Bewitching Season

Persephone Leland is a proper young lady living in soon to be Victorian England. Well she's not quite proper, there's the fact that she and her sister are witches. Taught by their long suffering governess, the two sisters are better versed in magic than manners. This may be why, when Persephone (know affectionately as Persy) is unable to speak to her child friend and tormentor Lochinvar, newly returned from the continent as a dashing young man. This is the real plot. The plot they (who ever they are) are going to try and sell you is that Persy is trying to rescue her kidnapped governess, but for as much page time as that gets, they (them again) might have just skipped it.

Persy and her sister Pen are the run of the mill witches. Not the interesting, mystical kind, but the kind that got bunches of people killed in the Salem Witch Trials. I enjoy the idea of magic, but I guess the word and idea of witches just kinda turns me off. Also Persy is just generally a dork to her sister and parents, something that really bothered me. Some (not me of course, certainly not) might consider the excessive and bad romance and 'regency' of the whole book a bad component of the book...

I guess that Persy trying to rescue her governess is noble...

I think this book is a waste of any girl's afternoon. Or evening, or morning or anytime of the day. It's just plain boring and vapid (oooh, good word). The heroine should have considered emulating her more interesting namesake instead of vacuously strutting around London.

6 The Half Blood Prince

Harry is back for the sixth year in Hogwarts. This time Dumbledore is back as headmaster, Fudge has been sacked, Snape is the Defense against Dark Arts teacher, and Harry is having strange feelings for: Ginny.

Harry absolutely hates Snape, it seems more then Voldemort. I think this is miss placed hatred seeing as Snape has never done anything to really hurt Harry (this soliloquy must be taken in context and some may disagree about validity). Magic spouts from all wands. Some very mild swearing.

Harry has given George and Fred a substantial amount of money to start a store of their own. I know this happened in The Goblet of Fire but you get to see the fruits of his gift in this book. Harry is pursuing peace for everyone, I think everyone would have to admit he doesn't always to this in an good manner, he is trying. Ron and Hermione stick by him the whole way.

As the Harry Potter books progress, they seem to extend farther out on a blade. They leave the blunt part near the handle and are now moving out into the narrow and perilous edge nearer the tip. There is nothing really wrong with these books that I can see. There's magic, some of my favorite series have magic. The main characters don't always do the right thing, lot's of books I like have kids making wrong decisions. Some parts of the books are really dark, but that's life, why can't it be in a book?? Maybe it's all these things combined that turn people away from these books. That's your decision.

5 The Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter is back at Privet Drive trying to find out anything about Voldemort, since he is completely cut off from the magic world. After two months of waiting, he is finally catapulted back into his magic life because of an awful willful misunderstanding.

All bets are off in this book, you got a taste of how awful things can be in Harry's world in the fourth book, trust me, it gets much worse. Awful things happen to everybody who seems good. Harry has trouble controlling his temper. Students break unjust rules, is this bad??

Harry is trying to to what is right, still, (other than a willful, unjust hatred of a certain professor; at least I think unjust). Harry's friends stick by him even when his is being nasty towards them. People are willing to die for one another.

If you really enjoyed the first three and not so much the forth, I think this book is not for you. Gone forever is the happy life of Harry Potter. Should we be considering how much of our lives we're willing to devote to Harry?

4 The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter is in big trouble this year, bigger than ever. This year there is a competition held at Hogwarts with people from different schools around the world as candidates. There is only one competitor from each school and they have to be older than seventeen. Harry and friends are excided about watching, just a little disappointed not to be able to enter. But when the choosing day comes the magical decider picks two winners from Hogwarts, one of whom is Harry Potter.

Ron and Harry's pride keeps them from being there for each other for half the book (stupid boys). Cheating is expected from the participants of the contest.

Harry is aghast when his name pops out of the goblet of fire, he didn't even try to enter. He feels bad that he is in the contest almost unfairly. He helps the other contestant from Hogwarts, even saving his life. He offers to give up something very sought after because he feels he doesn't deserve it.

Harry is generally a good kid, a little prideful, but he genuinely cares for others more than himself. Since I have pretty much talked the stuffing out of the Harry Potter books, I leave you to decide what's worth reading.

3 The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Harry is back for his third year at Hogwarts, this year there is a new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher (no surprise). Only this time it seems as though this guy actually knows what he is talking about. But this teacher may know something about Harry's past, that will most definitely impact his future.

Harry blows up his aunt. Not like explosives, like she keeps getting bigger and bigger. Harry sneaks into places that he isn't allowed to go. As his safety is at stake, this is shown to be a foolish and potentially harmful act. Divination is added to the classes Harry and co. must take; bringing the whole witchcraft even closer to reality.

Though Ron and Hermione have a stupid tiff, these friend stick up for each other. Harry is given a choice about whether or not to kill a grievous enemy, and he chooses mercy.

It's hard to know about these books. Really, how far is too far? Do the good things in these books out weigh the bad? Who are really the bad guys? How do you know?

2 The Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter begins his second year at Hogwarts on the wrong foot. Having missed the platform nine and three quarters train, he and Ron choose a more foolhardy method of travel. After receiving detention as a welcome, Ron and Harry, reunited with Hermione, start their new year at Hogwarts; with a distinctly awful mystery.

Magic, that's what all of the Harry Potter books are about. Harry and friends are still breaking the rules. (this seems to be expected from the people in the magic school, almost mandatory).

I thought one of the interesting things in this book was that a girl foolishly pours out her soul to someone who is not to be trusted. I think it reinforces that we should always be on our guard against Satan and his killing ways. Harry and his friends are doing their best to keep people safe.

I think the reason these books create such controversy, is because they hit closer to home than many books with magic in them. They take place right now, but we are the bad guys. Not the bad guy per say, but the stupid incompetent people. Also the scary thing is that their are people out there that practice dark arts, they are very real and dangerous. Waving a wand won't defeat them, only God's power through us can.

1 The Sorcerer's Stone

Though many of you are probably familiar with Harry Potter let me give you a little rundown. Harry Potter as a young child survived a curse from the evil "you know who" aka Voldemort. This makes him a legend in the magic world, but for his safety Harry is left with unmagical (muggle) relatives. Kept in the dark about his fame in the magic world his whole life, Harry is very surprised when he begins to get letters from of all things, owls.

Harry and his friends have a very un-heroic tendency to get revenge, a theme that stays true through out the whole series. Magic is used all the time (news flash). Also Harry and his friends break a lot of rules, frequently.

Harry is desperately trying to do the right thing (maybe he could have looked into the facts more...). His friends stand by him through all of the books.

I really don't know to recommend these books or not. They have good stories and fun ideas, but the constant 'breaking rules is right' theme is hard to read. You feel like screaming "THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!" But really he's right. Right?