Paperback, 734 pages
English language
Published Sept. 10, 2002 by Scholastic.
Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards.
And in his case, different can be deadly. --back cover
Of the seven books in the Harry Potter series, this is the one I have the strongest sense of encountering it on its release night. As a construct of words in an order that tells a story, it is enjoyable. I, however, do not endorse purchasing the book new given that the author will use the money to advance an anti-trans platform
meh after the last one
"Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it." -- Dumbledore
I just finished reading this with my 9-year-old son (2nd or 3rd time for me, 1st for him). I already love this whole series, but I'm enjoying the chance to see it through his eyes as well. It's an easy opportunity to talk about lots of "big themes" - good and evil, friendship, love, hatred, how you treat your fellow man/giant/witch, trust and lack thereof, and many others. If there's one thing that occasionally keeps me up at night, it's how to gently ease my son into the knowledge that the world has horrid people in it, that not everyone will want him to be happy and safe, that hatred and intolerance run rampant. Reading about these ideas in a story that is so obviously fictional is a way to have them introduced softly, and I've appreciated that he's been able to discuss them with curiosity rather than fear.
