Tuesday, August 17, 2010

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

Year 2: ...the Chamber of Secrets
First published June 1999, illustrated by Mary Grandpré
341 pages, 15 chapters

Harry's second year at Hogwarts is not off to an auspicious start. First, Dobby the House Elf warns Harry not to return to school. Then, he and Ron cant get through the barrier at Platform 9 & 3/4. They fly Mr. Weasley's enchanted car to school. You can imagine the professors' reaction. The Chamber of secrets has been opened. People (and pets) are being petrified. Can Harry, Ron, and Hermione discover who the Heir of Slytherin is before it's too late?

Memorable Moments: all encounters with Dobby, degnoming the garden, The Burrow

Favorite Illustration: Dobby on page 12--he looks much more appealing than the movie version.

Pets: Mrs. Norris (cat), Aragog (HUGE spider), and the basilisk

Favorite Quote: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities" (333, Dumbledore).

Scenes I wish had made the movie: the Deathday party, Valentine's day (I can just see the dwarf sitting on Harry!)

Activities:
-Find the Heir (memory game)
-Rogue Bludger Dodge (Dodgeball)
-Guess the Creature trivia game (use Fantastic Beasts as a reference)

Favorite new word: mudblood (I know it's not a nice word, but it is unique.)

Reading Reflection: Chamber of Secrets is not my favorite book in the series, but I do like seeing how the characters and their relationships develop. Harry must be the luckiest boy around--he almost died again in this book. I can see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione will likely be friends for life. They have been through so much together already.

I hope you've enjoyed this post in my Harry Potter Reading Project. In two weeks, I'll be back again to discuss Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Until then, happy reading!

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