Skip to main content

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers):
Harry continues his adventure by returning to Hogwarts as a 12 year-old Second Year student. A secret part of the school houses a killer beast, and it's controlled by an evil wizard known as the Heir of Slytherin. Harry, Ron, and Hermione feel a need to solve the mystery and stop the beast.

Category:
YA fiction

Why I chose this book:
I've read the series several times, but I've never reviewed them

My personal opinion:
The story is excellent, and the story telling is top notch- lots of humor, gripping plot, believable characters. I love the lessons it teaches of confidence, bravery, and good fighting against evil. This is the first book that I feel actively acts as a platform to set up for the major story line. It focuses a little less about what actually happens during the school year, and starts to bring in elements from outside the Hogwarts bubble.

Warnings
Language: None
Violence: Fighting, but nothing graphic
"Adult" situations: None
Death: Past deaths referenced

Movie rating equivalent:
PG

Protagonist description:
Harry feels at home at Hogwarts, and is distressed when his comfort zone is threatened

Point of view of story:
Third, focused on Harry

Book length:
Medium-long

Story flow:
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues:
None

Character connection (no spoilers):
Love all of them! This is probably my favorite series of all time.

For series:
Independent or integral: 
Integral

Series review as a whole:
Outstanding. Aspects from the very first book carry through to the end, and become significant.

If you only have time for one, read:
Start at the beginning- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

By
Summary: Every book needs you to turn the pages. But not every book needs you to tap it, shake it, jiggle it, or even blow it a kiss. Innovative and timeless, Tap the Magic Tree asks you to help one lonely tree change with the seasons. It begins with a bare brown tree. But tap that tree, turn the page, and one bright green leaf has sprouted! Tap again—one, two, three, four—and four more leaves have grown on the next page. Pat, clap, wiggle, jiggle, and see blossoms bloom, apples grow, and the leaves swirl away with the autumn breeze. (Amazon) Attention Span/reading level: Perfect for my three year old. I would say that ages 2-10 would really enjoy something like this. It really keeps kids engaged and makes them feel like part of the story. There is one word to one sentence per page. Good uses for book in teaching: Interaction, that the reader takes part in making the story, what a tree can do (leaves, blossoms, fruit) Favorite part:      Child: The fact that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Balancing Act by Ellen Stoll Walsh

By
Summary: Two mice make a teeter totter. Soon a frog comes along and wants to join. Can the mice balance all the friends who want to play with them? Attention Span/reading level: 3-6 years old, usually 5 or less words on a page Good uses for book in teaching: Balance, science Favorite part:      Child: When the frog joins in     Mine: That the mice keep playing at the end  Least favorite part: None:   W arnings/negative feedback: None.  Review: This is a really simple but fun way to introduce the idea of balancing and weight to kids. It's fun to show them how it must be equal on each side to balance. Showing that size can affect weight is shown on the page where all the animals are on one side with the big bird on the other. This could be a fun activity to replicate with toys if doing a science lesson at home. 
Post a Comment
Read more

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

By
Brief synopsis (no spoilers) Vin relies on her fighting skills, and a little extra "luck" to survive in the thief's world. Then comes Kelsier, a master thief and planner, showing her that what she calls luck is really much more. Kelsier and his crew plan to use a variety of special powers to free an entire population of slaves, including themselves, from tyranny. But, as always, there's far more to the story. Category Science Fiction or Fantasy Why I chose this book Rated highly on the library site My personal opinion (the review) Definitely the best story I've read in the past year. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series. Special abilities, fighting, romance, social justice - this has it all. And not a single bad word or uncomfortable situation. Warnings Language: None Violence: frequent, some mildly graphic "Adult" situations: None Death: Some, and of major characters Movie rating equivalent PG-13 Protagon...
Post a Comment
Read more