Disclaimer: I received this particular copy from Cody!

Book Series: Harry Potter 2

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: July 2, 1998

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 10+ (little gore, some scary moments, one small sexual innuendo, and snakes)

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 341

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Synopsis: The Dursleys were so mean and 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 Lockhart, 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?

Review: After all this time, I still love my favorite book of the series. I loved how the story just flows beautifully from book 1 and, when rereading this book, you can really pick up on all of the little cues that JK put in there. The book is full of great moments that didn’t make it to the film and it’s definitely worth the read. The character development is amazing, the pacing is great, and the writing is amazing, as always.

My only, ONLY, issue is that I feel like the book spent too long setting up the final moments of the book. Like, we have 300 pages of set up and then 5 pages of exposition. It’s great, don’t get me wrong, but I would have liked it to be a bit more in the end.

Verdict: Harry Potter OP