Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
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Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
Book Review: A fabulous story full of adventure and excitement!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is wonderful to know that a particular series just never seems to become boring. Although I am a Harry Potter fan, I was a bit doubtful as to whether or not "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" would live up to its expectations. I was not at all dissapointed (well, except when I reached the end), and I devoured all seven hundred and thirty-some pages in one huge gulp! The novel opens with a spooky scene taking place at the old Riddle House. This turns out to be a nightmare, so intense that Harry awakes with a searing pain in his lightning-bolt-shaped scar. We find out later that Harry's summer isn't going too well, but that changes as he is invited to see the Quidditch World Cup with his friends. However, the game ends and the happy atmosphere vanishes as a group of Death Eaters (Lord Voldemort's loyal supporters) are sighted. The Dark Mark (the symbol of death) is then shot into the sky by a mysterious supporter of Voldemort's. The story continues as Harry and his pals return to Hogwarts School for their fourth year. We learn that instead of the usual Quidditch matches, the famous Triwizard Tournament will take place at Hogwarts this year. Three schools will be competing against each other, and one lucky student is selected from each school (Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang) to compete. Will Harry be chosen as one of the champions? The tournament involves three difficult tasks that all of the contenders must complete, and each one is full of adventure! We are also introduced to some new characters, among them Rita Skeeter (a nosy news reporter) and Barty Crouch (a very strict man working for the Ministy of Magic). Readers are also presented with some puzzling questions. Could Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, be more than the kindly, wise man that he appears to be? Could Lord Voldemort possibly return to power? As always, J.K. Rowling manages to concoct an exciting answer to these questions. Ms.Rowling's interesting humor and wit is shown in this story as well. She includes jokes and puns in this book that both children and adults will understand. And, as you may have heard, "Goblet of Fire" is a lot darker than the other Potter books. There will be death, there will be blood. I do not suggest that you read the last five or so chapters in the dark. Anyway, the book has a fantastic ending, but it does not satisfy the reader. It leaves them hanging, waiting for the next Potter novel! Very rarely does a "true classic" come along...a story that will be remembered forever, and that also includes action, fantasy, humor, horror, etc. in one book. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" fulfills both of these requirements, and a lot more besides. I very, very highly recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, excitement, and tons of surprises along the way!Book Review: Harry Potter continues to interest the Muggles
Summary: 5 Stars
We've been waiting for this one.Harry Potter returns in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This time, the magic gets out of hand!
First, remember the sleepy but mysterious village of Little Hangleton. The Riddle House is not a place for riddles, but a home where the family died of fright. The man accused of murdering them was eventually released. When he returns to the Riddle House, he overhears a curious conversation between someone named Wormtail and a terrible, dark presence by the name of Lord Voldemort -- oh, so sorry...He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Volde... (oops, almost said it again) He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is one of the most powerful Dark wizards -- and he wants Harry Potter.
When Harry wakes from a particularly vivid dream, the scar on his forehead throbs, and he knows something is up. Harry's been living in a dreadful house on Privet Drive with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and greedy cousin, Dudley. They won't even let him do any wizardry -- you know Muggles, how they can't really handle that kind of stuff.
Harry's uncle and aunt like to let the neighbors think that Harry goes to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys rather than to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has to hide his magic -- and even broomsticks aren't a suitable topic of conversation in the Dursley household. But everything is about to change for Harry, beginning with this particular summer vacation.
It starts with a letter from Mrs. Weasley, Harry's friend Ron's mother. She invites him to come spend the rest of the summer with the Weasleys and to go see the Quidditch World Cup. Quidditch is Harry's favorite sport in the world, and it isn't often that the Quidditch World Cup is in Britain. Faster than you can say "Hogwarts," Harry travels by fire to the Burrow, and the dark and threatening adventure begins.
On the way, Harry discovers that his interest in girls is becoming more nerve-wracking -- how is a young wizard to ask a girl to the Yule Ball? And what of the Goblet of Fire itself? And the Triwizard Tournament? And then, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might be seeking Harry out even now!
Who can resist a Harry Potter tale? J. K. Rowling has proven again that her international success seemed inevitable -- from the first page of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the story soars. It is beautifully written, with a strong narrative and fascinating, unforgettable characters, and there is not a reader in the world who won't love this book. The novel is long - more than 700 pages -- and not one word is wasted.
Now, my only problem is I need to find Harry so I can start classes at Hogwarts, soon. I sent him a message by owl, just this morning.
Book Review: Double Good
Summary: 5 Stars
It was with some trepidation that I first viewed this book -- where else could the stories go? are we going to have a repetition or a stretching of what was so charming in the first books? Surprise, surprise: The latest Harry Potter adventure is twice the size and twice as good as the last. Unlike some writers of ever-expanding sequels to popular best-sellers, Ms. Rowling mapped out her plan for seven books before writing even one of them: a classic, winning literary strategy. The books do not get thinner, in every sense of the word, but deeper. The point of view, also, matures with Harry and the writing becomes more complex. The books are not so much a series as a set, as we see in trilogies or quartets, each bringing us something more, each rounding out the story more.[STOP] As an educator, the value I see in these books is that they are engaging, written in the old oral story-teller style in which each episode, or chapter, ends with a question, leaving the reader to anticipate the next. It is also, literally, "a page turner," as the pages also are set up to leave us anticipating the next. However, "engaging" alone is not enough. Students have the pleasure of discovering for themselves how a book can capture their imaginations and transport them to another place, peopled with characters in settings and situations described by the author and fleshed out, or given life, by the reader. Moreover, we have in these books an excellent use of the written language, in terms of the academic conventions of structure and punctuation as well as in the use of interesting vocabulary -- a good model all around. [STOP] Teachers: don't rob your students of the opportunity to discover the pleasure of reading, of the printed word, for themselves by reading this aloud to them. (You'll also be able to avoid the odd objection based on the title or what was heard on the grapevine or circulated on a photocopied collection of excerpts out of context). If you yourself want to read it, by all means do so, but read it at home. You'll know what it's all about and be able to discuss it with those who have read it and discovered the power of the printed word. [STOP] What an incredible "teachable moment" this book and its predecessors have presented! It also has the great possibility of an excellent means of providing the number one valuable lesson in media literacy: when the movie(s) come out, the children can see for themselves how a movie pales in comparison to their much richer individual imaginations. Leave this book to them to read at home, on the bus, on the playground, in SSR, anywhere that allows them to read it for themselves, as it's rare to find a book that motivates children to read not only by its page-turning quality, its well-written pages, but by its being the latest cool thing to do.Book Review: Give me more Cho!
Summary: 5 Stars
Whew...What a book! I started the book at 9:00 p.m. two daysago and didn't stop till 5:00 a.m. I swear, I would've finished the734 paged behemoth in one sitting if my parents hadn't made me go to sleep. What separates the Harry Potter books from other books, is the incredible depth of the main characters, vivid writing, and of course, the plot and the sense of a real-life, living, breathing world. After reading the four Harry Potter books, I've grown a bond to the characters. The writing is incredible. There are an incredible amount of detail in what is happening around Harry, making even the most boring scenes throughly-enjoyable. Now for the plot. A Tri-wizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts, and the the three representatives from each of the three different schools will partake in three different tasks. I won't get into details, but it's a nice alternative to Quidditch. Anyways, no one under 17 is allowed in the tournament. People who want to enter the tournament enter their names into the Goblet of Fire. Days later, when all the people that have wanted to enter have entered, the goblet spits out the names that it has chosen to be worthy of entering the Tournament. One-by-one, the goblet spews out the names that it has chosen. Cedric Diggory's name spews out from the goblet, representing Hogwarts, and people are cheering and stuff when, another name flys out of the goblet. The weird thing is, all three people had already been chosen by the goblet. So everybody stares at the fourth parchment, and Dumbledore picks it up, and reads the name. Harry Potter. Hehe, I haven't described it very well, and you're probably scratching your head going, 'huh?'. Oh well. But, d@mn...that scene was awesome. One of the other real memorable scene is right before Harry is about to face the first task. I've rarely felt like that reading a book. My heart was thumping faster than ever, adrenaline was rushing through me...The suspense and anticipation of what was coming was killin' me...This is evidence of Rowling's exceptional writing skill. Is it just me, or did anybody else feel like that reading that scene... I'm looking over wut I wrote and it's all a bunch of rubbish. Oh well. I've got a lot more I want to say, but I'm kinda busy right now, so I'll end real quick. Oh, yeah, one more thing. I'm in the adolescence (did I spell that right?) stage and all, and I want more details and stuff on Harry's crush on Cho. I wish Cho had bigger involvement in the story. More details on Cho would have been nice. I just wish that there were more crushes, boyfriend/girlfriend type of thing in the story. I mean, in the story I doubt there were more than 3 pages involving thoughts and stuff from Harry's hormones. It seems as if Rowling added the Cho/ball/hormone thing as an afterthought.Book Review: A pivotal book in the series
Summary: 5 Stars
No doubt about it, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books DO get better and better with each volume. No. 4, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," is going to be a tough act to follow, and I am already looking forward to No. 5. I've never been able to see any merit in the opinion that so-called children's books cannot be read and enjoyed by adults. The Harry Potter series is a perfect example of fine literature that can be enjoyed by all ages.
With each book, Harry and his companions age one year. As they get older, their perspectives gain in maturity. The writing becomes more mature in keeping with the characters' development. Book 4, in my opinion, is already at or above the reading level of some adults. My husband and I have worked to cultivate rich vocabularies, and we had to look up a couple of words in the dictionary.
The books also take on more and more complex themes: Like the non-magic world, the wizarding community has its prejudice -- expressed not in terms of skin pigmentation but of magical parentage (Witches and wizards who come from Muggle families are termed "Mudbloods" by pure-blooded magic users). What better way to introduce children to the concept of prejudice, and in a way that makes abundantly clear that it is wrong and inexcusable?
Some of the moral issues explored by Harry and his peers are still being wrestled with by adults. From Book 3, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," one such moral dilemma comes to mind -- When are extreme punishments appropriate, and for what crimes?
Something is noticeably different in No. 4 in comparison with the three previous books -- for some reason, the American publishers decided to leave all the British slang intact. Generally, I was able to deduce the meaning through context, but if you find this difficult, a query on "British English" turned up several dictionaries of British slang available through Amazon.com.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" marks a midway point in the entire series, planned to be seven volumes altogether. The book also introduces themes that will carry over in a successive volume or volumes. J.K. Rowling has handled this well, creating a book that concludes the year's episode neatly but that raises compelling issues that this reader is eagerly awaiting further developments in.
As I have said before, I do not feel Ms. Rowling's books promote the occult. The fantastic circumstances of being witches and wizards are there, but the good characters really do embody many positive traits of humanity. These are still children, however, and they have the flaws and preoccupations that children of their age have naturally. Whatever the age of the reader, these books have a great deal to offer, and I strongly recommend them.