Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It was with great trepidation that I cracked open the cover of J. K. Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. As I've mentioned in previous articles, the hype surrounding the book was unheard of in publishing history. All that hype was great for sales and for encouraging kids to read...but would the book live up to it?

The hype wasn't all that worried me. I had purposely put aside my hard-won copy of the book for a few days after the book's release to see what kind of reaction other critics were having. Some were encouraging, but others blasted the quality of the book. One reviewer stated that Ms. Rowling had turned to trite formulas and that the "magic" was gone.

I shouldn't have worried about it. J. K. Rowling has more than done it again--in fact, I found the latest book to be even better than the previous three. Maybe I'm more susceptible to Ms. Rowling's brand of "magic," or the reviewers who panned the book have what I refer to as "critic's disease" (the inability to see anything good in anything just because normal people like it).

WARNING: This review will contain some small spoilers and excerpts from the text. I will, however, try not to give anything major away.

One of the biggest hype factors was that book four would feature more violence, danger, death and darkness. Fans, in fact, have been discussing for the last six months who would be the character to die (it was rumored to be a main character and is such a big plot issue that I will not reveal who does die in the book).

The book does feature more death and the scenes that include violence somehow seem to describe the terror more fully than in the previous books. The opening chapter, for instance, describes the past death of an entire family and the present day death of a Muggle gardener.

However, I truly believe that everything in the book is how it needed to be. The violence is not gratuitous and the horror of Harry's battles with evil wizards and monsters fit well into the plot. Also, Harry is a year older in this book and his adventures suit his age. I don't think that readers would be satisfied if Harry continued to battle the same horrors, in the same way.

That said, many young readers (younger than ten) will read this book. Some of the scenes may frighten them and the best defense is a good offense (as the new teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts would agree). If you are a parent or teacher of a young reader, be sure to discuss the darker scenes with them.

Quite a few characters are introduced in this book and our knowledge of some secondary characters is improved. Neville Longbottom's character and situation is explored quite a bit. Harry (and the reader) learn to understand why Neville is the way he is and appreciate him even more. This was especially nice to see, as Neville's character hasn't really been dealt with since book one.

The most intriguing of the new characters is Mad Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The reader is first introduced to him when Ron's father, Mr. Weasley, must rush off to defend Moody from possible incarceration. Mad Eye, you see, was a Dark wizard catcher who has become a bit paranoid in his old age.

Moody, like Professor Lupin (the last Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher), helps Harry through some of his adventures. The descriptions of his magicical rolling eye will fascinate readers of all ages.

Other new characters include visiting students and headmasters from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang, other European schools of magic. The most famous of them is Viktor Krum, a player on the Bulgarian Quidditch team, who played in the International Quidditch match. I expect that many of the new characters introduced may feature prominently in the next books, especially Madame Maxime, the headmaster of Beauxbaton.

Fans will be excited to see the return of Sirius Black. Harry writes to Sirius about the dream he has about Voldemart, which prompts Sirius to travel to Harry's side. This is one of the most heartwarming aspects in the story.

Even though Sirius knows that he is in terrible danger, he has no hestitation in traveling to Hogwarts to help Harry in any way he can. This is in direct contrast to the Dursley's, who are never so happy as when Harry is gone.

Hagrid is in his usual form and brings in another atrocious beast to terrorize the students with. Fans will be happy to learn more about Hagrid's past in this book. Professor Snape's past is also revealed, though Harry and readers will remain in the dark on just why Dumbledore chooses to trust him. I get the feeling that all will be revealed in later books.

We also learn more about Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend, and Ron's family. As Ms. Rowling becomes more comfortable in her role as authoress and the characters get older, readers find themselves treated to some of the pain behind the smiling faces of the Weasley's.

Their poverty continues to bother Ron, especially in the face of Harry's wealth. He cannot help but sometimes feel envious of his friend. He asks "Why is everything I own rubbish?" when comparing his new dress robes to Harry's. He and Harry also have a blow up over Harry's participation in the Triwizard tournament.

These topics are dealt with very honestly and would be very good discussion points for parents or teachers to have with young readers.

Romance is a relatively new element to the series and is featured quite prominently in book four. In the past novels, Ginny Weasley's infatuation with Harry was the only hint of romance.

Harry himself is nursing quite a crush on Cho Chang, a Quidditch player for the Ravenclaw House. Anyone who has ever experienced similar emotions will sympathize with Harry as he works up the nerve to ask her to a dance.

Hermione gets a taste of romance as well, though I won't spoil the surprise by telling you who with. I'll just say that Ron gets a bit of a shock when it happens.

Even Hagrid isn't immune to Cupid's arrow. His very first glimpse of the excessively large Madame Maxine is enough for love at first sight.

I found that this book contains even more moral lessons than the past books and provides more fodder for discussions of a philosophical nature. Ms. Rowling hits on some heavy topics, but without sounding preachy.

Readers find out that Hagrid is half giant. While this doesn't sound like anything bad to Muggle readers, giants have quite a history with magic users. They are looked down upon as violent and aggressive and sub-human. When a pesky reporter finds out Hagrid's secret, she spreads the news. Hagrid nearly quits Hogwarts in despair.

Hagrid's situation is not the only exploration of prejudice in the book. Hermione takes up a crusade to free the house elves (remember Dobby?) and improve their working conditions. As unpaid workers whose happiness depends on their masters, Hermione feels that the house elves are little more than glorified slaves.

She is appalled at the apathy that everyone exhibits when she tries to bring attention to their plight. Even Ron can't understand why she feels so strongly. Of course, the house elves don't understand either. When you meet Winky, you'll find that nothing is sadder than a house elf without a master.

I have to admit that I have truly caught the fever. I can hardly wait until the next book is released. The Harry Potter series is one of the most 'readable' to ever come out. I, like many readers, absolutely devour these books as they are released.