Average Rating: 
Rating: - This book was lots of FUN
One day, Harry Potter is just an average kid trying to survive life in the suburbs with his emotionally abusive aunt and uncle, and the next he's a famous wizard with friends in powerful places. J.K. Rowling has a wonderful imagination and an incredible ability to tell a great story, while creating a very likeable hero in the process. Like Dahl's Matilda, her books are about children becoming empowered to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- particularly adults who are evil. Incidentally, I fail to see how the books are becoming "darker." There are all kinds of positive lessons in this book. One important underlying theme is that not all things are what they seem (i.e. Scabbers, Sirius Black, Professor Lupin). I don't think that's such a bad lesson to teach children. Rowling also provides an innovative object lesson on overcoming our worst fears (the boggart). My 13-year-old daughter and I can hardly wait for book number four.
Rating: - Wake Up!
You know what?I'll tell you what. I love books. Books large, small, classics, throwaways, anything that will prove a pleasant diversion for at LEAST a half an hour a day. I entered the Harry Potter series only vaguely aware of the hype. I was skeptical, yeah. All I knew.. was.. well.. nothing. It changed my world around. I swear, this series is so enthralling it amazes me. The sheer simplicity is genius, it is a simple, masterful read. The story is crafted so well, it makes you COMPLETELY forget that the age range is 9-12, as I my eleven years are securely nestled into there. Harry is a wizard that is unlikely to fade from the popular literature scene for a long time. He is clever in the most interesting ways, but at the same time the cutest, most unassuming hero. I can't wait to see him glide into adolescence! And as for those of you who want this book permanently banned and made unavailable for young 'uns? That they think that their children will immediately be SHALLOW enough to abandon all faith and become witches? Come on. Most kiddies don't even know that there is an organized religion for that sort of thing. As for the rest of y'all, enjoy this GREAT series!
Rating: - I absolutely love these books!...Too bad they're so short...
I don't normally read "children's books," but I have always had a soft spot for fantasy, my favorite genre (particularly books involving magic and talking mice, for some reason). I had never intended to ready any of the Harry Potter books, but my mother, acting on a whim, bought the first two volumes for me, saying that they were very popular. The books sat unread in my room for weeks, until late one Wednesday night, when I read both books, finishing at 3 AM, and neglecting to translate my Cicero assignment. The books were great! I immediately bought the 3rd installment, which I read immediately that afternoon. I find it easy to identify with Harry Potter, who reminds me of myself sometimes. Particularly, I enjoy references to Latin in the books (such as the first example, caput draconis, head of Draco, in book 1.) The twisted plot at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban intrigued me, compelling me to read the last few chapters multiple times to fully grasp all of it winding lines. The Prisoner of Azkaban took a step away from what I view as the first and second books' major fallacy: the repetitive plot line. Potter has a bad time with his family, goes to school, has trouble with a permutation of Voldemort, defeats Voldemort, and gets congratulated by everbody, helping his house win the Cup. Blah Blah Blah. The third book remediated this problem, since it wasn't clear who the villan was until the very end. My larges gripe with the Harry Potter books is now length. I read the books in a little over two hours each. Its rather torturous to wait for weeks on end for two hours of enjoyment. I wish the Harry Potter books could be more like the books of Ayn Rand in that area: enjoyable and interesting, but abysmally long. (My average reading time for Atlas Shrugged is surpassed only by War and Peace...snore...snore...) To end on a positive note, I am happy to award my five stars to "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in appreciation to Rowlings' correction of some of the problems with the first books and my opinion that the Harry Potter books are VERY ENJOYABLE! I dread what will happen after the seventh book, when Harry has graduated from school. Will he be a professor, or set out on his own? Or Rowling just (sob! sob! sob!) terminate the series? I fervently hope the books will never be lost to that extreme! (If you have read my whole spiel, I thank you very much for hearing me out and not averting your gaze in disgust, boredom, outright anger or whatever else my review might drive you to.
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