Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I read the Harry Potter series a while back.  Because of this I am going to do a review of all 7 books at the same time so...

Publisher – Scholastic Press

Release Date – 1st: September 1999

Pages – 3,407 (keep in mind that this is all 7 books)

Series – Harrry Potter

Genre – Fantasy

Summary –

We first meet Harry as a baby flying from the sky on a magical motorcycle with a man “twice as tall as a normal man and nearly five times as wide.” We later get to know this man as Hagrid.  Hagrid has snatched Harry up from a destroyed house and dead parents after Harry survived something no other human or animal has ever survived.  Avada Kadavra is a spell meant to kill, but when a very evil wizard uses it against Harry somehow Harry survives with only a ligting bolt shaped scar to prove the encounter.  Hagrid takes Harry to Harry’s aunt and uncle’s house.  His aunt and uncle are not wizards like Harry and his parents and they despise the idea of having one live with them.  While they agree to take Harry in they don’t tell him of his powers or reason for his scar – ever.  Harry lives in a closet under the stairs for the first eleven years of his life until he gets a letter.  Harry is invited to study at a magical school called Hogwarts.  While atending Hogwarts Harry learns about spells and flying, which he is extrodinarily good at, along with his own past and that of his family.  Harry forms strong friendships with Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasly and fights many horrid monsters.  In this series Harry discovers his purpose.  In doing all this Harry learns how to defeat “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” or Voldemort, as only Harry and Dumbledore, the headmaster, call the one who branded Harry with his famous scar. 

Character Development–

You know that moment when you realize you can tell which of your family members is coming down the stairs just by the sound of their footsteps. Yeah, I can do that with the Harry Potter characters.  I know the characters better than I know some of my friends, and while I am a pretty thorough reader that is not the reason why I know so much.  Rowling does a fantastic job of developing her characters.  From her descriptions of their physical apperance to highlighting her characters odd personalities I can’t imagine better descriptions.  Part of the reason her characters are so well developed is that their personalitities allow for that.  She has your generic roles, but she makes them better.  For example Snape is just your average mean teacher right?  Wrong.  You never know who Snape is.  Rowling paints Snape as confused about his loyalties, but in the end you find out that Snape always knew his place.  But I’m not going to give that away, bwahahaha.  Snape has his backstory and he is unlike anyone else I have ever read about.  The same is true for every one of Rowling’s characters from Petunia Dursley to Fred Weasley.  My only crtisism of the characters is that is you were to only read the first book (who does that??) the character development could leave something to be desired.  This is one of those series that was always meant to be a series, so if you just read the first book it isn’t going to cut it.  

Language usage–

Do I even have to talk about this?  She makes up words that are now known around the world!  What more can you ask for?  Wait, hold on, something is coming in.  Okay, a little birdy just informed me that she gives us more!  She uses very educated real words as well.  Below is a list of made up words that she uses.

A

Animagi – A person that can turn into an animal

Auror – Dark wizard catcher

Axminister – A magic carpet that holds 12 people

Azkaban – The wizard prison that is almost impossible to get out of

B

Basilisk – A deadly serpent with very destructive fangs

Beater - A Quidditch player who hits the bludgers toward the other team

Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans - Jelly beans that come in every flavor possible.

Bludger - A black Quidditch ball that flies around trying to knock the players off

their broomsticks.

Boggart - A creature that turns into what you fear most.

Broomstick - A broom that wizards and witches fly on. It is used for Quidditch.

Bubotuber – Bubotuber pus can cause large boils if it touches skin

Butter Beer - A fizzy and warm drink like hot chocolate.

C 

Chamber of Secrets - The place in Hogwarts where the Basilisk lives.

Chaser - A Quidditch player who tosses the Quaffle back and forth with the other

Chaser as they try to score in the opposing teams goals.

Chocolate Frogs - Chocolate frog shaped candies that move as if they were real.

D

Dark Mark - A giant green skull composed of emerald stars with a snake sticking out

from its mouth.

Degnoming - The throwing of gnomes out of your garden.

Deletrius - The spell that diminishes Prior Incantato.

Dementor - Hooded figures who suck the happiness and soul out of people.

Diagon Alley - The alley that is behind the leaky cauldron. You buy your Hogwarts

supplies there.

E

Enervate - A spell that destroys the stun effect on anything.

Expelliarmus - A spell that disarms your opponent.

Eyelops Owl Emporium - Where wizards and witches buy their school owls.

F

Firebolt - The best broomstick in the world.

Floo powder - Magic dust that will take you to wherever you want to go

Forbidden forest - A forest in Hogwarts where students are not allowed unless given

instruction from a teacher.

G 

Galleon - Wizard money

Golden Snitch - The gold Quidditch ball that is worth 150 points. The snitch, when

caught ends the game. The seekers, like Harry, try to get the snitch.

Grindylow - A sharp horned and silky green water creature.

Gringotts - The wizard bank, which is run by Goblins.

Gryffindor - It is one of the four houses in Hogwarts and symbolized by a lion.  Harry

is in this house

H

Hippogriff - A half-eagle and half-horse animal that bites people who make fun of it.

Hogsmeade – A small shopping area near Hogwarts that you can go to when you are

a third year and up.

Hogwarts - The best wizarding school in the world and the one Harry attends. 

Located outside of London

Hogwarts Express - The train to Hogwarts. You have to run between platforms 9 and

10 to get to it

Honeydukes - A candy shop in Hogsmeade.

Howler - A letter that is enchanted to yell when opened.

Hufflepuff - One of the four houses in Hogwarts symbolized by the badger.

I

Impervius - A spell that repels water.

Incendio - A fixing spell.

J 

Jelly-legs – A spell that makes the person that it hits have wobbly legs.

K 

Keeper - A Quidditch player who mans the goal for their team.

Knuts- A wizard coin

Kwikspell - A course to make you a better wizard

L

Leaky Cauldron - The shop that is in front of Diagon Alley.

Leg-Locker Curse - Locks the legs together until the counter curse is performed.

Lumos - The spell to light the tip of a wand.

M

Mandrake - A plant that makes a noise, which is fatal to humans.

Ministry of Magic – The head of all wizards

Morsmordre - A spell to make the Dark Mark appear.

Mudblood – A wizard with muggle parents

Muggle - Non-magic people

N

Nagini - A twelve-foot long snake that is Voldemort’s pet.

Nox - A spell to turn off the light coming from the tip of a wand.

O

Obliviate - A charm that updates your memory.

Olivanders – A wand store in Diagon Alley.

P

Parseltounge - The language of snakes. Some wizards can speak and understand it.

Platform 9 and ¾ - The platform where the Hogwarts Express boards

Prefect – Well-behaved students who are given a position in the ranks of the

Hogwarts rules system.

Prior Incantato - A spell that shows the last spell done with that wand.

Priori Incantatem- When two wands sharing a core from the same creature try to

battle but link with a golden line instead.

Polyjuice Potion – A potion that turns you into someone else for a limited amount of

time.

Q

Quaffle - A Quidditch ball that is red. The chasers toss it around. If this ball is thrown

into the opposing teams goal the scoring team receives ten points.

Quidditch – A wizard sport that is played worldwide. The players fly around on

broomsticks and try to square using either the quaffle of the snitch

Quietus – A spell that makes your voice quieter.

R 

Ravenclaw - One of the four Hogwarts houses symbolized by an eagle

Remembrall - A ball that lights up when you forget something that you need to do.

Reparo - A spell that fixes something broken.

S 

Seeker - A Quidditch player who tries to catch the snitch.

Sickle - Wizard money

Slytherin - One of the four houses symbolized by a serpent

Sonorus - A spell to make your voice louder

Sorcerer's Stone – A stone that produces the elixir of life and alchemy

Squib - A wizard who isn't very good at magic

T 

Ton-Tongue Toffee - Toffee invented by Fred and George that makes your tongue

swell.

Transfiguration - The transforming of one object into another.

Triwizard Tournament - A competition between the three major wizard schools in

Britain, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. One person from each school

competes in magical contests for a prize of 1,000 Galleons.

V

Veela - Beautiful creatures who turn into ferocious birds when angry.

W 

Whomping Willow - A tree that will snatch up anyone or anything that comes near

it.

Y

Yew - A thirteen-inch wand.

Thanks to http://www.harrypotterfanclub.com/dictionary.htm#Top for the information

For a complete list of spells go to http://www.pojo.com/harrypotter/spelist.shtml

Idea–

A magical school that serves magical students.  A boy that goes to that school much to the dissapointment of his aunt and uncle even though it is his dead parent’s alma mater.  That same boy trying to defeat the world’s darkest and possibly most powerful wizard.  Who comes up with this stuff?  J.K. Rowling, apparently.  Harry Potter is one of the craziest, best, and most original stories I have ever read. I’m not one for very much fantasy, but Harry Potter got me.  It was so out-of-this-world that it almost seemed science fiction at time.  I loved the different characters and fun spells.  I don’t think there is one person (under the age of eleven) who was not disappointed when their Hogwarts letter didn’t come.  The story is fun, relatable and overall great.  I envy Rowling for being able to come up with such great ideas! Well, I envy her for that and the gobs of money she makes.  Harry Potter is such a great book with a great idea to boot.

Overall –

Overall, it’s Harry Potter.  I mean that really speaks for it self.  Harry Potter is the most succesful film franchise EVER.  It has made billions.  It is nearly impossible to find somebody over the age of 10 in America who hasn’t read or at least seen Harry Potter.  Harry and his friends are both loveable and unique.  The story is, in many people’s opinion, the bet book ever.  Harry Potter is a must-read for anyone anywhere. 

What I thought –

I love Harry Potter.  It is one of my favorite books.  I feel like I am the most like Hermoine and that makes the book more fun for me.  If I could re-read Harry Potter all the time, I would.  One of my favorite parts of the series is the epilogue.  Rowling wraps up the series so perfectly.  I know that if you haven’t started them yet that is a long way ahead, but it’s something to motivate you (if you need motivation, which I doubt.)

Difficulty –

I read this series when I was in 2^nd grade.  I think that as long as you are in 3^rd grade you should be good.  Even some 1^st and 2^nd graders may be able to read it. It is a pretty simple read and as long as you have a dictionary handy it’ll be fine.

Length –

The length depends on the book.  The first and second books are in the 200’s.  The 3^rd is in the 300’s.  The 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th are in the 600’s and the longest, the 5^th is 766 pages long.  Some of these books may seem like they would take a long tome to read, but you will whip through them before you can say, “Oh my gosh! Harry Potter is amazing!”

Who should read it –

Everyone.  That is all.

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Tales of Beedle the Bard
by J.K. Rowling

The Season by Sarah MacLean

Publisher – Orchard Books

Release Date – December 2009

Pages – 352 pages

Series – None – yet ; )

Genre -  Historical Fiction

Summary -

Alex is not your average lady, and when I say lady I don’t mean in a “hey lady” sense, rather I mean her mom is the duchess of Worthington.  Lady Alexandra lives in London in the 1800s.  Alex is a smart, beautiful young woman entering her first season.  The season is a time of social events and being proper, but Alex enjoys surprising her potential suitors with actual intelligence!  She, just like many other girls of the time, has a mother driven to find her a man suitable for marriage.  Alex, however, does not like the prospect of living with a dull, yet high ranking, man for the rest her life.  She spends her days discussing politics with her two best friends, Ella and Vivi, and dreaming up ways to avoid the social events of the season.  Not long after her first ball begins Alex takes note of a particularly handsome young man who, to her horror, turns out to be her close friend, the Earl of Blackmoor.  Blackmoor is one of the youngest earls for his father recently died by supposed horse accident.  In avoiding marriage Alex decides to investigate the former Earl of Blackmoor’s death and in doing so is brought closer to marriage with her close friend and new interest, the current Earl of Blackmoor! 

Character development-

This book does a great job of letting you get to know their characters!  It’s as if I’ve known these people since I was an itty bitty tot! I know Alex as the strong-willed, witty person that she is.  After reading the first chapter I had figured out that Alex was not the type of girl to take no for an answer and that she truly did not care for prestigious titles and social gatherings.  I am the type of person who likes to judge things, hence the ratings, and I judge how well I know a character based on whether I can describe them in 1 word.  I sure can - 

Alex – strong-willed

Duke of Worthington (Alex’s dad) – capable

Duchess of Worthington (Alex’s mom) – fretful

Vivi (Alex’s friend)– romantic

Ella (Alex’s friend) – writer

Blackmoor (Alex’s friend and interest) - mysterious

Penelope (Alex’s polar opposite and enemy) – pretentious

MacLean develops her characters at the beginning of the novel and throughout the story!  As you devour this gossip filled book you learn more about every character before the novel even started!  I LOVE that kinda mysterious, “You know me, now you don’t, but this time you know the whole me, or do you?” thing.

Language usage –

MacLean does a fantastic job of making this book seem as though it belongs in the 1800s.  She uses old English whenever possible.  I was constantly astonished at the words I didn’t understand.   The rich vocabulary made me feel like a genius.  I would go around and talk as if I was in the book.  “I suppose I should attend school this morning seeing as it is in my best interest, correct?” The hole in her word web is her variance.  I swear if I read the phrase “The _______ in question” one more time I will scream!  The author constantly reuses phrases in trying to sound old fashioned and I just… don’t even.. can’t…  OH MY GOD!  I am pretty sure I almost threw the book across the room more than once because of this! As an added frustration she did this with more than one phrase.  This one may just be me, but good lord it drove me crazy! 

Idea –

When I picked this book up of the library shelf I was fascinated by the idea.  It is kind of a historical fiction mystery.  The back of the book alone made me feel as though I was in some sort of old feminine James Bond movie.  MacLean incorporates the idea of a murder into a story of dances and social protocol, what???  This book takes many twists and turns, and while sometimes there is a little too much foreshadowing many times there is just enough to keep you guessing. I did not entirely like the idea of this book.  Throughout the book Alex starts to fall for Blackmoor, but I would have preferred that she stayed true to her opposition to marriage.  Personally I have nothing against marriage, but I feel as though she and the book could have been stronger if it was a story of a girl who wasn’t going to give in for anything.  The author, who I can tell just by reading the book is married, obviously has strong opinions on the matter and voices them through her story.  Alex is seventeen!  She would be a much better character had she been faithful to her hate.  I would have liked to see her cause a few heartbreaks and stun even more people with her intelligence.  Overall, though, the idea was unique and interesting.

Overall –

The book, while educational, was also fascinating.  Personally, I can’t think of a better way to learn.  Improvements could have been made, but they were pretty minor.  The book was like a delicious vanilla cake with carrot frosting.  This book maybe could have earned that extra star had it made its frosting more exciting!  The Season is suspenseful, unique, and simply entertaining.  This book was fun to read, definitely better than homework, and it has all the ear markings of a book to be remembered.

What I thought

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although, it is a kind of Jane Austen knock-off.  Part of me just wanted to turn pop in the 6 hour version of Pride and Prejiduice and kick this book to the curb.  The book would have been less like Jane Austen’s had it not used so much romance and, really, the romance didn’t add to the story.  I loved the mystery and how Alex formed her own opinions.  She could be a true leader in the modern world.   It was nice to read a book with a real happy ending.  I haven’t read one of those good ol’ everything goes the heroine’s way in a while.   This book was not average, which is why I liked it.

Difficulty –

This book used advanced language in some places, but I believe that the average 7^th grader could understand.  Following the book and its patterns would also be left up to the mind of anyone 7^th grade or higher.  The book could be challenging depending on how well you read.

Length  -

My copy is 336 pages long.  It is in a small font and is single spaced.  It took me 4 days to read it, so not too long.  I dare you to beat me!

Who should read it  -

This book, while it is good, is not one I would recommend to boys.  If they could get past the romance, dress fittings, and obvious feminine roots of the story they would love it too, but as it is I recommend this book to girls of any age.  It isn’t geared towards any age in particular.  It’s just a fun book!

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

Just a little foreword....
Divergent is, in my opinion the best book ever, so if I gush, sorry in advance, now here is what I think -

Publisher – HarperCollins

Release Date – May 3^rd, 2011

Pages – 487

Series – The Divergent Series

Genre – dystopian, science fiction

Summary –

The book, Divergent, takes places in a dystopian society full of adventure, mysteries, and a little of that much adored romance.  This future society has designed five different factions in which its citizens live; each one designated by a certain quality:  selflessness (Abnegation), truth (Candor), intelligence (Erudite), bravery (Dauntless), and peace (Amity).  The book opens with, “There is one mirror in my house.”  Seeing as Tris was born into the Abnegation community this perfectly depicts how she views herself.  In this one sentence the reader can dip a toe into Tris’ life along with her personality.  A truly selfless person would not care how many mirrors hang on the walls of their household.  This sets up the basis for the whole book because it turns out that Tris is not completely selfless.  Nor is she completely brave, peaceful, truthful, or intelligent.  In fact, Tris is divergent meaning she has many different aptitudes.  As Tris’ 16^th birthday approaches the reader learns that she will soon be able to pick her own faction (community).  The book is compelling as it throws its audience into Tris’ life, helping her cope with leaving her family, becoming Dauntless through grueling initiation, and forming friendships strong enough to survive a rebellion.

Character development –

The book wastes no time getting to the point.  For you Suzanne Collins lovers, this book reminds me entirely of the Hunger Games, in that it spends no more than two chapters before sending you straight to the action.  Personally, I had no problem connecting with the main character, Tris, but others claim that they could never get into the book because they didn’t care about anyone in it!  As I remember this book I can see where these book critics are coming from.  Tris doesn’t have an emotionally scarring back-story or love that she has been pining over for years.  Tris is, simply, a teenage girl trying to fit in.  This makes her more relatable to me than anything else because, while she may have different protocols in finding herself, she is still trying to discover who she is just like you and I.

Language usage –

The words chosen by the author of this book are far from scholarly.  This is an easy read.  If you are looking for a book to boost your vocabulary this is not it!  However, Veronica Roth uses straightforward words quite well.  While reading I never found myself wanting more of a description or getting confused.  I quite enjoyed this book partly for its simplicity.  It was not hard to follow which added to the story.

Idea –

The idea of the book is one of the best I’ve ever seen.  It fights for the top spot with The Hunger Games and Harry Potter.  The idea that your personality determines where you live and what your life will be is amazingly original yet, at the same time, relatable to a common situation.  No, we don’t have different communities designated for different personalities, but, at the same time, we kind of do.  College is a great example.  Chances are that an avid artist is not going to end up at MIT.  The same idea suggests that a math head is not going to find themselves at California College of the Arts.  While this may not be as clear cut, Roth definitely portrays a likeness in the real world whether she meant to or not.

What the author was trying to convey –

I think that Roth is trying to tell a story of a strong young woman finding herself.  She is giving teenagers a story to relate to when it comes to their own lives. Fortunately, Roth does this in such a way that it is exciting and memorable.  Unfortunately, this theme can be vague at times.

Overall –

This book was both a fun read and a deep story.  If you are to take one thing from this entire review it is that Divergent is a fast-paced, exciting story with a inspirational female lead and a touch of romance.  Divergent is a book that will keep you thinking for a long time after you read it.  Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games will enjoy this book.

What I thought –

I loved this book!  I really related to Tris and the story kept me turning the page.  The book can be secretive, but that’s nothing for a suspense lover like myself. This is the best book that I have ever read and you can be sure that this is not the last time I will read it, even if I’m not one to generally reread.

Difficulty-

This book, in a literal sense, could be understood by the average 5^th grader, but understanding the deeper meaning of the book would be left to the intelligence of a 6^th or 7^th grader.  I would say that as long as you are a teen, you should be good.

Length –

This book is pretty long. However, I read it in 2 days!  The font is big and the spacing is ample.  It is one of those books that you just can’t put down, making it a pretty fast read.  Not to mention its far from challenging vocabulary.

Who should read it –

Everyone from my dad to my best friend have read this book and they all loved it!  I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone, but especially to teenage girls.  Again, Roth makes Tris relatable and a good role model.
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Buy these books at Amazon.com or any of the other links listed at the bottom of the page!

Hey all!

What's up? I'm a new blogger and I will be talking about books.   I know that for a lot of you that is just a big groan, but I'm going to make it fun! I won't talk about the boring books your teacher makes you read or books that are waaayyyy to hard. No, I'll talk about books that us young adults (3rd-12th grade) can relate to.  So hold on to your novels its gonna be a whirlwind of reviews!

Out!