Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

ISBN-10: 0747538484
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: July 1998
251 pgs

Synopsis (from B&N)
The eagerly anticipated sequel to the astounding smash hit Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is finally here! No need to wait — Harry's back for his second year at Hogwarts, where the infamous Chamber of Secrets has been opened for the first time in 50 years. The monster that is unleashed is literally petrifying Hogwarts students (turning them into stone, that is), and who is the primary suspect? Harry Potter himself. Add to this some enormous spiders, a Deathday Party, a ghost named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and lots and lots of suspense, and you'll soon find yourself engrossed in another terrific tale in which magic does exist and good eventually triumphs over evil.

So I had a great time re-reading the first installment, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone a while back. I find myself immersed in J.K. Rowling's amazing wizarding world and just could not get enough of it, and that is why I devour the second installment immediately after reading the first.

So without further ado, here is my self-interview review of the book.

Q: Which is your favourite and least favourite scene? Why?
A: There are a few scenes which I liked: Harry Potter and friends' encounter with Moaning Myrtle, who haunts the girls' toilet. I find their exchanges to be somewhat amusing at times. And I find myself holding my breath reading about Harry's and Ron's mission to find out the true heir of Slytherin and their narrow escape with the huge spider, Aragog and not to mention the gigantic and deadly Basilisk (also known as the King of Serpents). I also have to mention Hermione's heroic deeds when she went out the way to concoct the Polyjuice potion and being the one to find out about the facts on the Basilisk.

I do not think there is a scene which I dislike; there is so much adventure in this story. However, I have to say I was a little irritated by Professor Gilderoy Lockhart's attitude; I simply could not stand the way he thinks so highly of himself. Despite this, I am glad he is a harmless character after all.

Q: Name a trait which you think we all should learn from any of the characters in this book.
A: This will be a no surprise answer after all - Harry Potter's courage, his faith and his never-give-up attitude.

There is this scene between Professor Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter which I really, really like. Dumbledore was telling Harry that it is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities and I totally agree with him on this. How many times have we been persuaded or coaxed into doing something, but ultimately the decisions still lie upon us and we have to decide what is right or what is wrong.

Q: Your overall thoughts on this book?
A: I loved it that there are more adventure and more dangerous tasks for the three main characters as the series progress. (Warning: Do not read further to this answer if you have not read this book!) However, I was perplexed over a scene and wonder how did Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes managed to puncture the Basilisk's eyes without getting itself petrified? Did I miss anything there?

During my review for the first installment, I had requested some questions from fellow bookbloggers for this review and here they are:

Q: Do you think that the movie is really close to the book? Or will reading the book give you a different experience altogether? (Violet of Violet Crush)
A: Yes, I do think the movie follows closely to the book, but we all know it is impossible to capture every scene and/or description so I know there are bound to be some little things missed here and there and as long as they do not cut away the major scenes, I am totally fine with it.

I always prefer reading the books first before watching the movies. However, it is not the case in Harry Potter series as it is the movies that have me hooked to the books (I did not read a lot of YA books back then). I find there is not much difference in regards to the experience no matter if we are reading a book or watching a movie because we are always the third party as we watch the story slowly unfolds in front of us; often it is how the movie (or the characters) portray that makes us compare to the books.

Q: Does any of the book relate to your "real" life? (Amy of Amy Reads Good Books)
A: Fortunately, no! And onto a different topic, as much as I love reading about magic, I would rather read them in books than to see them happen in reality. It would be too scary if someone decided to use it to create chaos in real life.

Q: Which Hogwarts House would you chose to be in and why? (Naida of The Bookworm)

A: Gryffindor, of course! That house has the most righteous attitude among all, but most importantly my favourite characters - Harry and his friends are in it. Period.

Thanks to Violet, Amy and Naida for the great questions!

*****

Note: Please feel free to ask me any questions for my next review of the third installment, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.