Book Reviews

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" has the makings of a genuine classic, although it is a little more sinister than the first book in the series. What I found surprising is the fact that I, at age 41, enjoyed it as much as I did. The writing is nearly flawless and, while reading it, the only thing that reminds you that this is a children's book is how quickly the pages fly by. Some of the humor is also definitely aimed at ages 9 to 12, content-wise, but not to a point of being a distraction.

While I would not automatically endorse a book that is widely read by children and has generated as much interest in reading as has the Harry Potter series, I would definitely be predisposed to liking such a book. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" fulfills the hope that started in me when I saw hordes of children lining up to buy books. This is good fiction, and can lay the groundwork for later introduction of more mature mythical reading, like "The Lord of the Rings".

Some adults are concerned about the Harry Potter books because of the magical, supernatural content. This surprises me, as children are routinely bombarded with fictional characters and unreal stories, without adults organizing protests. Parents need to sit down regularly (not once) and discuss what the difference between fiction and reality is, including the much more realistic-appearing but fictional violence children see frequently on television and in movies. If a child reads a Harry Potter book and believes the magical content, then his or her parents have inadequately addressed the fiction-versus-reality issue with them. And, such a child, who believes the fiction he or she sees is real, is going to be harmed much more by other fictional content available to him and her than he or she is by Harry Potter and his very fictional-appearing magic. My recommendation: Relax, explain the concept of fiction to your children, label Harry Potter as clearly fictional, and let your children enjoy good, imaginative writing.

Someone or something has started to turn some of the students of Hogwarts into stone, but who could it be? Hagrid? Malfoy?

You are introduced to a new character...a strange little creature named Dobby, who is a slave with a good heart.

You learn of Moaning Myrtle, the ghost who is constantly haunting the girl's bathroom so nobody will use this particular bathroom. She is constantly crying...but why?

Hogwarts gets a conceited, stuck up, new professor, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, who doesn't seem to know what he's talking about, yet he's very famous for doing things that are very daring.

There is a series of puzzles and obstacles that Harry and his friends must go through to get through the Chamber of Secrets.

You will absolutely LOVE this book and it will make you want to buy the 3rd and not be able to wait for the 4th to come out(like me). If you buy this book, you will surely not regret it. Harry Potter books are certainly for people of all ages. ^_^

Draco doesn't let up as he taunts Harry and tries to cause even more trouble for our hero. We are introduced to new characters that we'll see later in the series. While we don't learn much about Harry's past in this sequel, we learn much more about Hogwarts, the teachers, and the students.

If the HP series were a journey "Chamber of Secrets" would be the bridge from "Sorcerer's Stone" to "Prisoner of Azkaban" where we learn much more about the hows and whys.

It's truly a thrill to read.