JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

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

Harry Potter can’t wait for his holidays with the dire Dursleys to end. But a small, self-punishing house-elf warns Harry of mortal danger awaiting him at Hogwarts. Returning to the castle nevertheless, Harry hears a rumour about a Chamber of Secrets, holding unknown horrors for wizards of Muggle parentage. Now someone is casting spells that turn people to stone, and a terrible warning is found painted on the wall. The chief suspect – always in the wrong place – is Harry. But something much more terrifying has yet to be unleashed.

Harry is a much stronger character in the second novel. He’s less indecisive and doesn’t doubt himself as much, and seems more driven to uncover information about Draco and the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart is a hilarious character, and I loved his interaction with Harry. I do wish more of his dialogue made it into the film – his hilarious comments about Harry wanting fame should’ve made it into the movie! I read all of these books before the films all came out, and now that I’m re-reading them, I have all of the actors in my mind. I wonder what I thought of this novel when I read it for the first time.

Some of the twists in the book were predictable (like Tom Riddle being a bad character and how Draco wasn’t the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets), but I didn’t see the twist with Ginny coming (obviously I did this time around because I’m re-reading it, but the first time I read it, that twist was a huge shock). And J.K Rowling really planned out everything so that it all made sense and it all paralleled each other in the novel. For example, you came to understand the significance of Harry being a parselmouth in this book.

J.K. Rowling also gives more information about this wizarding world. I think with fantasy, particularly children’s fantasy, there’s a tendency to dump all this information in the first book so that the reader knows absolutely everything from the start. But I love that new students and new parts of the castle are introduced to the reader in this book.

This book is only about 250 pages, so it can easily be read in an afternoon (this cannot be said for books four, five, six, and seven). Like the first one, I recommend this book to every single person, because it’s an enriching tale and the characters are three dimensional and fleshed out to the reader. Also, this book gives the reader a teaser of information about a few things to come in the later books (why Harry is a parselmouth, Horcruxes, and the prophecy).

My Score: 10/10
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He’s never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.

Obviously this is not the first time I’ve read this book – it’s probably the 10,000th time I’ve read this book. And each time I read it, I find new things within the story that I didn’t realise before. And this book is only 200 pages (approx), so it doesn’t take long to read the book. I read it in a couple of hours and then re-read the next in the series.

J.K. redefined magic/wizards with Harry Potter, and this series got boys to read (which is extremely hard for an author to do). I love that the book was rejected by almost all publishing houses before being picked up by Bloomsbury. It makes it feel like the underdog.

The characters are relatable and lovable. We all know a Hermione from school, and the Weasley twins. Hagrid’s dialogue is spot on and his kind nature makes him a favourite among young readers. J.K. Rowling even brought out a lot of humour with Professor Snape, and the author did a great job at blindsiding the reader with that twist at the end.

J.K Rowling has created a world where everything is mapped out. For example, Hagrid mentions he was expelled from Hogwarts, but we don’t find out why until the second book, and we don’t find out why Harry survived Voldemort’s attack until a few books later. I love it when an author takes the time to really map things out so that once you’ve read the whole series and you go back, you find little clues you never knew were there the first time around.

Sorry, but I have one fault: Harry asks too many rhetorical questions to himself and doubts himself too much. I know that given his upbringing, he would be unsure of what to do in most situations, but he constantly questions himself instead of just getting along with the story. It bogs down the story a little, and might bore the reader.

This is the first book in a seven book series, and mixes fantasy with adventure. It has every child (and adult!) reader wishing that Hogwarts really existed. I recommend this book to EVERYONE, because it’s amazing.

My Score: 9/10
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High, Low and Even – Snow, Snow, Snow by Dan Conway

Discover the world of Harry High, Larry Low and Even Steven. A fun series of picture books that engage children while teaching them through rhyme and repetition.

This book is beautifully illustrated and has a really cheerful tone to it. The colours complement each other really well and the pages have been designed so that nothing is too dominating, nor is anything missed. I like that the illustrations and words are on different pages, instead of usual children’s books where the words are over the top of the illustrations.

 

High Low and Even - Snow-6

The rhyme and repetition will definitely engage children and maintain their interest, and the colours will intrigue them and want them to re-read this book.

The only negative thing to say about this book is that I think there should be some colour or illustrations on the pages with the text. There are beautiful colours and illustrations on every second page, but on the page with the words, there’s just a white background. If you’re reading this to a child and they’re not old enough to read the words, you won’t be able to maintain their interest when you fall on the pages with words.

High Low and Even - Snow-9

I suggest having some small background illustrations on those pages so that it doesn’t distract the child from the words/rhymes, but gives the little ones something to look at to keep them engaged.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a young child, or any adult who loves a fun read and loves great illustrations for their bookshelf!

My Score: 8/10
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Check out the website HERE

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents. Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

This children’s book is a fairytale retelling of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty but with subtly and elegant literary integration. I should start by addressing the STUNNING JACKET. It’s hardcover and the see-through dust jacket allows the reader to see the illustrated sleeping beauty underneath the cover flap (on the hardcover). I also think that in this case, the illustrations actually trump the story/writing. All of the illustrations are in black and gold, which gives the book a really elegant look. And the book feels like one of those stories you read as a child that was your favourite and you kept the book for years because it felt so special.

The layout is beautiful. Some pages have full-page illustrations, but others have a picture strip down the side and a fairly big block of text. It helps break up the book so the reader doesn’t feel bogged down by the fairly small font size. On most pages, a certain sentence (usually the final sentence on the page) is repeated as an illustration in gold letters, and it is really striking against the black and white sketches/drawings next to it. The re-telling of these two fairytales is unique and there’s a slight twist at the end with sleeping beauty and the old lady. There’s no stereotypical ‘Prince Charming’ in this book, which is a nice change. Instead, there’s a Queen who is determined to wake Sleeping Beauty and save the sleeping city. The book is a quick read, and fans of Neil Gaiman will love this tale. This would make a lovely gift for someone because of its unique, pretty packaging.

My Score: 9/10

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Awful Auntie by David Walliams

A page-turning, rollicking romp of a read, sparkling with Walliams’ most eccentric characters yet and full of the humour and heart that all his readers love, Awful Auntie is simply unmissable!

From larger than life, tiddlywinks obsessed Awful Aunt Alberta to her pet owl, Wagner – this is an adventure with a difference. Aunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat the young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance – Saxby Hall. But with mischievous and irrepressible Soot, the cockney ghost of a chimney sweep, alongside her Stella is determined to fight back… And sometimes a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through.

Sometimes it’s hard to read a novel that’s aimed at an audience much younger than you. I’m pretty much triple the age of someone who would read Awful Auntie (that math only really works if the reader is, like, 8). And although I read a lot of Roald Dahl growing up, it was a little hard to accept that storyline. For example, when the ghost appeared in the story, I was like:

And when the BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS appeared in every second line of the story, I was like:

But perhaps I’m too old to understand the appeal.

David Walliams does know how to enclose the setting so the characters are confined and secluded – and he manages to do it for 300 pages. And the Auntie is an interesting and unique character. There’s dark issues that are briefly explored in the text (death, murder, poison etc), which is more than I can say for most children’s novels.

Stella Saxby doesn’t seem to change at all in the story. And come to think of it, none of the characters do (except perhaps Wagner). In any novel, the characters have to evolve or adapt, even in children’s novels. It’s fine for Stella to stay the same, but someone else needs to change (excluding Wagner, because he’s an animal and he doesn’t count). I was half expecting the ‘Awful Auntie’ to momentarily change her ways, but David Walliams surprised me there (sorry for the spoiler).

My Score: 7/10
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