Rating: 
Summary: It got me reading again!
Review: I'm not a kid anymore. I'm an adult now. But somewhere in between childhood and adulthood a curse was cast upon me. I stopped reading. I used to read all sorts of books when I was young (if Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sound familiar to you, then you'll know roughly how old I am). I read whatever I could get a hold of and it filled me with a sense of wonder and imagination. Reading filled voids during the lonely times, and gave me something to think about during the happy times.It's kind of ironic that a children's book should make me fall in love with reading again. But this book did the trick. From Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I slowly read the next book in the series, then the next and the next. Each book got progressively thicker, but that didn't matter. The stories come to life with humorous characters and this world of witchcraft and wizardry. I was beginning to imagine again! After reading the four books in the series, I said to myself "Hey, that wasn't so bad. I wonder why I stopped reading." From that point on, I started with The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Then I saw the movie trailer for The Bourne Identity which stars Matt Damon and I looked for the book it was based on. That led me to explore the world of espionage and international conspiracies according to Robert Ludlum. From here, I realized that I should probably balance my reading between fiction and non-fiction. So I read Good to Great, a business book by Jim Collins (the author of Built to Last), Jack: Straight from the Gut (about Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE), Made in America (about Sam Walton, the founder of WalMart). With a seamingly endless sea of titles to choose from and written by authors I did not know, I started one book at a time from each "famous" (atleast to the world around me) author. I've read current books by John Grisham, Jonathan Kellerman, Sandra Brown, Carol Higgins Clark, Robin Cook, Tess Gerritsen, and many many more. From this sampling, I've developed a sense of what I like and don't like. I've discovered what "formulas" these authors use. All this in a span of 5 months. I don't even realize how caught up I get when I describe to my friends the books I've read and the books I plan to read. It's truly an indescribable feeling to once again find the passion for reading. And it all started with this simple children's fantasy book. So would I recommend this book? Wholeheartedly! To kids and adults alike.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and entertaining
Review: I'm not ashamed to admit that Harry Potter is beginning to grow on me, nor am I too ashamed to admit that I enjoyed reading this book. It's much like enjoying a nice dessert after a meal. It's a fast read, enjoyable, and certainly suspenseful. It beats some of the more convoluted books out there.
Chamber of Secrets invokes a story that's almost mythical in nature. A secret chamber, a monster within terrorizing the peaceful student community. You can go nuts trying to over-analyze this stuff. You can see it's rich in symbolism and metaphors. Maybe that's giving Rowling and a simple "children's book" too much credit but that is also perhaps why these stories have been so successful. It's not that it's rehashing an old story. After all, there are really very few "new" stories aren't there. It's repackaging an old myth with new characters that makes it successful and enduring for new (and old) generations of readers.
Rowling keeps us interested by crafting a novel that has mystery elements. For a second I recalled when I read "The Three Investigator" mystery books and got so caught up in volumes and volumes of them. (Others might have found it with "The Hardy Boys" or "Nancy Drew"). I feel that guilty pleasure once again.
Oddly enough, it also recalled my days when I was educated in a British school. When we were separated in houses (Muir, Fairfield, Scott, and Fleming) and we were given points for good behavior or grades. (Although no points were ever taken off for bad behavior and teachers themselves didn't belonged to the Houses). I guess it's an educational tradition the British have kept through the years.
Rating: 
Summary: Contrary review
Review: I'm not sure why I'm not as enamored of these books as it seems 99% of the rest of the world is. Maybe it's because I've read lots and lots of children's books which I considered much better written and that I enjoyed so much more. I was ready to love Harry Potter, and did make it through the first book with a bit of affection for the kids. But I kept comparing it to Diana Wynne Jones' books and found it sadly lacking. Halfway through this second book, I've given up. The whispering voices are too violent for this 50 year old; give me John Belairs any day.
Rating:
Summary: More Harry!
Review: I'm on to book three and then book four because I can't put them down and I hear they get better and better which is hard to believe -the first two were so wonderful!
Rating: 
Summary: And Harry flies on...more "Bible" size reading for kids.
Review: I'm one generation removed from the target audience (9-12 year old children). When I was a child, I wouldn't have read something this "meaty" (some 500 pages!!!) even at gun-point. To see millions of kids sit their bottoms sore at libraries to get through this "epic" is beyond me. As a school teacher with very high standards (I frequently introduce Junior High School literature to 4th graders), I simply cannot see my students "sit through" a reading of this caliber. The "point" (if you ever get to it) may be well worth it, but to me the investment of time (and considerable chance of NOT finishing this saga) appears excessive. If a book is meant to appeal to kids, it should be written with their limited abilities and eagerness in mind. I'm almost 40, and thanks, but no thanks, I wouldn't want to spend the countless hours of reading to get to that famous pair of three letter words. My sugegestion: Don't start!
Rating:
Summary: I read the book it was so good I got it for my harry potters
Review: I'm reading it for the second time because I just got it today, and I'm waiting for the 3rd one to come out. I'm on the 2nd chapter again and I know that the thing on the bed is dobby the funny little elf, (" if dobby tell harry anymore about the chamber of secrets dobby shall hit himself.) My favroite characters are hagrid, dobby, and proffesor dumbledore. I don't much like main characters because they always get the most credit, I like smaller parts.
Rating:
Summary: DON'T READ
Review: I'm sorry, but what's all the fuss about! This book is dull, and suggests that people are bad, against wizards, who are good. I personally suggest the Redwall book series by Brian Jaques. His books are much better, and more exciting. I also suggest Madeline L'Engle, and C.S. Lewis's books.
Rating:
Summary: All ages fun!
Review: I'm thirty years old, and I love Harry Potter! If you are the type of person who still enjoys a rousing adventure (why are adventures always 'rousing'?), an enticing mystery, or a thrilling fantasy, try this book. Don't be afraid to stop being an adult and for just a little while, let the enchanting J.K. Rowling bring you back to a time when school was both a haven of friendship and pit of dispair. She remembers what it was like to be a kid and she gets it right. The characters in her books are not perfect. They make mistakes and sometimes they can be petty. On the other hand, there is such a feeling of veracity that you get swept up into the story. The Chamber of Secrets is not quite as exciting as The Sorceror's Stone. At least not at the beginning. After a promising beginning, the middle tends to drag, but near the end, be prepared for a roller coaster ride!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book; interesting themes
Review: I'm very glad I decided to read this series in spite of thehype. Rowling takes many of the best elements of fantasy fiction andadapts them for a younger audience without dumbing them down. Very, very enjoyable. One of the things that struck me about this book was the consistent disparagement of hero worship. Not only was the insufferable Gilderoy Lockhart made fun of, but Harry's fellow students who acted like groupies were shown to be on dangerous ground. It's nice to see this book tweak the all-too-common worship of idols, while showing respect for characters who have earned it (Dumbledore). I liked it, but not quite as much as the first book. Looking forward to getting my hands on the 3rd.
Rating:
Summary: I think that Harry Potter is great and so is the author
Review: I'm waiting for the other book and I am upset because it is coming out in September. I like all the details in it and graphics.
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