Oct 18, 2012 03:46 PM
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It is summer vacation time for the students of Hogwarts; Ron is at Egypt with his family, Hermione is holidaying in France, while Harry is...........stuck at the Dursleys' (his uncle and aunt). It is soon-to-be our protagonist's thirteenth birthday when we open the third installment of the Harry Potter series of books. Harry as usual, has no idea that this year is going to be a roller-coaster ride for him. As readers, we begin our journey with Harry's cluelessness.............
Before one can say ‘Hogwarts Express!’ Harry Potter has found himself deep in the midst of trouble……..yet again. Uncle Vernon Dursley’s sister, Aunt Marge has ‘magically’ been transformed into a balloon and is soaring high up into the night sky. Harry meanwhile has lost his cool; he packs up all his belongings and leaves for a place away from the annoying Dursleys. Suddenly he spots a scary looking shaggy-haired black dog; before being able to scrutinize further though, he is picked up by the Knight Bus. Upon reaching Diagon Alley, he is ‘caught’ by the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Surprisingly enough he learns that the Ministry has forgiven him for his crime, and he is instead kept under protection from a murderous convict out on the loose. Sirius Black has escaped from the Azkaban Prison and is seeking Harry’s blood to avenge his master, Lord Voldemort. Harry on the other hand, has a strange feeling that he’s not being told the truth about the situation. Meanwhile Hogwarts has two new teachers- the pale-faced Professor Lupin and an extraordinary giant of a man, Professor Rubeus Hagrid! Potter’s new classes aren’t going too well for him; a bug-eyed Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney has already predicted that Harry will die a gruesome death, while Severus Snape seems to have made it his life’s goal to show-off Harry’s horrific potion-making talents. The only incident which seems to comfort him is the constant argument between Hermione and Ron; about her beast of a cat and his poor tiny rat. Will Harry’s trials ever end???
Again, I have to stress this- THE NARRATIVE IS SIMPLE AND EASY TO FOLLOW, for kids and adults. One never feels that they cannot understand what is going on in the story. The climax comes at an unexpected moment, which keeps readers on their toes…….erm…fingers at all times. We also get to see a different Harry Potter in this novel; he is definitely grown-up. In the previous two books Harry had been a boy stuck in difficult situations, but now he’s a teenager who wants to get even with Lord Voldemort for murdering his parents. As usual, Professor Dumbledore always comes to our trio’s rescue. The ending is pretty optimistic and seems to set a lighter tone for the rest of the sequels, but readers beware! Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is without doubt, a dark omen of the worst yet to come (in terms of the mood of the story).
Final grade- A+; a riveting read which doesn’t get your heart racing, but nonetheless, a worthwhile sequel to The Chamber of Secrets.
