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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)
by J.K. Rowling

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15881.Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1166695853m/15881.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15881.Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1077326.J_K_Rowling">J.K. Rowling</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13710259?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars More than a year and a half after reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I finally picked up it’s immediate sequel in the series. No sooner than I’d turned the last page of the Sorcerer’s Stone, than my friend Amanda invited me to see the movie made from the third book in the series. I knew I’d missed a lot of content between book one and book three, but as it turns out, that wasn’t entirely the case. Nevertheless, as much as I enjoyed the first Harry Potter book, I didn’t imagine that that bolt of lightning would strike twice. In a way, it didn’t. I actually enjoyed the Chamber of Secrets even more than the first book! J.K. Rowling’s ability to develop characters at the same time she is advancing the story line is matched only by her uncanny talent at crafting a smooth, fast-paced, readable tale in the first place. Really, the thing that hits home about this book is how friendly and accessible the writing is. Granted, I know that Ms. Rowling is writing Harry for kids, but she does nothing to insult her readers’ intelligence, regardless of age. I suspect that is why the book is so palatable for adults, as well! The story picks up in the summer following Harry’s inaugural year at Hogwarts, the premiere academy for wizards in Great Britain. He is summering with his nightmarishly evil aunt, uncle, and cousin, who have been “caring”, if that’s the appropriate term, for Potter since he was left on their doorstep, as an infant. If by “caring”, one means that he’s been locked in a closet under the steps since he first appeared, then that would be the proper word. His extended family, with whom he is living, is villainously distrustful of Harry’s magical ancestry, and even after Harry knows he’s a celebrated young wizard, following his first year at Hogwarts, Harry is still reduced to sub-human treatment at the house of his family, the Dursley’s. From there, we follow the adventures of Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione as an ominous warning given to Harry by a mysterious creature, begins to come to fruition. Hogwarts is being threatened by a strange legend and students, as well as ghosts and the custodian’s twisted cat are all turned into inanimate, barely living statues. No one evades suspicion, least of all, Potter, who learns his strange abilities time him to a dark legacy. It’s up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to figure out what’s going on and how to stop the curse from closing the school! If you pick this book up, I dare you to set it down! After taking a month and a half to read my last non-fiction book, all 341 pages of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets fell in three days! It really is that good. 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/836641?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Dan's review
rating:
recommended for: everyone who can read!

More than a year and a half after reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I finally picked up it’s immediate sequel in the series. No sooner than I’d turned the last page of the Sorcerer’s Stone, than my friend Amanda invited me to see the movie made from the third book in the series. I knew I’d missed a lot of content between book one and book three, but as it turns out, that wasn’t entirely the case. Nevertheless, as much as I enjoyed the first Harry Potter book, I didn’t imagine that that bolt of lightning would strike twice. In a way, it didn’t. I actually enjoyed the Chamber of Secrets even more than the first book!

J.K. Rowling’s ability to develop characters at the same time she is advancing the story line is matched only by her uncanny talent at crafting a smooth, fast-paced, readable tale in the first place. Really, the thing that hits home about this book is how friendly and accessible the writing is. Granted, I know that Ms. Rowling is writing Harr...more More than a year and a half after reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I finally picked up it’s immediate sequel in the series. No sooner than I’d turned the last page of the Sorcerer’s Stone, than my friend Amanda invited me to see the movie made from the third book in the series. I knew I’d missed a lot of content between book one and book three, but as it turns out, that wasn’t entirely the case. Nevertheless, as much as I enjoyed the first Harry Potter book, I didn’t imagine that that bolt of lightning would strike twice. In a way, it didn’t. I actually enjoyed the Chamber of Secrets even more than the first book!

J.K. Rowling’s ability to develop characters at the same time she is advancing the story line is matched only by her uncanny talent at crafting a smooth, fast-paced, readable tale in the first place. Really, the thing that hits home about this book is how friendly and accessible the writing is. Granted, I know that Ms. Rowling is writing Harry for kids, but she does nothing to insult her readers’ intelligence, regardless of age. I suspect that is why the book is so palatable for adults, as well!

The story picks up in the summer following Harry’s inaugural year at Hogwarts, the premiere academy for wizards in Great Britain. He is summering with his nightmarishly evil aunt, uncle, and cousin, who have been “caring”, if that’s the appropriate term, for Potter since he was left on their doorstep, as an infant. If by “caring”, one means that he’s been locked in a closet under the steps since he first appeared, then that would be the proper word. His extended family, with whom he is living, is villainously distrustful of Harry’s magical ancestry, and even after Harry knows he’s a celebrated young wizard, following his first year at Hogwarts, Harry is still reduced to sub-human treatment at the house of his family, the Dursley’s.

From there, we follow the adventures of Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione as an ominous warning given to Harry by a mysterious creature, begins to come to fruition. Hogwarts is being threatened by a strange legend and students, as well as ghosts and the custodian’s twisted cat are all turned into inanimate, barely living statues. No one evades suspicion, least of all, Potter, who learns his strange abilities time him to a dark legacy. It’s up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to figure out what’s going on and how to stop the curse from closing the school!

If you pick this book up, I dare you to set it down! After taking a month and a half to read my last non-fiction book, all 341 pages of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets fell in three days! It really is that good.
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