As I sit here writing this review for Book 4 of the Harry Potter series, I have just begun book 5 for the month of December. If you’ve been following along, I started the series in August with Book 1 and have been reading one book a month ever since. I will be completing the series with Book 6 in January and Book 7 in February. This has been such a great way to re-read a series together but still have time for reading other books.
If you read this series many years ago as I did, you will find so many small details that were forgotten along the way. The movies, which I have watched many times since, tend to warp your memory of events in the book, despite how well written and produced they were.
One example I can give is I specifically remember Neville Longbottom giving Harry the Gillyweed just before entering the lake in the Goblet of Fire movie. However, in the book, it is Dobby the house elf who gives Harry the Gillyweed, after overhearing Professor Moody tell Professor McGonagall that Harry should eat that to allow him to breathe underwater. In the book, he later tells Harry he left the book with the information about Gillyweed with Neville, and Harry should have seen it and asked Neville for help.
Anyway, I won’t give too many details away, although at this point, most who are interested in the Harry Potter series have already read them. With each book, the imagination put into them continues to astound me. From the characters to the mythical creatures to the idea for the Goblet of Fire competition, all while carrying out the school year as usual, the creativity never ends.
In this book, at 14 years old, Harry has gained more experience as a wizard and continues to defy the evil Lord Voldemort. He does, however, receive a little help from his friends and family from both the present and the past, demonstrating to us that our social network is imperative to help us through tough times. We are not meant to go through life’s trials alone.
Again, this is a YA fantasy novel and for an adult, it is a long but easy and entertaining read. The ending is designed to leave a continuation for the next book in the series, so you can’t stop here. If you’re reading along, grab your child’s copy of Book 5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, or if you don’t have it already, run out to your local bookstore or hop online to get you one and I’ll see you next month!