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Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

The book opens with Harry being back at his aunt and uncle's house for the summer vacation. They have locked away all of his stuff from Hogwarts and treat him once again like he isn't there. Harry is not allowed to use magic because he is an under aged wizard. His uncle decides to lock him up in his room and feed him as little as possible. When all hope seems lost, Harry is rescued in the most unusual way.

The book proceeds on how Harry carries out the rest of the summer and how he returns to Hogwarts for his second term. Joined up once again with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione their second year is full of mystery and adventure. Harry is forced to go up against another big challenge that is almost possible to win. I really enjoyed this book.

Sequels sometimes aren't as good as the first one but this book was full of lots of adventure and surprises. Harry was up against a lot of tough odds in this book and I loved to see how he dealt with his "troubles" I always enjoy reading about the Quidditch matches. They sound so interesting. The Chamber of Secrets is a very complicated thing and the powers it holds are even more mysterious.

I'd recommend this book to young adults but not to anyone under the age of 11. I think younger children would enjoy this book if it was read to them but not to read on their own. It is a long book and they may lose interest in it if they read it alone.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

In her debut effort, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rowling crafts a tale of magical mayhem truly worthy of the often over-used phrase, "a contemporary classic." Harry, like many orphans of literature, must fend for himself among dim-witted relatives who neither understand nor appreciate him. The Dursleys are indeed dudleys when it comes to their treatment of Harry, but all of that changes with the arrival of his 11th birthday and his only gift of the day -- the knowledge that he is not merely a Muggle (i.e., human), but also a wizard. This translates into instant freedom for Harry in the form of a scholarship to The Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he learns far more than just charms, spells, and potions. Harry perceives that things are often more than they appear to be, that friends will often show themselves when least expected, and that smarts and courage are, indeed, components of a young boy's destiny.

Brooms bear model names like the Nimbus Two Thousand and magic hats spew out the truth of a person's character as though gathered from the brain around which they sat.

Published to praise and awards, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is as inventive and engaging a title as one could hope to find. Designated for ages eight to 12, but written for anyone who loves a good tale well told, this is a book to engage the mind and grab the heart .

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The main storyline around which everything is centered is the Triwizard Tournament. Young wizards enter themselves, and the Goblet of Fire chooses the names, one wizard champion for each participating school. Cedric Diggory, Harry's Quidditch rival from the Hufflepuff House, is selected as the Hogwarts champion. As the selections are wrapping up, everyone is shocked when the Goblet releases Harry's name. Since Harry did not meet the age requirement, who put his name in the Goblet? Someone who felt he deserved a chance? Or someone who wanted him dead?

Mixed feelings and misunderstandings plague Harry throughout the Tournament; many of his fellow students have a difficult time offering their support. At times, Harry is so mistreated, returning to Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley seems almost inviting. Almost.

It wouldn't be a new school year without a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, however. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has managed to snag Auror great Mad-Eye Moody, who has agreed teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for one year. It's a shame the other wizard schools, namely Durmstrang and Beauxbaton, actually teach the Dark Arts instead of defense against them. But I think that speaks volumes about the ethics and character of Dumbledore and Hogwarts as a whole. Mad-Eye is a living legend, despite the paranoia that has accompanied the onset of age. And judging from some of the folks from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton who visited during the Triwizard Tournament, Mad-Eye's wisdom proves to be helpful beyond the classroom. Why do I get the feeling that we haven't heard the last from these two schools, or Mad-Eye?

Readers finally meet the rest of the Weasley family; Bill Weasley is living proof that all Head Boys do not end up as tightly wound as Percy (and if he doesn't loosen up, he's bound to explode). Yet adolescence has caught up with our favorite wizards-including Fred and George, who are permanently stationed there-and you handle this in both literal and metaphorical terms. Despite the whirling of good and evil that surrounds Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, he and his friends are not exempt from peer pressure, unrequited love, and just plain hormonal edginess. The veelas' effect on Harry and Ron is hilarious-but I sense that the day is coming that it won't be as funny. And both boys are slack about finding dates to the Yule Ball, but they do pay a price for their aloofness. Harry's ability to combat the Unforgivable Curses gives new life to the 'just say no' mantra, but really, Ms. Rowling-can Hermione please have a good day in your next book? Her rantings are tiresome, and if she continues in this manner, important matters like house elves' rights will, I fear, fall on deaf ears. Maybe she should spend a year abroad, or take anger management courses; this is more than just teenage angst.

Of course, all of this intricate plotting adds up to one major catastrophe: Lord Voldemort returns. And it's not the weak, helpless Voldemort that we've reckoned with before; the Dark Lord is back, he's strong, and he's not alone. We've long suspected several Dark Wizards were in our midst, but one or two will surprise your readers. And there are many more who are not caught. The killing sprees have begun, and you have already promised us there will be more. It's sad to have to say good-bye to friends in this way, but even wizards are not immune to loss and grief.

All of the magic remains, and whether or not it's intentional, there's quite a bit left dangling. Hagrid's magical creatures-namely screwts and nifflers-serve very little purpose outside of comic relief. Cho Chang did not take on a large role, either. Will world-famous Quidditch seeker Viktor Krum transfer to Hogwarts, causing trouble for Harry's sport and Ron's heart? And when will Ron and Hermione stop this crazy Tracy and Hepburn banter? The biggest matter left unresolved, however, is that Lord Voldemort remains at large. He is no longer hiding, and while good has temporarily triumphed over evil, it's an uneasy victory.

Third Time's A Charm !

A few predictions for Books Five, Six and Seven

1. Lord Voldemort will find a way to get to Harry at the Dursleys; this will happen before Harry is of age to use magic outside Hogwarts.

2. Fred and George will open their joke shop, conveniently located next door to the Leaky Cauldron.

3. They'll make lots of money, but will be willing to share the wealth.

4. Ron and Hermione will become romantically involved.

5. Hagrid will serve as interim Headmaster to Hogwarts until Sirius Black can assume the post. This will infuriate Snape, who will leave to serve as Headmaster at Durmstrang.

6. Hagrid, broken-hearted to discover Maxime is an evil giantess, will ultimately fall in love with Winky the house elf.

7. Bill Weasley will take over Snape's post at Hogwarts.

8. Hermione will ultimately die at the hands of the Dark Lord.

9. Viktor Krum will be hired as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and will remain there until he is killed by Lord Voldemort. Which will leave the post open to Ron Weasley.

10. Cho and Harry will have a serious relationship, but she will become an Auror and leave him.

11. Dobby will run the free house-elf kitchen at Hogwarts.

12. Ludo Bagman will leave the Ministry to run Three Broomsticks pub with Rosmerta.

13. Ron will assume the post as the permanent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and faculty advisor to the Gryffindor House. It takes him awhile to accept that he will not be an Auror, but he was only accepted into the Auror program on probation and suffered a bad injury during training, after all.

14. McGonagall and Dumbledore will retire from Hogwarts and travel together.

15. Ron will end up marrying Fleur, who will replace Trelawney, once Trelawney is unmasked as a Dark Lord sympathizer.

16. Neville Longbottom will be hired to teach Herbology. Together with Bill Weasley, they will concoct a potion that releases Neville's parents from their internal prisons.

17. Arthur Weasley will be rewarded for capturing the remaining Death Eaters by becoming head of the Ministry. This appointment will lead to his reorganizing the Ministry and opening a Muggle Artifacts Museum.

18. Young Crabbe and Goyle will have their souls sucked by dementors.

19. Draco Malfoy, having escaped from Azkaban, will ultimately replace Snape as Headmaster at Durmstrang under an assumed identity, thus providing a plot for an anniversary edition many years from now.

20. Harry will marry the long-suffering Ginny Weasley, and finally he will be an official member of his favorite family.

21. Ultimately, Harry will shun a career as an Auror and replace Sirius as Hogwarts Headmaster; he will fulfill Dumbledore's dream of an open-door policy to exceptional Muggles, in the form of the Hermione Granger Memorial Scholarship. Sirius will remain in an ex-officio, advisory capacity.

Free book excerpt from Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by
JK Rowling. Plus book jacket summary, reviews & author biography.

Cool activities based on Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by
JK Rowling 

Cool activities based on Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by
JK Rowling