Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

Chilling, malevolent voices whisper from the walls only to Harry, and it seems certain that his classmate Draco Malfoy is out to get him. Soon it's not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts. The mysteriously gleaming, foot-high words on the wall proclaim, "The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware." But what exactly does it mean? Harry, Hermione, and Ron do everything that is wizardly possible--including risking their own lives--to solve this 50-year-old, seemingly deadly mystery. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping, imaginative, and creepy as the first; familiar student concerns--fierce rivalry, blush-inducing crushes, pedantic professors--seamlessly intertwine with the bizarre, horrific, fantastical, or just plain funny. Once again, Rowling writes with a combination of wit, whimsy, and a touch of the macabre that will leave readers young and old desperate for the next installment. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The series is getting good!, 2008-09-25
This, the second book in the Harry Potter series, is better than the first, but not as good as the others. But that is just my opinion. In this book, Harry is beginning to wonder if he belongs at Hogwarts after a series of unfortunate events. I won't say anything else, exept that the series is a must read.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

The weakest of the series., 2008-08-21
While I will not deny that this book is as fun of a read as any of the Potter's series, its weaknesses are hard to not recognize next to the other six novels. The novel sticks pretty closely to the formula of the Sorcerer's Stone. While it has all of the workings of a Rowling novel it does have a tendency to fall a little flat. The character of Professor Lockhart, while cute, pales in comparison to the other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers (I'm excluding Quirrel from the Sorcerer's Stone because he is by far my least favorite). Also, this book seems less interested in furthering the story of Harry Potter unlike the remainder of the series. It is virtually a story within itself and could probably be skipped and the series would still be fully comprehensible. While I still give it four stars because it is an entertaining read, it does feel mainly to be a filler. It almost feels like Rowling was not quite sure where the series was going to go with this novel. The epic-ness of the story really begins with Prisoner of Azkaban and capitalizes in Goblet of Fire. Still worth reading but not nearly an signifcant as the remainder of the series.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on CD, 2008-08-17
I am quite pleased with this product. The quality of the sound and the packaging was wonderful. With this audio it has thrown me into the world of Harry Potter. It is as if I am there experiencing this every moment. I intend on purchasing each one of these so that I can escape the muggle world and leave my cares behind if only for a few moments


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A solid sequel, 2008-08-14
Harry continues his adventures as he learns more about his background. This is just as entertaining as the first novel, and was definitely able to keep my attention.


0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Good fantasy book for children, 2008-08-03
Summary: 3.5 to 4 stars
Harry Potter's second year at Hogwarts is chronicled in the book. The adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermeine are documents for everyone's enjoyment. The book is a quick-read, enjoyable and a good follow-up to the first Harry Potter book. You can tell J. K. Rowling has created an interesting world that you want to know more about.

Setting:
The strength of the Harry Potter series is in the new fantasty world created by J. K. Rowling -- a twist on the normal and fey world...magically with humans and beasties vs. non-magical people. The book does an ok job of describing the world; the scene designers and artists for the movies have done a tremendous job of filling in this world. If you would not have the context of the movies, the books descriptions seem lacking to me.

Characters:
The character development is interesting and decently done through the mixture of the characters actions in a wide range of moral dilemnas and dangerous situations. The use of consequences for the characters actions is lightly done but it is nice to see that being done still.

Plot:
The plot is tight and well-thought out. The story is linear but it makes sense for the target age range for the books. Clearly, J. K. Rowling has developed a complex story line with this just being an element on the storyline -- the develop of background comes through.

Action:
The action is quick and to the point -- a nice feature for a book where you want to find out more about the setting as well as have the characters advance along in school to get more developed, more interesting/multi-faceted and see how the dynamics of various characters evolve.

Prose:
The prose style is clean, simple and effective. The simplicity vs the effectiveness of the prose shows a good command of the English language and a distinctive enjoyable style. It is not a great literary work by any stretch of the imagination but one does not expect that from this type of book.

Summary:
Setting: 3.5 to 4 stars -- I would give it 5 stars but only because of the world created and desribed in the movies but the book descriptions are thin and not well developed.
Plot: 4 stars -- good for a child's book
Characters: 3.5 stars
Action: 3 stars
Prose: 3 to 3.5 stars

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