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4.48 AVERAGE
4.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I haven't read Harry Potter in maybe...ten years? More than that? Definitely not in a long time. I then remembered that we have a copy of the first book in our house, so I picked that up and gave it a reread (it took me so long to finished because I was being bogged down by another book that I ended up DNF'ing).
This book is by no means perfect. The reasoning for sending Harry to live with his abusive relatives is flimsy at best, and we even have a casual line of dialogue from Hagrid--that he borrowed his motorbike from Sirius Black. I don't understand why they couldn't have just sent Harry to live with him instead. Yes, it would have changed the Prisoner of Azkaban drastically, but it would have made more sense. You're telling me that one of the most powerful wizards, Dumbledore, is willing to send a child into an abusive situation and let him stay there?
There are some other things in this book that aged poorly: a joke about letter-bombs, fat-shaming, Fred and George Weasley described as catcalling Lavender Brown when she's first sorted (I don't know if 'catcalling' means anything different in British English, but, uh.......).
Another plot point I thought was odd was the whole Norbert the Norwegian Dragon situation. It seems in poor taste that Hagrid would let Harry and Hermione take the fall for him and not even try to get them out of trouble. Harry and Hermione seem to have no ill will towards him putting them in this situation in the first place, which is off-putting.
Now that I've gotten my complaints out of the way, I can describe what I liked about the book. When I look at it through a critical lens, I can see why it became so popular in the first place. Students entering Hogwarts at age 11 is the perfect parallel to children who are just starting middle school. The book captures that sense of overwhelm that I definitely remember feeling, going to a new school and having to get used to moving around all the time instead of staying in one classroom. The excitement and wonder Harry experiences as he navigates Diagon Alley and and Hogwarts is infectious.
This book is by no means perfect. The reasoning for sending Harry to live with his abusive relatives is flimsy at best, and we even have a casual line of dialogue from Hagrid--that he borrowed his motorbike from Sirius Black. I don't understand why they couldn't have just sent Harry to live with him instead. Yes, it would have changed the Prisoner of Azkaban drastically, but it would have made more sense. You're telling me that one of the most powerful wizards, Dumbledore, is willing to send a child into an abusive situation and let him stay there?
There are some other things in this book that aged poorly: a joke about letter-bombs, fat-shaming, Fred and George Weasley described as catcalling Lavender Brown when she's first sorted (I don't know if 'catcalling' means anything different in British English, but, uh.......).
Another plot point I thought was odd was the whole Norbert the Norwegian Dragon situation. It seems in poor taste that Hagrid would let Harry and Hermione take the fall for him and not even try to get them out of trouble. Harry and Hermione seem to have no ill will towards him putting them in this situation in the first place, which is off-putting.
Now that I've gotten my complaints out of the way, I can describe what I liked about the book. When I look at it through a critical lens, I can see why it became so popular in the first place. Students entering Hogwarts at age 11 is the perfect parallel to children who are just starting middle school. The book captures that sense of overwhelm that I definitely remember feeling, going to a new school and having to get used to moving around all the time instead of staying in one classroom. The excitement and wonder Harry experiences as he navigates Diagon Alley and and Hogwarts is infectious.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
1st time
I've watched the movies dozens of times as an adult but never got the chance to read the books as a kid cause I wasn't allowed. So now I am embarking on this magical journey and so far I'm having an amazing time! I love seeing the differences between the books and the movies and I look forward to reading the rest!
I've watched the movies dozens of times as an adult but never got the chance to read the books as a kid cause I wasn't allowed. So now I am embarking on this magical journey and so far I'm having an amazing time! I love seeing the differences between the books and the movies and I look forward to reading the rest!
fajne takie, podobało mi się bardziej niż film (duzo pomineli w filmie fajnych rzeczy i mysle ze to straszne), zamówiłam już sb druga część
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
No matter how many times I read it, it'll always be a 5 star read!✨