Strange Things Happen at Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Written: Jun 09 '03 (Updated Jul 15 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Entertaining story and returning characters
Cons: Snakes and spiders
The Bottom Line: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was another wonderful book by J.K. Rowling. People who enjoyed the first book should like this one as well.
dragonfire88's Full Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Pot...
Lately I’ve been a bit obsessed with the X-Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Harry Potter. This is a strange combination I know, but I like different things. I’ve already seen X2: X-Men United. I’m in the process of getting the DVDs for Buffy. I’m anxiously waiting for the new Harry Potter book to be released on June 21, 2003. While waiting for the new book, I decided to read the first books again and to write about them. I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets again.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in 1999. The book is available as a paperback, a hardback, or an audio book. I have the paperback. The book can be found in the children’s section of most book stores. The book had eighteen chapters. There were some small illustrations by Mary Grandpre in the book.
Harry Potter was a young boy who lived with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley. They didn’t treat Harry well. On his eleventh birthday, Harry learned that he was a wizard. His parents, James and Lily Potter had been killed by Voldemort, a powerful dark wizard. Voldemort failed to kill Harry and then disappeared. Harry was famous in the wizard world because of that. He went to study at Hogwarts where he became friends with Ron and Hermione. Harry also became friends with Hagrid, the groundskeeper at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school, took a special interest in Harry. Professor Snape, one of the instructors, didn’t like Harry. Another student, Draco Malfoy, became Harry’s enemy and caused trouble whenever he could. The students at Hogwarts lived in one of four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Harry became the seeker on the Gryffindor quidditch team.
Harry was not enjoying his summer back with the Dursleys. They were afraid of him, but they still treated him badly. Harry was confused because his friends hadn’t written to him. Harry was staying out of sight in his room during an important business dinner for Vernon when Doby, a house elf, turned up in Harry’s room. Doby talked about how great Harry was and then said that Harry shouldn’t go back to Hogwarts because it was dangerous. Harry wouldn’t agree to staying at home, so Doby did something that got Harry in trouble. As a result, Vernon locked Harry in his room and put bars over the windows. Harry was in trouble with Hogwarts and worried that he wouldn’t be allowed to go back.
One night Ron, Fred, and George turned up in a flying car to rescue Harry. Mrs. Weasley was very upset that her children had taken the car, but she was glad to see Harry. He spent the rest of the vacation with the Weasleys. He traveled to Diagon Alley by floo powder and ended up in the wrong place. Hagrid found him and took him to Diagon Alley where he found the Weasleys and Hermione. They met the new defense against the dark arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, when he was signing copies of his books. All the females, including Mrs. Weasley and Hermione, seemed to be enthralled by him. Draco Malfoy and his father also showed up at the bookstore.
Harry and Ron ran into some trouble on the way to Hogwarts. They weren’t able to get onto the platform to catch the Hogwarts Express. Ron came up with the idea of them using the flying car to follow the train to Hogwarts. They made it there, bu the car crashed into the whomping willow, a tree that attacked, and it beat up the car. Ron’s wand was broken, which caused him a lot of trouble throughout the year. Harry and Ron were caught by Snape who wanted to expel them. Professor McGonagall gave them detention instead. The next morning, Ron received a howler letter from his mother.
Things didn’t improve after that. Professor Lockhart turned pixies loose in his first class and couldn’t control them. During his first quidditch match, a bludger attacked Harry, leaving him with a broken arm. Lockhart insisted that he could fix the arm, but he made the bones vanish instead. Harry started to hear strange voices that no one else could hear. Flich’s cat, Mrs. Norris, was found petrified by a message saying that the chamber of secrets had been opened. Students started to say that the heir of Slytherin was at Hogwarts and had opened the chamber. The chamber had been opened fifty years before, and a muggle student was killed. A horrible monster was supposed to be living in the chamber. The heir of Slytherin could control the monster.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The book was well written and descriptive, like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was. The magical word of Harry Potter came to life again for me in this book. I was able to quickly finish this book like I did the first book. The book grabbed my attention from the beginning. I was never bored with the book. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to Harry and his friends next. This book, like the first, is considered a children’s book, but it is a book adults can enjoy too. I think this would be a good book for parents to read with their children.
Magic and witchcraft played an important role in the plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets like it did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Harry and his friends encountered more magical creatures, like mandrakes and Aragog. They learned new spells and learned about wizard dueling when Professor Lockhart started a dueling club. Harry encountered Doby, the house elf, more than once who did magic to try to keep Harry from returning to Hogwarts. Doby thought that Harry was in danger at Hogwarts and shouldn’t be there. I thought that the magical things in the book were very interesting. Harry and his friends also met Moaning Myrtle, the ghost of a girl who lived in one of the girl’s bathrooms. She was depressed a lot. People who don’t like to read about magic shouldn’t read this book.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was a darker book than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There was more talk about dark magic in reference to the heir of Slytherin. Students were being attacked and petrified. There was some sort of monster on the loose at Hogwarts. Students from muggle families were the target of hatred by some other students. The ghost of a student who died many years before haunted a bathroom. Harry encountered a giant spider and a huge snake like monster. I have a severe phobia related to snakes, so I didn’t enjoy that part of the book. This book was scarier than the first book. There was more in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets that could scare children. Parents should read the book before deciding if their children can read it. Different children will be scared by different things. Some children are more mature than others, and may not be scared by things that would scare other children. It is hard for me to know what ages to recommend for the book because of those things. I don’t think really young children should read the book because of it being darker and scarier.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the second book in a series focusing on Harry Potter and his time at Hogwarts. This book followed Harry and his friends through their second year at the school. The book began a few months after the first book ended. There really wasn’t much rehashing of what happened in the first book, so people who haven’t read that one may be a bit confused by what is going on. The characters that were in the first book continued to grow and develop during this book. I read the books in the series in order, and I think they should be read in order. Things will make more sense that way and the reader can see the characters as they grow and change over the course of the book.
A move was made based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I think that the book was better, but I did enjoy the movie. I saw it in the theater and I now own the DVD.I could have done without the scenes involving the snakes. Some things were changed a bit or left out entirely, but the movie did stay close to the book. I read the book before seeing the movie, so I quickly knew when something was changed. The movie was good and is worth watching.
There were several returning characters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Harry was back as the main character, along with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Draco, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Hagrid, Fred and George. The returning characters did grow a bit, but Harry was still the most developed character. Ron was shown at home with his family, and that helped to make him a more rounded character. Fred and George showed up more often, along with their little sister Ginny who was in her first year at Hogwarts, but they still weren’t that well developed.
There were a few new characters in the book. Professor Lockhart was the new teacher for the defense against the dark arts class. He was very flamboyant and loved publicity. He claimed to have done many things, but when he tried to do something, his spells usually backfired. He was a fairly flat character, but he was very entertaining to read about. His antics made me laugh many times. Colin, a first year student who looked up to Harry, was another new character, but he was developed even less than Lockhart. Colin liked to follow Harry around with a camera.
CHARACTERS
Harry Potter - He was a twelve year old boy attending Hogwarts for the second year. He still had a horrible life at home with the Dursleys and all summer he looked forward to returning to Hogwarts. He was kind and loyal to his friends. He was curious at times, and that lead him into some trouble. Harry discovered that he could talk to snakes, a talent that scared many others at Hogwarts. Harry did worry that he should have been in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. Harry wanted to find out what the chamber of secrets was and what monster was in it. Harry felt like he had to do something.
Ron Weasley - Harry’s best friend. Ron had four older brothers and one younger sister. His family didn’t have a lot of money, so he usually had to use second hand books and robes. Ron was terrified of spiders. He was loyal to his friends and he got really mad at Draco over something said about Hermione. Ron’s wand was broken and he had a lot of trouble because of that all year.
Hermione Granger - She was friends with Harry and Ron. She was thought to be the smartest in the class. Some people thought she was a know it all. Her parents were muggles, so she felt like she had to study harder to prove herself. Some people targeted her for hatred since her parents were muggles. She was helping Harry and Ron figure out what was going on with the chamber and the monster inside.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley - They were Ron’s parents. Mrs. Weasley seemed to have a soft spot for Harry and worried about him staying with his relatives. Mr. Weasley worked for the Ministry of Magic. He was fascinated with muggles and the things they used. He seemed to be less strict than his wife. He wanted to know how the car had flown when he found out his children took it. Mrs. Weasley was horrified that her sons had taken the flying car. She was stricter than her husband and wasn’t shy about letting her children know when she was upset with them.
Fred and George - Ron’s older twin brothers. They liked to play pranks all the time. They didn’t seem to want to be made prefects like their older brother Percy.
Percy - Another Weasley brother. He was very serious and took his responsibilities as a prefect seriously. He got annoyed with his brother’s antics.
Ginny - Youngest Weasley child and only girl. She was in her first year at Hogwarts. She was shy and quiet, and had a crush on Harry. She didn’t say a lot around him because Fred and George liked to tease her about that.
Draco Malfoy - A second year student who was in Slytherin. He was a nasty boy. He hated Harry and his friends. He didn’t like muggles or students who were from muggle families. He thought that only pure blood magical families should be allowed in Hogwarts, like his father. Draco liked to try to cause trouble for Harry.
Doby - He was a house elf who turned up in Harry’s room at the Dursley’s. Doby didn’t think that Harry should return to Hogwarts because it would be dangerous for him. Doby used magic to try to keep Harry from returning and to get him to leave once he was back at Hogwarts.
Professor Snape - He was the instructor for the potions class and head of Slytherin house. Snape seemed to favor Draco and hate Harry. Snape seemed to enjoy taking points from Gryffindor.
Professor Lockhart - He was the new defense against the dark arts teacher. He loved publicity and was always doing something to get in the papers. He loved to have his picture taken. He had pictures of himself all over the classroom. He was very vain. Lockhart seemed to think that Harry was after publicity as well and dragged him into pictures whenever he could. Lockhart also liked to give Harry advice. Lockhart had written several books about himself and the things he had done. He couldn’t seem to get anything to work right when he tried spells at Hogwarts though.
Professor McGonagall - She was head of Gryffindor house and teacher of transfiguration. She was strict but kind.
Professor Dumbledore - He was the headmaster of Hogwarts. He was considered to be a great wizard by many, though there were some people who didn’t like him. It was said that he was the only wizard that Voldemort had been afraid of. Dumbledore was a kind many. He had a soft spot for Harry.
Colin - A first year student who idolized Harry. Colin was always running around Hogwarts with his camera snapping pictures. He was nice, but he did get on Harry’s nerves at times.
The Dursleys - Harry’s only living relatives. Aunt Petunia had been Lily Potter’s sister. Petunia hated magic and was disgusted by what her sister had been. Uncle Vernon also hated magic. They kept the truth from Harry about his past and what had really happened to his parents. They tried to keep Harry from going back to Hogwarts. They spoiled their son Dudley horribly and allowed him to do whatever he wanted.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I thought that the book was a little better than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. These are wonderful books that got children interested in reading.
When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in dang...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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