The Final Chapter
It's official! Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows, the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's
magical Harry Potter series, will be released on July
21, 2007. In the February 1 announcement from the book's
publisher, Lisa Holton, President of Scholastic
Children's Books, said, "We are thrilled to announce the
publication date of the seventh installment in this
remarkable series. We join J.K. Rowling's millions of
readers--young and old, veterans and newcomers--in
anticipating what lies ahead." Save the date, and let
the countdown begin!
* Harry's first trip to the zoo with the Dursleys,
when a boa constrictor winks at him. * When the
Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by letters for
Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much the Dursleys
have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does a wonderful
job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle Vernon will
go to deny that magic exists. * Harry's first visit
to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full of curiosities and
rich with magic and marvel, Harry's first trip includes
a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders, where Harry gets
his wand (holly and phoenix feather) and discovers yet
another connection to He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named. This
moment is the reader's first full introduction to
Rowling's world of witchcraft and wizards. * Harry's
experience with the Sorting Hat.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets
* The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry
discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be
grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff
me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come
back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful
scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to
Ron by his mother. * The Dueling Club battle between
Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling
Club to help students practice spells on each other, but
he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity
between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young,
their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling
and dancing charms.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of
Azkaban
* Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at
the Dursleys'. * Harry's first encounter with a
Dementor on the train (and just about any other
encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the
Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a
darker, scarier book. * Harry, Ron, and Hermione's
behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some
of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when she
reminds us that the wizards-in-training at Hogwarts are,
after all, just children. Clearly, even at a school of
witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring and seem
pointless to children. * The Boggart lesson in
Professor Lupin's classroom. * Harry, Ron, and
Hermione's knock-down confrontation with Snape.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire
* Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela
(Bulgarian National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World
Cup. Rowling's fourth book addresses issues about
growing up--the dynamic between the boys and girls at
Hogwarts starts to change. Nowhere is this more plain
than the hilarious scene in which magical cheerleaders
nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump from the stands to
impress them. * Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and
Ron's objection to it. * Malfoy's "Potter Stinks"
badge. * Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the
intolerant bigotry of the Death Eaters, and the danger
of the Triwizard Tournament. Add in the changing
dynamics between girls and boys at Hogwarts, and
suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a weight and
seriousness not as present in early books in the series.
Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the students
tackle darker, more serious issues and take on larger
responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal
curses.
Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix
* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12
Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being
kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels
much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once,
directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly
portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk
responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of
the fight that he knows is coming. * Harry's
detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her
darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is
no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores
represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil,
and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of
wills alone. * Harry and Cho's painfully awkward
interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like
to be a teenager. * Harry's Occlumency lessons with
Snape. * Dumbledore's confession to Harry.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince
* The introduction of the Horcrux. * Molly
Weasley asking Arthur Weasley about his "dearest
ambition." Rowling has always been great at revealing
little intriguing bits about her characters at a time,
and Arthur’s answer "to find out how airplanes stay up"
reminds us about his obsession with Muggles. *
Harry's private lessons with Dumbledore, and more time
spent with the fascinating and dangerous pensieve,
arguably one of Rowling’s most ingenious
inventions. * Fred and George Weasley’s Joke Shop,
and the slogan: "Why Are You Worrying About
You-Know-Who? You Should Be Worrying About U-NO-POO--the
Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation!" *
Luna's Quidditch commentary. Rowling created scores of
Luna Lovegood fans with hilarious and bizarre commentary
from the most unlikely Quidditch commentator. * The
effects of Felix Felicis.
