Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (published in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) is the first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard. It describes how Harry discovers he is a wizard, makes close friends and a few enemies at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and with the help of his friends thwarts an attempted come-back by the evil wizard Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents and tried to kill Harry when he was one year old. The book was published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, and in the USA under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Scholastic Corporation in 1998. It won most of the UK book awards that were judged by children, and other awards in the USA, reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999, and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated in to several other languages, including Ancient Greek, and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name. Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters looked rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors, of Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter, and of the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues.
Liberty Bell - the old bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the most famous symbols of the US. According to legend, his ringing told residents of the city to sign the Declaration of Independence of the United States. On the Liberty Bell engraved passage from the Bible: "And proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants."
Since the founding of Philadelphia in 1682 chimes announced to residents even if a small city about these or other important events. The bell was brought from England to America whole, but at the first attempt to call it, he split. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow was able to pick up and re-composition of the alloy cast "main" Bell of Pennsylvania. Finally, in June 1753 the work was completed and the bell was hung in the bell tower of the building of state residence. Since then, the bell shall meet legislators colony and notify residents of the city to hold meetings or disclosure of any important announcements. Until 1856, the famous bell called the Bell states, and its present name was a bell in 1856, when the leaders of the movement announced the Liberty Bell as its symbol. For 10 years, it was used as a bell ringer giving rise to the opening of the session of the State, a bell struck in honor of the birthday of George Washington and Independence Day celebration.
In 1976, on the eve of the 200th anniversary of American independence, it was removed from the bell tower of Independence Hall. In October 2003, the bell was installed in a special pavilion near Independence Hall. Each year, July 4 US Independence Day at 2 pm ET symbolically beat the Liberty Bell 13 times in honor of the first 13 colonies.
Dear Mike, My name is Nick. I am 8. I have got a mother. Her name is Emma. She is nice and merry. l have got a father. His name is John. He is smart and brave. I have got a sister. She is little. She is funny. l have got a brother. He is friendly. He likes playing sports. l have got a grandma and a grandpa. They are very kind. We have got two little cats.Their names are Fiskey and Blackie. All the best, Nick
Дорогой Майк, Меня зовут Ник. Мне 8 лет. У меня есть мама. Ее зовут Эмма. Она очень хорошая и веселая. У меня есть отец. Его зовут Джон. Он умный и храбрый. У меня есть сестра. Она маленькая. Она забавная. У меня есть брат. Он дружелюбный. Он любит заниматься спортом. У меня есть бабушка и дедушка. Они очень добрые. У нас две маленькие кошки. Их имена Фиски и Черныш. Всего наилучшего, Ник
The book was published on 30 June 1997 by Bloomsbury in London, and in the USA under the title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Scholastic Corporation in 1998. It won most of the UK book awards that were judged by children, and other awards in the USA, reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999, and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. It has been translated in to several other languages, including Ancient Greek, and has been made into a feature-length film of the same name.
Most reviews were very favourable, commenting on Rowling's imagination, humour, simple, direct style and clever plot construction, although a few complained that the final chapters looked rushed. The writing has been compared to that of Jane Austen, one of Rowling's favourite authors, of Roald Dahl, whose works dominated children's stories before the appearance of Harry Potter, and of the Ancient Greek story-teller Homer. While some commentators thought the book looked backwards to Victorian and Edwardian boarding school stories, others thought it placed the genre firmly in the modern world by featuring contemporary ethical and social issues.