Harry Potter Read-Along/Discussion [14]

RECAP - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Chapters 13 - 21

Harry once thought he'd get to sit back and enjoy watching the Triwizard Tournament, but he was wrong. Someone put his name in the Goblet of Fire, the impartial judge that chooses the three school champions. But this time it chose a fourth champion - Harry Potter. Everyone hates Harry, once again, because they think he put his name in and just wanted some extra attention. But when he goes in for the first task of the Tournament, to fly past a Hungarian Horntail dragon to retrieve a golden egg, most of the school realizes he never would have put himself in that kind of danger. He does, however, do the best in this task by summoning his broomstick and using his flying skills to get around the dragon. Way to go Harry!

As if he didnt have enough to deal with with that dragon, now he's got to use the golden egg he caught to figure out his next task, and Hermione won't leave him alone about house-elf rights, Rita Skeeter won't stop writing awful articles about Harry, the school and the Ministry, and he keeps hearing strange things about Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman... when does Harry just get to be normal?

DISCUSSION

Halfway through the book and things are really just starting to heat up. Harry is in the Tri-Wizard Tournament even though he's not 17, and it was by no trick of Harry's! Mad-Eye Moody is sure someone is trying to kill Harry, but everyone else is just mad that Harry "tricked" his way in as the fourth Champion.

What really kills me is when Ron just flat out doesnt believe him, I mean, Hermione believes him. Is Ron that bitter that he can't see past his jealousy to believe his best friend. I know what you're going to say - they're only 14, of course their jealousy and emotions will get the better of them, but come on. It was beyond frustrating and you know it.

Something I noticed in this book is that Rowling goes hardcore mystery on us here. She drops some serious hints that - I'll admit - I didn't notice when I read them the first three times. I remember reading a post somewhere about how Rowling's HP books compare to her new adult novels, and the writer mentioned how they are actually not all that different. Now, I haven't read her adult novels, though I own both, but the writer mentioned how all of her HP novels were basically a mystery, spending the entire book trying to figure out "whodunnit," etc. I don't know much about The Casual Vacancy, but I've heard that Rowling uses so many of the same elements in Vacancy and in her newest novel, Cuckoo's Calling as she did in her kid's books. At the time I read that post, I nodded my head in silent agreement, but after reading book four, I want to shout out a resounding YES. Its so true and so evident as we get into the darker books that Rowling uses those mystery elements consistently.

As you read this, I am soon moving on to book five and I cant wait to talk about the rest of this book with you guys. Thanks for stopping by :)

A.