Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Review: I'm Abbey and this is my favourite Harry Potter book.when i first read the first one i didn't really like it and wasn't sure whether or not to buy the second one. When i had it bought for me i decided to read it anyway. When i got started i just couldn't put it down, i found it very addictive and thrilling!!
In some books like this i can almost always guess and be right at what the ending is going to be or even what's coming next, but Joanne Rowling wrote this in a supurb way and even if i did guess there was a twist in it and it all changed.This made it exciting and fun to read on to the next section.
Whilst reading the chapter:Dobby,i felt really upset at the way that he was treated. In the end i was really pleased that he got freed and was away from all of the slavery and horrible treatment that he was given.
This book is a very well witten and thought out book, i enjoyed it very much and recommend it for my age group!
Rating: 
Summary: "The worst Harry Potter book?" Hardly.
Review: I'm amazed at the number of people who dismiss this entry in the series as the worst one. True, it lacks the freshness of the original, the intricate plotting of the third, and the epic scope of four and five. But it's well written, moves at a brisk pace, and has some really clever elements (flying cars; an extraordinarily stuck-up new professor, who gets the comeuppance he richly deserves; a main character accidentally tranformed into something hilariously unexpected; a miserable ghost). There's lots of humor, balanced by plot structures foreshadowing the darker aspects of the forthcoming books. And, it introduces some plot elements that prove to be critical to the series as a whole. For one, Rowling (through extremely shrewd use of metaphor) shows that even wizards can be elitist, racist snobs, thumbing their noses at those they see as inferior. The Malfoys look down on Hermione (who, incidentally, is the brightest student in school) because her parents are Muggles; to Draco and his father, she's less of a person because she's not a "pure-blood." They also despise the Weasleys for their lower-class status and for Arthur Weasley's love of all things Muggle. Sound familiar? I've found that these particular plot elements are a good touchpoint when teaching children about racism and hatred. These elements prove to be critical not only in this book (what we learn about Salazar Slytherin in this book explains a lot about what kinds of people are placed in Slytherin House) but beyond; once we learn more about Voldemort's origin, we can see why his hatred of Muggles is so severe. (Even Book Five echoes back to this story; Sirius' mother holds many of the same views as the Malfoys and Voldemort, and is more than willing to express her opinions). When reading the following books, one will find that many things refer back to "Chamber of Secrets:" Here is where we first meet Dobby the House-Elf, who reappears in books four and five, and begin to see the difficulties of house-elves' subjugation (another clever metaphor by Rowling). We gain some incite into Hagrid's background, and learn why he was expelled from Hogwarts as a youth. And, Harry grows up quite a bit, as he is forced to face an extraordinary evil alone, with an innocent life at stake, in a gripping and taut battle. He learns more about an unusual talent he wishes he didn't have, a talent that's largley due to Voldemort's attempt to kill him as a baby. Plus, he finally gets an answer to a question that's nagged at hime for some time: Why did the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor, and not Slytherin, as it seemed wont to do? It answers some of his doubts, but seems to create others; the Harry of Book Five is asking a lot of questions for which there may not yet be answers. All of these elements add up to an entertaining, well-structured book that's as good as the others.
Rating:
Summary: This is a book for all!
Review: I'm an average 15 year old boy, and even though this a book recommended for pre-teen children, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I was entranced by all three books because of the wild characters, dialogue, and plots. I went through all three books currently in print in under a week, and I don't usually read more than two books a year. So, anybody who wants to read a few good books and who wants to give their imagination a treat, I would say the Harry Potter books are for you.
Rating:
Summary: Grrrrrreat Books
Review: I'm an avid reader and when my 11 year old brother got the first three Harry Potter books for his birthday I wanted to see what the hype was about. I devoured them! I'm 15 years old and was slightly ashamed. Teenagers get a bad rap for not reading so I didn't really tell anybody how much I loved these 'kids' books. One day however I was talking with a 17 year old friend about books we love. I mentioned the Harry Potter series sheepishly (our previous mentions had included Sylvia Plath, Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, The Brontes...) and she said she loved them too. We spent several hours talking about the books. So to all teenagers that are curious about the hype... READ 'EM! They're so much fun! I only gave 4 stars because this is the weakest of the 3.
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Summary: Oh, come on! These books are not evil!
Review: I'm fourteen and have read the first two books and now I'm going to read the third, and my ten-year-old brother is also reading them. I do not think these books promote the devil or are evil but provide entertainment for readers. The plots aren't extremely deep and I wouldn't recommend them for a high school reading assignment, but they are good books and I find them fairly realistic. They do NOT promote BAD witchcraft or wizardry, and don't make fun of non-wizards and non-witches. How could this book be trying to lure people into that kind of world if it doesn't even exist? J.K. Rowling seems like a normal person just trying to provide entertainment, and you should give her a break if you seriously think these books are "evil."
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book, Fun and Light
Review: I'm going to proceed to be one of roughly 3 million people to review this book. "Why bother?" you ask. Good question. My only reply would be that I might as well lend my voice to the many that have already proclaimed this book as a good one. This book is indeed a good one. The two adjectives that I find most appropriate here are light and fun. This book is light and it's fun. It's also what you expect. I recently did a review of the second book in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. A sentiment I expressed was that if you read the first one, you were more than likely going to read the second one. Same goes for this series. If you read (and liked) the first, there's no reason at all not to continue with the series. I'm not going to be specific in describing much about this book and the story within it. There's a boy who's going to wizard school. Need we say more? If you read the first one you know the story. Something bad happens. The boy and his friends try to solve the mystery, breaking just about every school rule along the way. Naturally, an interesting adventure ensures. It's all part of the same general story line that guided the first one. Even though I trivialize the specifics of the narrative, it really is fun to read. One doesn't pick this book up with the idea that Harry Potter is going to lose, do we? Of course not. We all know the hero is going to win, especially when we're reading the second book of a (currently) 4 book series. In order for there to be books 3 and 4 (and presumably 5, 6, and 7 some day), Harry and his cohorts need to succeed. What I find most enjoyable about this series is the simple nature of the text that creates this fun. Rowling does a great job keeping things moving along without bogging down much at all, and for that it really is easy to read. If you don't like silly children's adventures, don't bother. But I doubt you're reading this review if you don't like silly adventures. So this book is not what I would call 5 stars, though I'm sure many people will say it is. To each his own, I believe. For what it tries to do, the book certainly is successful. And you could undoubtedly spend your money in worse ways. It's a fun, light read that you could easily knock out on a weekend afternoon. Well worth the effort in continuing with the Harry Potter series. Certainly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: I'm hooked
Review: I'm hooked and so is my young son. I'm still reading Book 1 to him, but I skipped ahead and read The Chamber of Secrets on my own in just a day. My son's imagination is engaged by Harry's world, and he can't wait for the next bedtime and the next chapter. Rowling's language is rich and her sentences are much more complex than in the average children's book. I like this. My son hears complex language construction at home all the time, yet so much of his school material is simplistic and one-dimensional that I worry just what he's really learning. A book like this can engage his mind (the fantasy, the strange other world) and can exercise his growing linguistic skill. My son is fascinated with the mythological and historical elements -- when I mentioned to him, reading Book 1, that some of the characters on Harry's Chocolate Frog trading cards were real historical figures he was amazed. He wondered if Ptolemy, Agrippa, and Paracelsus were really wizards and witches. Well, some thought so, as has happened to many throughout the ages. We had a good little discussion about history and fiction and legend and myth, and of course the role of legend and myth in history. We'll be reading all the Harry Potter books, no doubt, and looking for other books this engaging for our nightly read-together time.
Rating:
Summary: Inventive, wonderful fun! Brilliant writing!
Review: I'm in awe of Rowling's gifts. This is my first Harry Potter book and I'm hooked. The wit and satire are for readers of any age, and it's a ripping mystery to boot. It's up there on my shelf with Joan Aiken and John Bellairs -- a terrific read. You won't be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!!!!!!!!!
Review: I'm in fifth grade, and my mom forced me to read it. After I started I couldn't put it down. Usually books on wizards and witches are really bad. You would imagine tall black hats and warts, but no, it wasn't like that at all. This is the best childrens book of the millenium.
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Summary: Quite possibly the sequal to the worlds best book!
Review: I'm just a fifth grader, but I'm not impressed easily. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the best book I've ever read. I got this new book the day it came out and it quite possibly may be the sequal to the worlds best book!
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