*****
JK Rowling
Ever wonder what might happen if you break a silly rule? You just might find yourself facing dangerous, possibly deathly tasks and losing your best friend! Of course, this time, Harry didn't actually break the rule. Someone did that for him. But who? And why? And how is he going to fawn over Cho, keep up with his studies, avoid Rita Skeeter, and learn to dance while preparing for the tasks?
Is it wrong that I find the premise of this book slightly hilarious? I mean, they say this tournament is dangerous. People have died! But then everything seems perfectly safe to me*. Either way, it's an enjoyable read. Even though there are sad parts, it's still mostly a light book. Nothing compared with the darkness that is to come in the next 3!
*except, of course, for that one little flaw. But that wasn't exactly planned.
Showing posts with label some mild language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label some mild language. Show all posts
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
*****
JK Rowling
Prepare for a turn for the worse.
Voldemort is back. No one believes it. In fact, while Harry has been trapped in Little Winging with his horrible aunt and uncle, the wizarding world has been doing their best to discredit him...and Dumbledore.
When Harry is finally whisked back into "his world," he finds a gloomy group known as The Order of the Phoenix fighting a losing battle against propaganda, disappearances, and dark recruitments. Even at school, Harry faces a lot of opposition.
Which is a shame, because Harry could really use the help of his friends. Plagued by bad dreams, a distant mentor, classes (or should I say torture sessions) with Snape and, worst of all, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, this one worse than any so far, Harry feels all alone. He takes some comfort in his after-school-activities, such as the secret DA club he and his friends have formed, but when it all comes down to it, Harry will need to be the one who once again stands up to the Dark Lord.
This book made me so angry! Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but Umbridge...OOOOH that woman! There was some incredible action, especially near the end, and I cried several times (like when Molly encountered the bogart!). But in the end, I was mostly numb with disbelief. How could anything end so bitter-sweet? (Although, if you think this was bitter-sweet, wait 'til you read the last one!)
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
JK Rowling
Prepare for a turn for the worse.
Voldemort is back. No one believes it. In fact, while Harry has been trapped in Little Winging with his horrible aunt and uncle, the wizarding world has been doing their best to discredit him...and Dumbledore.
When Harry is finally whisked back into "his world," he finds a gloomy group known as The Order of the Phoenix fighting a losing battle against propaganda, disappearances, and dark recruitments. Even at school, Harry faces a lot of opposition.
Which is a shame, because Harry could really use the help of his friends. Plagued by bad dreams, a distant mentor, classes (or should I say torture sessions) with Snape and, worst of all, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, this one worse than any so far, Harry feels all alone. He takes some comfort in his after-school-activities, such as the secret DA club he and his friends have formed, but when it all comes down to it, Harry will need to be the one who once again stands up to the Dark Lord.
This book made me so angry! Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but Umbridge...OOOOH that woman! There was some incredible action, especially near the end, and I cried several times (like when Molly encountered the bogart!). But in the end, I was mostly numb with disbelief. How could anything end so bitter-sweet? (Although, if you think this was bitter-sweet, wait 'til you read the last one!)
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
*****
JK Rowling
Finally, Harry is expecting a quiet year at Hogwarts. Yeah, right. Before he even gets close to going to school, things start to go wrong. Harry loses his temper and does (*gasp*) magic in front of muggles. Sure that he is about to be expelled or possibly even arrested, Harry decides he has nothing to lose and runs away from home. Thankfully the Knight Bus is there to rescue him and take him safely to Diagon Alley where he learns that he is in no trouble at all.
From there, the strangeness persists. Harry is followed everywhere by a mysterious black dog (the Grim?), hunted by a crazy serial killer, attacked by dementors, tutored by a man who grew up with his father, tortured by Snape (okay, that's pretty normal) and engrossed in the mystery of Peter Petigrew and his parents' deaths.
Is it disingenuous to give all of Rowling's books 5 stars? Oh well. I am in love with this series. This is the last light and happy book (if you can call it that) before the series starts to get pretty dark and depressing (but still irresistibly good!) There are parts of this book that will make you scream with the unfairness of it all and there are parts that may have you literally cheering for the trio.
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
JK Rowling
Finally, Harry is expecting a quiet year at Hogwarts. Yeah, right. Before he even gets close to going to school, things start to go wrong. Harry loses his temper and does (*gasp*) magic in front of muggles. Sure that he is about to be expelled or possibly even arrested, Harry decides he has nothing to lose and runs away from home. Thankfully the Knight Bus is there to rescue him and take him safely to Diagon Alley where he learns that he is in no trouble at all.
From there, the strangeness persists. Harry is followed everywhere by a mysterious black dog (the Grim?), hunted by a crazy serial killer, attacked by dementors, tutored by a man who grew up with his father, tortured by Snape (okay, that's pretty normal) and engrossed in the mystery of Peter Petigrew and his parents' deaths.
Is it disingenuous to give all of Rowling's books 5 stars? Oh well. I am in love with this series. This is the last light and happy book (if you can call it that) before the series starts to get pretty dark and depressing (but still irresistibly good!) There are parts of this book that will make you scream with the unfairness of it all and there are parts that may have you literally cheering for the trio.
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
three little words
*****
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley is a toddler when 'they' take her from her mother. Throughout the next decade of her life, she is shuffled from foster home to foster home. Sometimes the parents are godsends. Sometimes they are so abusive, she can't see her way out. Separated and reunited with Luke, her younger brother, and a mother who just can't seem to get it together, Ashley can only rely on herself.
I debated posting this book at all. But I have some very mature readers and I think you can handle it, if not just yet. I'm definitely rating it R or maybe higher because it's very mature. But as I read all 320-some pages in one day, I thought I better share it with you. It's a memoire (autobiography) of a girl who has lived through it all. You won't be able to put it down and you just may cry!
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley is a toddler when 'they' take her from her mother. Throughout the next decade of her life, she is shuffled from foster home to foster home. Sometimes the parents are godsends. Sometimes they are so abusive, she can't see her way out. Separated and reunited with Luke, her younger brother, and a mother who just can't seem to get it together, Ashley can only rely on herself.
I debated posting this book at all. But I have some very mature readers and I think you can handle it, if not just yet. I'm definitely rating it R or maybe higher because it's very mature. But as I read all 320-some pages in one day, I thought I better share it with you. It's a memoire (autobiography) of a girl who has lived through it all. You won't be able to put it down and you just may cry!
Day of Tears
*****
Julius Lester
Follow Emma, Maddie, Will and their friends on this heartbraking journey. Master Pierce has lost all of his money gambling and has to sell off his slaves to pay his debts. It's hard on the Butler family to lose the people they've grown up with, but it's much harder on the slaves sold to new owners around the country. As families are split apart, the tales intertwine to give a clear and crushing story of what it is like to live in slavery.
This is an excellent book. It's written as a play and makes you feel like you're really there alongside the families suffering in this book. Even though it's mostly sad, it's a wonderful book to read. It gives such a clear picture of the loss and suffering as well as some heartening stories of reunion.
If you like this book, look for:
Fever 1793
Out of the Dust
Run for Your Life
Julius Lester
Follow Emma, Maddie, Will and their friends on this heartbraking journey. Master Pierce has lost all of his money gambling and has to sell off his slaves to pay his debts. It's hard on the Butler family to lose the people they've grown up with, but it's much harder on the slaves sold to new owners around the country. As families are split apart, the tales intertwine to give a clear and crushing story of what it is like to live in slavery.
This is an excellent book. It's written as a play and makes you feel like you're really there alongside the families suffering in this book. Even though it's mostly sad, it's a wonderful book to read. It gives such a clear picture of the loss and suffering as well as some heartening stories of reunion.
If you like this book, look for:
Fever 1793
Out of the Dust
Run for Your Life
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
*****
CS Lewis
Edmund, Lucy and their insufferable cousin Eustace get pulled into Narnia through a painting to help Prince (now King) Caspian on his journey. Aboard the beautiful ship Dawn Treader, the small crew travels to islands and seeks the 7 lords sent away by Caspian's evil uncle Miraz. Along the way, Eustace has to learn some pretty tough lessons and Lucy and Edmund's bravery is put to the test.
This is a fabulous book. It's a quick read, full of adventure and aften side-splittingly funny! The language is a little difficult for low readers, but the characters are great and the story, like the series, is addictive!
If you like this book, look for:
The rest of the Narnia series
Harry Potter
CS Lewis
Edmund, Lucy and their insufferable cousin Eustace get pulled into Narnia through a painting to help Prince (now King) Caspian on his journey. Aboard the beautiful ship Dawn Treader, the small crew travels to islands and seeks the 7 lords sent away by Caspian's evil uncle Miraz. Along the way, Eustace has to learn some pretty tough lessons and Lucy and Edmund's bravery is put to the test.
This is a fabulous book. It's a quick read, full of adventure and aften side-splittingly funny! The language is a little difficult for low readers, but the characters are great and the story, like the series, is addictive!
If you like this book, look for:
The rest of the Narnia series
Harry Potter
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