Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Before the remaining three books came out, this book by far was the most action packed. Just like the maze at the end of the book, each turn held a surprise.

This summer break will be quite different for our Harry Potter. His friend Ron has invited him to the Quidditch World Cup, something that doesn't happen all the time. The only problem is to get the Dursley's permission. Well, Mr. Weasley doesn't care to have their permission so he arrives one day to pick Harry up, except his means of transportation are not what the Duresley's would've excepted.

When everyone is at the Quidditch World Cup they are blown away by all the wizards showing off. Half the camp site is maroon (for Bulgaria) while the other half is green (for Ireland). After the Irish win the cup everyone goes back to their camp sites to wind-down, but then screams start to pierce the night. Mr. Weasley has everyone run to the safety of the woods while he, with the help of the other wizards, try to subdue the rebels.

Hermonie, Ron, and Harry get separated from Ginny, George, and Fred. While Harry, Ron, and Hermonie are in deep woods a sign is placed in the air that causes more panic - the sign of Lord Voldermort.

The night before the kids leave for Hogwarts they learn that something very special will be taking place that year, but neither Mr. Weasley or anyone else will hint to what it is. While at the Welcoming Feast, Dumbledor tells that students that they will be hosting the Tri Wizard Tournament, which hasn't been hosted for many years. The tournament will begin on October 31st and anyone under the age of 17 will not be allowed to compete. When the day finally arrives the 2 visiting school arrive as well, Drumstrang and Beauxbatons. There is a wonderful feast that night with dishes from each of the visiting schools as well as the normal Hogwarts food. The next day the champions are selected - 1 from each school. When Dumbledor picks the 3 champions everyone is excited for the games to commence - until Harry's name is picked. But Harry couldn't have put is name in the running nor bewitched the cup to select his name, or could he?

Not a bad book as books go, quite better than HP and the Chamber of Secrets - but I did find the beginning of the book rather drawn out (and if I recall correctly I feel the same way for wither book 6 or 7). I do like how we got to learn about from wizards of other places, well I shouldn't say 'learn' because we didn't learn that much, but we did get to see some aspects - like their food or climate (based on how they dressed). I think my favorite part in the whole story would have to been Harry and Ron trying to find dates in time for the Yull Ball and then one acquiring them, not knowing what to do and just being extremely awkward.

Books in this series:

Books in this series:

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (c) 2000 US (c) 2000

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry's summer has passed rather slowly and dully. He hasn't gotten any letter's from his best friends Ron or Hermonie - so what gives? What makes matters worse is ever since he came home his Uncle Vernon locked all his school materials underneath the stairs and locked his owl in her cage.

His summer gets worse the night that his uncle has a very important dinner party. A house elf named Dobby, with only the best intentions, ties to warn Harry not to go back to school - the only problem is Dobby goes about it the wrong way. When the Dursley's learn that Harry can't use magic outside of school they lock him up in his bedroom.

Finally his best friend Ron comes to his aide - and help Harry escape the evil clutch of the Dursley's. When it's time for everyone to go back to school the arrive at the train station - everyone makes it pass the barrier but Ron and Harry. They miss the train and they've started to draw the attention of the muggles - so they decided to take Ron's father's magic car to Hogwarts (bad idea boys.)

The adventure is fun until the car dies and they crash land into a walloping tree. To make matters worse they get caught by Snape - who hates them - and are told they are skating on thin ice and if 1 more toe get out of line then they will be expelled. The days pass on a little better until the 3 of them are caught standing near the "dead" body of Mrs. Norris. They were just at the wrong spot at the wrong time. On the wall someone wrote "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware" and when everyone sees it - chaos ensues. Attacks keep happening and with no solution insight. Whispers around school begin to grow as everyone suspects that Harry is the Heir causing all the attacks - but he's not and is going to prove it - even if it means expulsion.

I have to say, this is my least favorite book out of the whole series. It took me awhile to get into it. I just didn't like it - and I'm trying to think of why, because their are obviously reasons and I'm not a 3yr saying "because". Dobby irritated me, and I think it was the whole plot of this book - but I can see how it's leading up to the last book. Although Glidory Lockheart was funny, everyone hated him but he was too thick to see it!

Books in this series:

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (c) 1999 US (c) 1999

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

HOLLY SMOKES BATMAN! When I googeled the title of this book google mostly brought up pictures from the movie, and Daniel Radcliff was like 5! Ok, not that young but still. Man I remember when the 1st movie game out, and my dad pulled my sister and I out of school so we could see it. That was a magical day for me - not because of HP but because I got to spend time with my dad and he made it so magical.

Back to the review of this book.

Harry Potter doesn't know what's so special about him. In fact all he knows is that his life is miserable. His Aunt Petunia is nosey and loud, his Uncle Vernon is fat and vicious, and his cousin Dudley is spoiled rotten and vicious like his father. He has no friends at school because everyone fears Dudley and as far as comfy beds go Harry has a lumpy one under the stairs. He doesn't know what happened to his parents, except for they died in a car crash.

Odd things keep happening to Harry, he doesn't know why, and when they do his aunt and uncle become furious at him. The months following up to his 11th birthday begin to act strange - to say the least. People walk around in funny costumes, and owls are everywhere during daylight hours! Letters addressed to Harry start to arrive at the Dursley's house - and Uncle Vernon tries to stop Harry from reading them. Eventually Harry receives his letter and learns he is a wizard.

The wizarding world is strange for Harry but he adjusts quickly even making new friends and enemies. His school year begins to get adventurous when he believes on of the school's own professors is after a mysterious package that Albus Dumbledore does not want found. It's up to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine to stop the professor from getting that package!

Reading this book brought be back to the 6th grade when I first started reading the books. I can't believe how long it's been! I remember fighting with my sister over who would get to read the newest book first and waiting with strained patience when I didn't win and had to wait for her to finish. My only complaint for the WHOLE series was how it ended. It felt like a cop out! She should've at least done 1 more book this time being the gangs time in college and fighting a rouge group of Voldermort supporters or something. Eh. All in all though it was a great book :)

Books in this series:

1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

6) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

7) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. (c) 1997 US (c) 1998

Kitty and the Silver Bullet

2 things come to the front of my mind before I begin this review.

1) I'D LIKE TO THANK DARLA D. FOR SHOWING ME THIS SERIES and. . .

2) I love guessing how the title of the book relates to the plot.

For those of you that follow this series you will recall with no problem that Kitty has been on the move for about a year. She had to leave her pack in Denver after her best friend T.J. was murdered by the Alpha Male Carl. Kitty and T.J. were a huge threat to Carl and Meg (the Alpha female). When Carl kills T.J. she has no choice but to leave Denver and ne'er return.

The journey that Kitty's been on in the past year has had many highs and extreme 'lows'. Well does public humiliation qualify as a "low"? She has come away from her adventures on the road as a strong person: more sure in the power of who she is both Human and Wolf. She has meet many helpful people (vampiric and lycanthropic alike) and has also helped to take down corrupt people in high places.

When she receives a call on night her world is turned askew. She receives a phone call telling her that her mother is ill and Kitty is needed immediately. Instant fear strikes kitty. This isn't a cold, not it's much worse: her mother might have breast cancer.

However, it won't be easy for Kitty to return to Denver. Her old pack still roams the lands, and Carl and Meg would be all too happy to end Kitty's life. Plus one of her friends Rick (a vampire) has asked for Kitty's help in staging a coo with the Master of the City. The coo won't be easy - for Carl has sided with the old Master - and this is a fight that will involve everyone.

I love these books. I know, I know I say that about every book but it's true! I've only picked up 1 book (ok 2) that I haven't been able to get past the first 100 pages! I can always trust Darla D's advice when she recommends me books. Kitty has grown much more in this last book - and she'd have too. Facing and illness is never easy for any party involved, but it makes your stronger (and I mean mentally). She also had to finally face the fact that she's a leader and can't always fun from her problems. Sure, she still may try - but don't we all?

I'm trying to think of any parts I might of hated in the book, and I can't think of a single on. Ok, maybe 1 but it's more of my opinion - but when I think about it - there is really no point. I sometimes which she'd gone with Cormac. I mean, Ben's alright and stuff but Cormac is like the rough and ruggedly handsome type and I see Ben as more of a rather drab person (even though he can clean up enough to be on GQ covers).

Recommend to me by Darla D.

Books in this series :

1) Kitty and the Midnight Hour

2) Kitty Goes to Washington

3) Kitty Takes A Holiday

4) Kitty And the Silver Bullet

5) Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand

6) Kitty Raises Hell

Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn. New York (c) 2008

How to Train Your Dragon

Hiccup and his fellow peers are at that tender age where you have to prove you have the guts to stay in the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. In order to stay in the tribe Hiccup and his peers must each catch a dragon and then train it to sit, stay, and catch fish. For any Viking worth his salt will have a lean mean killing machine - or dragon.

On the day that all the boys are to catch their dragon's Gobber the Belch (the Viking in charge of initiation) tells the kids what's on the line if they should fail. He tells the boys

"I need not tell you . . . that if your return to this spot without a dragon, it is hardly worth coming back at all." (p9)

Each child is given a dragon basket and they all begin the climb up the dangerous wall. The majority of the boys of The Hairy Hooligan Tribe don't like Hiccup - in fact they call him Hiccup the Useless. When everyone comes back from catching their dragons they can't help but show them off. Everyone is in awe of Snoutlout and his Nightmare Dragon (only the Chief's son of the Chief can have a Nightmare Dragon). Fishlegs gets Hiccup into trouble when he says that only Hiccup can have Snoutlout's dragon, since after all he is the Chief's son. It doesn't help that Hiccup's dragon is the tiniest dragon around and he's tootless. The boys decide to give Hiccup a new name : Hiccup the Useless and his dragon Toothless.

Things don't get better. After his dragon Toothless wakes up from his dragon slumber, he begins to train him. The normal Viking way is to yell at a dragon as loud as you can - however Hiccup doesn't think that will work, so he speaks to Toothless in dragonese.

When the big day comes, all the boys assemble to show the tribe how they've trained their dragon. Any boy whose dragon is not trained will be BANISHED! The problem for Hiccup is that Toothless is a rather disobedient little thing. When Toothless gets all the dragons to fight - and disobey their masters - the tribe has no choice but to banish the boys. That is until the Sea Dragon Maximum decides to awaken from its slumber and begin to terrorize the village. The only hope for the Hairy Hooligan Tribe is Hiccup.

Ok. This is for all you Liberians out there and I know you'll love this. The book that the kids could read, if they wanted to know more about training their dragon was called "How to Train your Dragon", and inside the book was a little blurb about the library. It went as follows :

"Meathead Public Library. A note from the Hairy Scary Librarian: Please Return this book on or before the last date stamped or I will be VERY ANNOYED. I think you know what I mean". At the bottom of the page it says "DO NOT REMOVE THIS BOOK OR WE WILL BASH YOU!!" (p55) and get this the price of the book is 1 small chicken and 20 oysters!

This book was so funny and I could not stop laughing. I love how the names were always alliterated and how goofy the whole story was :) I was glad that both Hiccup and Toothless grew in stature and that they both learned their true potential.

I would recommend this book to any young boy. I think he'd get a kick out of it!

And know if I ever come across a dragon, I will know how to train it :)

How to Train your Dragon by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. (Translated by Cressida Cowell) New York. (c) 2003