Books
Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Description:
Fantasy. Harry is finishing the summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts
with a bang - the Quidditch World Cup is in England and he's invited to
go with his best friend's family. Mysterious events begin there and continue
through the school year and you know it has to be another plot involving
You Know Who.
This is the book I've been
waiting for - the book where Harry starts to grow up. Not only is he starting
to date (won't tell you who), but he's taking part in the Wizarding world
at large. The Quidditch World Cup is a big event and Harry gets involved
in more complicated plots and politics than ever before.
I was reluctant to start
reading the Harry Potter books not because they were fantasy or extremely
popular, but because there are few books written for kids that I enjoy.
Even as a kid myself, I didn't like them, but the Harry Potter books are
a phenomena for a reason. They reach beyond the plot and the characters
and pull you into a new, factinating world. The best authors,for any audience
or genre, create an entire universe in their books and J.K. Rowling has
certainly done that.
Disturbing events occur at
the World Cup and rumors of the return of Valdemort are everywhere. Upon
his return to school, Harry is thrown into a school tournament designed
for older and more experienced wizards. With help from his best friends,
Ron and Hermione, Harry must unravel the clues to survive the tournament
and figure out what the heck is going on. All of our favorite characters
(and more) are back and the stakes are higher than ever.
This is a much more serious
book than the previous Harry Potter novels. A central character dies very
unexpectedly. I knew before I started the book, but it still took my breath
away. Harry's adventures are beginning to connect to more serious events
and currents in world beyond Hogwarts and he faces more adult responsibilities
as a consequence.
This book is also a lot fatter
than the others. Be prepared to get deeply involved. It will be a satisfying
read, but will leave you ready and waiting for the next book due out sometime
in 2002. For those who having been living under a rock (or perhaps Outer
Mongolia) and haven't picked up the books yet, I'd recommend one of the
nice box sets out now in time for Christmas.
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