unter uns, in die uns die Autorin, J. K. Rowling, entführt. Spannung pur bis zum Schluss, man legt das Buch mit Sicherheit nur sehr ungerne zur Seite.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved it to end
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is my re-read of Harry Potter series. I read them for the first time about a year ago. Happy to say that it did not feel like a re-read, I generally knew the events that were about to happen, but I was still very immersed in the story. And still teared up at the end, when extra points were awarded.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was my 6th time reading this, and I still love it! And I get choked up at tje end every time.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well, I never wanted to read this at all, not with all the hype, midnight release parties, and movies. It just seemed like a lot of stuff and nonsense. But when my wonderful 8 year old daughter asked me, with big, blue eyes a blaze, "Daddy, please read this so we can talk about it", well, I'm starting it today. That girl...As for the story, I did end up liking it! Cute tale, good vs. evil, wizardry and witchcraft! It was written at a much younger level than I had thought, and I'm surprised how much some adults "love" it so much! My negative would be that there are way too many character names to go along with all the "Harry Potter" lingo. Seemed like a bit of overkill for a 300 page-ish book. But it's a good story, good twist at the end, a very likable characters, especially Hagrid, who I now will be dressing as for Halloween!That girl...
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm not a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, but I did enjoy this book. Everybody knows the story of Harry Potter, the boy who lived. I think it had some parts that were kind of slow and it definitely made me not want to read the rest of the books.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm bumping this up a star since I last read it.
Everyone but religious nut-jobs know of Harry Potter these days, so I can dispense with the niceties.
'Sorcerer's Stone' is for sure a middle-grade read, but JK Rowling (and let's face it, I know what's in store for me now) even writes that genre well. The characters are fully developed, even from the beginning and the writing is just, well... GOOD.
The whole series is a must must read... but you gotta start at the beginning. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I first read this book before it became popular. I think it was the first or second year it was out. I completely adore this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is one of the best book that I read. I really like this book. The fantasy that the author has is amazing. I think everyone should read it!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed his adventures and interactions with the different characters, especially liked the Quidditch match.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Read the Spanish translation this time.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nice story
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rowling delivers a charming tale of a boy who feels he does not fit in, only to discover that he may be among the best of the lot. Harry may be seen as an epitome of a pampered jock who although excellent at sports, lacks intellectual rigor like his friend Hermoine and who depends on her to rescue him. Harry's good nature and humility make him quite likable. Unfortunately the story suggests that mere pleasantness and athletic ability should be rewarded over skill and diligence.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I started my re read of Harry Potter and this book was gorgeous and really did the story justice with it's illustrations. They were very well done. It felt so good to dive back into this world and see Harry finding out he was a wizard and getting to go to Hogwarts for the first time. It's been so long since I've read this series that I actually forgot some of the little things. It was really fun, and I loved revisiting this world. I loved the little jabs at Malfoy, and I totally forgot how long it took for Hermione to join Ron and Harry. Once again, a favourite :D