Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
"Self-sacrifice" is about being able to give something up, perhaps even one's own life, to help another person. Sacrifice has to do with loving. At the very beginning of the book, Harry's Mother, Lily Potter, has made a big sacrifice to save Harry. She has been killed, and Harry is still alive. The idea of "Self-sacrifice" goes right through the book, which shows that a person does not always have to seem very brave or be very strong in order to make a sacrifice for the sake of other people. If the reader keeps this in mind, then they will see that all the most important things that happen in the book, happen because someone is brave enough to face death to save other people.