The Dursleys were so mean that hideous that summer that all Harry Potter
wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange,
impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts,
disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments
and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy
Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom,
and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.
But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins,
and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could
it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly
be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one
everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself?
It's hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like
Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps into terrible danger!
And in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the
much anticipated sequel to the award-winning Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it's not bad enough that
after a long summer with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts
to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin
his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying
car, it is just his luck to crash into a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping
Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens
that fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts.
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
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous
prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with
a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be
headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well.
And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's
at Hogwarts."
Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school,
surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be
a traitor in their midst.
For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to.
But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with
an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally"
causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous
balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia
and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world
of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and
his owl Hedwig.
As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry.
Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked
off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks
of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to
face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials
let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from
the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry
Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect
him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected? Once again, Rowling
has created a mystery that will have children and adults cheering, not
to mention standing in line for her next book. Fortunately, there are four
more in the works. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson
Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré
Paperback from Scholastic Paperbacks Media Published: 2002-07-30 ISBN: 0439139600 The paperback edition of the
legendary, record-breaking, best-selling fourth Harry Potter novel.
Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming
of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to
the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious
event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving
two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened
for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard.
But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding
standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.In Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and
delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges.
Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives
before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one
night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar
burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black.
Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event,
the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that
Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for
murder.
Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot
and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this
year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,
Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians'
schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard
Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could
Harry be one of the lucky contenders?
But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this
great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000
witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling
magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several
spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace,
complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets.
And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the
names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really
flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across
the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams
are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by
the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's
supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders
engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into
the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making
a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."
Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it
would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a
moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running
as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new
characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or
may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles
around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop
artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion
into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several
plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the
author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world
complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, 10th Anniversary Edition by J.K. Rowling
Hardcover from Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 054506967X New Jacket artwork by Mary GrandPreAdditional
four-color frontispiece artwork from Mary GrandPreTwo pages of special
content from J.K. RowlingFull cloth case with gold stamping28 million copies
sold worldwide!The wickedly funny debut novel from master storyteller J.K.
Rowling tells the story of Harry Potter who, having endured 11 miserable
years with his hideous aunt and uncle, is invited on his 11th birthday
to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There he learns of
his distinguished wizard pedigree--and his frightening destiny.Say you've
spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family
who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself
surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans
that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine.
Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is
exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling's enchanting,
funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. In the
nonmagic human world--the world of "Muggles"--Harry is a nobody, treated
like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his
parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards,
small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to
kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously
refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that
he's quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled,
piglike cousin Dudley.
A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches
Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: "We are pleased to inform
you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, "I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME
CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!" Soon enough, however, Harry
finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig... and that's where the real
adventure--humorous, haunting, and suspenseful--begins. Harry Potter
and the Sorcerer's Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter
and the Philosopher's Stone, continues to win major awards in England.
So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's
Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version
of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book--a future
classic to be sure--will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
(Ages 8 to 13) --Karin Snelson
Harry
Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix by J. K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré
Paperback from Scholastic Paperbacks Media Published: 2004-08-10 ISBN: 0439358078 In his fifth year at Hogwart's,
Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named
and the unreliability of the government of the magical world to the rise
of Ron Weasley as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Along the
way he learns about the strength of his friends, the fierceness of his
enemies, and the meaning of sacrifice.As his fifth year at Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown
adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating
crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet
another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this
time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school.
Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world,
wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning
to Hogwarts will be a relief... or will it?
The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest
year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or
three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually
traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has
turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard
Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor
Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry
of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth
that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the
toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary
to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense
Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor
of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With
an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary
Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor
Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors,
and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is
sorely tested.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the
four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces
the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to
be fallible, and matters that seemed black-and-white suddenly come out
in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's
Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused
(especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death
again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts
exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as
they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the
marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
With this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as Banoffi Pie!
With more than 150 easy-to-make recipes, tips, and techniques, you can
indulge in spellbindingly delicious meals drawn straight from the pages
of your favorite Potter stories, such as:
Treacle Tart--Harry's favorite dessert
Molly's Meat Pies--Mrs. Weasley's classic dish
Kreacher's French Onion Soup
Pumpkin Pasties--a staple on the Hogwarts Express cart
With a dash of magic and a drop of creativity, you'll conjure up the entrees,
desserts, snacks, and drinks you need to transform ordinary Muggle meals
into magickal culinary masterpieces, sure make even Mrs. Weasley proud!
When first released to Muggles in March 2001, Fantastic Beasts and
Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages further enlightened
Harry Potter fans about the dangers and delights of the wizarding world.
Now these two charming works of non-fiction are available in hardcover
-- in a special keepsake slipcase edition!
Now, the classic books from the library of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry--Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Quidditch
Through the Ages--are available in hardcover in a sturdy boxed gift
set. (These books are written by J.K. Rowling herself under the pseudonyms
Newt Scamander and Kennilworthy Whisp.) Finally, Muggles will have the
chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats,
and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl. The Quidditch textbook
explains where the Golden Snitch came from, how the Bludgers came into
existence, and why the Wigtown Wanderers have pictures of meat cleavers
on their clothes. Both books, designed to look like Harry Potter's actual,
used Hogwarts textbooks, feature silly scribblings from Harry, Ron, and
Hermione. Proceeds from the sale of this gift set will go to improving
and saving the lives of children around the world. Harry Potter fans, rejoice!
(All ages)
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling
Known in Europe as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone".
Hardcover - 309 pages Arthur A. Levine; ISBN: 0590353403
