Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

This book is truly engrossing, more intense and frightening than the first. I loved it! It was both fun and funny, much like the other two in the series. It is interesting to read, and I honestly think it appeals to all ages. Even older readers will enjoy being taken back to the days when the line between fantasy and reality was blurred, and all the books would keep any modern teenager enthralled. Harry Potter No. 2 actually kept me laughing throughout. At some points in the middle, the story may get slightly bland, but don't worry: the best part is yet to come. I love children's stories, have read many, and these are the best, most modern works out there. There's a reason they are so hot right now, and all these other 5-star reviews are deserved! This series breaks the ordinary mold of children's books which are not always written with the same flair J.K. Rowling successfully incorporates into the plot, and they each possess their own sense of magic, not allowing the reader to put the book down! The Harry Potter books are highly recommended! Other children's authors I enjoy are Roald Dahl, Louis Sachar, Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, and E.B. White.


Harry Potter's true adventures begin...   April 24, 2000
 68 out of 83 found this review helpful

After introducing us to Harry Potter and his new life at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry author J.K. Rowling is able to expand on her idea. In "Sorcerer's Stone" she had to spend a lot of time getting us accustomed to Harry's world, but now we can enjoy it along with a richer plot and more developed narrative and characters. And what a plot! I was under the impression that these were completely dumbed down, G-rated kid-friendly books but there is a definite dark side to them. It's nothing that will give kids nightmares or anything, but it is a little creepy. I couldn't put it down I was so drawn in, and finished it easily the first day I got it. It's very hard to pull yourself away from. I think that if you are a parent you should read these books aloud to your children. Some of my most cherished childhood memories are my father reading to us, and this is the sort of book that we would have loved. You will enjoy it on your own, but I imagine that it would be a more fulfilling experience shared with the whole family.


I was spooked -- read before giving to your kids.   November 20, 1999
 60 out of 110 found this review helpful

I won't repeat my last review, you can find it under "Sorceror's Stone", which describes why I gave that one 3 stars. It was good, but not mind-boggling so: Read Roald Dahl.

This is a comparison to the first book, which I enjoyed and found interesting and entertaining. The second book is Much Darker, and I caution people who give this to young children: not because I think they shouldn't read about Magic, but the overt death threats for Harry spooked _me_: and I'm 23. (Maybe it was because I kept reading this until the early hours of the morning in the dark!) So don't read this book at night if you are easily scared. :)

Anyway, *definitely* much more violent than the first, which was mostly schoolyard fighting and MAGIC battle to the death (in other words, fantasy and pretend); as opposed to the attempted murders in this one. There were no less than four instances where graphic killings were attempted, and they were much more real in this book: Spiders (which many people are scared of Anyway!); Magic giant insects trying to kill you, plus some pain and child manipulation thrown in.

In short, good, IF you can remember it's not real.


A real page-turner   December 14, 1999
 44 out of 47 found this review helpful

Although I am 40+ and my husband (also 40+)originally bought the Harry Potter books for our eleven-year-old daughter, she really had to fight us both off, in order to read it for herself. She finally got to read it first because she had the excuse that her homework required her to read for at least 20 minutes a day. I can't think of a single time that she stopped reading after 20 minutes;we had to remind her that she had other homework. I found this book to be highly entertaining (although not quite on a par with the first and third books). However, my biggest complaint is that (like the other books),I couldn't put it down for just a few minutes, or my husband or daughter (whoever got there first) would grab it. Then I had to keep a watchful eye out and grab it back. I usually read it during the night hours (I'm a night owl anyway), which leads to my second complaint. Not only did the book keep me awake, I found it almost impossible to read my textbooks (I'm a graduate student)until I had finished the entire book. J.K. Rowling has made a wonderful addition to literature; I'm sure these books are destined to become classics. I can't wait for the next one to come out. In case you're wondering why I gave it four instead of five stars, was that the vain professor did not ring true and I found myself getting irritated when none of the faculty did anything at all about this incompetent instructor. On the other hand, the car who turned wild, but came in the nick of time to save his friend Ron, was thoroughly charming.


Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets   January 23, 2000
 39 out of 42 found this review helpful

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, a twelve year old boy is continuing another fascinating year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. This second book in the J.K. Rowling series is a must read! Not only do the main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger set out to solve a new problem but, they realize that somebody has opened the Chamber of Secrets. Through trial and error our heroes search for clues to save one of their friends. Again Harry must put his life in danger to save others who are important to him. J.K. Rowling has introduced us to some new characters in book two. We meet a magical elf, Dobby, a new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart and finally Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister who joins the famous trio. I liked this book because it was a true page turner. As the reader you can search for possible clues along with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I would recommend this book to anyone over seven years old. J.K. Rowling did an excellent job on this book because it's exciting and full of adventure. I have learned from this book that life is full of tough challenges and problems. No matter how hard it is you have to be brave and trust in yourself to do the right thing.