HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

J.K. Rowling has kept her promise --- that each of Harry Potter's years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be darker and more difficult than the one before. This sixth installment is the darkest and most complex of the books yet. But just in case you have any doubt, Harry is proving well up to the tasks at hand --- and his magical world seems more vivid and real than ever.

Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts is off to a rocky if exciting start. The Wizarding world is at war after the violent showdown at the end of Book Five that saw the death, injury or arrest of several key characters --- and the clear return of evil Lord Voldemort/ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Mysterious murders and magically triggered disasters continue, and there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban, the wizard community's prison. Even Muggles are starting to notice, including the Prime Minister. Families of students heading back to school on the Hogwarts Express are on high alert, but reassured that new security measures are in place along with a tough new Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

Meanwhile, Harry has received an unusual summer visit from Hogwarts headmaster Professor Dumbledore during which the trusted mentor explains just how different Harry's upcoming school year will be. Among other things, it will include private study sessions with Dumbledore where the elder wizard will shed more light on the prophecy about Harry laid out in Book Five and help Harry discover --- through memories viewed via Dumbledore's magical Pensieve ---Lord Voldemort's heritage and just what makes him tick, including the dark magic that has rendered him seemingly immortal.

Now 16, Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione have received their O.W.L. exam results and must buckle down in their studies to focus on the more specialized N.E.W.T. level. As in years past, there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; this time a most surprising candidate fills the post. All this means piles of homework and ever-more-challenging classroom projects. It's a good thing that Harry has discovered a used potions textbook filled with helpful --- and sometimes dangerous --- spells and hints scribbled in the margins. The book says it was once property of the Half-Blood Prince, a mystery that Harry and company are determined to solve. And sneering bully Draco Malfoy continues to be an annoyance and more as he sorts out where his own loyalties lie and tries to master more complicated magic.

The little free time Harry has is spent captaining the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and readers who love the high-flying action of the game won't be disappointed. Social lives are not completely put on hold either, as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny Weasley are among those contemplating their fluttery romantic feelings (sometimes for each other). And Fred and George Weasley's joke shop is doing booming business, which accounts for some of the good bits of humor throughout.

As spring arrives and the end of the school year nears, Harry accompanies Dumbledore on a secret and perilous mission that at its heart contains a key to Voldemort's undoing. The two brave wizards could not know, however, that their actions would help trigger a high stakes battle back at Hogwarts pitting Death Eaters (Voldemort's henchmen) and yes, vicious traitors to Hogwarts, against the good guys. When the blood and the Dark Mark in the sky are cleared, not everyone survives.

When it comes to the clever weaving of plot threads all the way back to the sorcerer's stone and Chamber of Secrets, Rowling is at the top of her game. She keeps a broad roster of familiar faces in the fore and reminds us of past characters and events and how they play perfectly into her ultimate plan for Harry. She also writes in a slightly more sophisticated style than the earlier books, with a richer emotional tone that matches Harry's developing maturity.

Away from all the action of his latest story, Harry is indeed growing into a young man. He is still grieving over losses experienced during his fifth year but knows he must move on. He's learning to be more comfortable in his own skin, even if it means accepting being “The Chosen One” singled out by Voldemort and a subject of constant scrutiny and curiosity to classmates, teachers and the public at large. It's the kind of stuff that makes a guy really appreciate who his true friends are, and Harry has some gems in Ron and Hermione.

By the end of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, Harry emerges as a calmer, more psychologically deep teenager who seems to have lived lifetimes far beyond his 16 years. He is now fully confident about his life's calling --- to defeat Voldemort at any cost --- and has developed a steely resolve, bolstered by great emotional pain, to carry it out. Whatever the wait for a final battle-to-the-death in Book Seven, it will be too long.

--- Reviewed by Shannon Maughan


And don't miss Jim Dale's stellar performance of Book Six on the audiobook from Listening Library. It's a blast to hear his character voices, and the dramatic flair --- and care --- he uses in unfolding Harry's story.

HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

I say to you all, once again--in the light of Lord Voldemort’s return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort’s gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust.

So spoke Albus Dumbledore at the end of Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts. But as Harry enters his fifth year at wizard school, it seems those bonds have never been more sorely tested. Lord Voldemort’s rise has opened a rift in the wizarding world between those who believe the truth about his return, and those who prefer to believe it’s all madness and lies--just more trouble from Harry Potter.

Add to this a host of other worries for Harry…
A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey
A venomous, disgruntled house-elf
Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team
And of course, what every student dreads: end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams

…and you’d know what Harry faces during the day. But at night it’s even worse, because then he dreams of a single door in a silent corridor. And this door is somehow more terrifying than every other nightmare combined.

In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling’s seven-part story, Harry Potter confronts the unreliability of the very government of the magical world, and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.

Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Harry finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty and unbearable sacrifice.

Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages, and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.

© Copyright 2003 Scholastic - All Rights Reserved.

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REVIEW

Deeper secrets

Harry Potter is frustrated. Isolated from the wizarding world at his summer residence with his non-magical aunt, uncle and cousin, he hides in flowerbeds so he can listen to the evening news and steals newspapers from trash bins, hoping for some sign of activity from Lord Voldemort. He barely has had contact with his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

A dementor attack, a cryptic Howler, and a rescue brigade bring Harry back to the magical world, to a place where a group of wizards has assembled with the mission to stop Voldemort. To Harry's disgust, no one wants to tell him anything regarding the mission, not even when he begins to dream of a snake and a door at the end of a long, dark hallway that he recognizes as part of the Ministry of Magic. Things aren't much better at Hogwarts, where his dreams turn into visions of Voldemort's power, anger, and desire for domination.

Darker powers

It is a time of war in the magical world, but there are no clear lines of good and evil. The Ministry of Magic is so adamant in its beliefs that it refuses to acknowledge Harry's story of Voldemort's return. Harry is the butt of jokes in the Daily Prophet, and the only people who believe him are the ones the Ministry would discredit. According to the Ministry, Albus Dumbledore is a dangerous fool, and anyone who follows him is not to be trusted. Co-workers, friends, and even families begin to divide according to whom they support. Spies and secrets feed a new era in wizarding history and lead to changes at Hogwarts, not all of them good. The students are as divided as the adults, and discord haunts the corridors.

Stronger magic

Fifth year is the time for Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, or O.W.L.s, and Harry and the rest of the fifth-years find themselves working harder than ever to achieve top test results, which then dictate their careers. Spells are more complex, there's more homework, and the students have to work twice as hard as they did in previous years just to keep up. The only class that differs from this pattern is Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by the deceptively sweet Dolores Umbridge, formerly Senior Undersecretary to Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Umbridge's lesson plans leave Harry and his friends worried and wanting more from their education.

Harry is also asked by Professor Dumbledore to study privately with Professor Snape, the hook-nosed, greasy-haired Potions professor who has done nothing but make Harry's Potions classes miserable since the day Harry first came to Hogwarts. In order to succeed and even survive, Harry must put his trust in those who hide the truth from him.

Intricate plots, maturing characters, and fast-paced action paint a picture of a magical world with a new veil of darkness. As Harry and his friends grow, they must face more adult issues and deal not only with a changing world, but also with their changing selves. Characters who have only served in the background of previous books become more important, and some of Harry's favorite people, like Remus Lupin, return. Never content to sit back and watch things happen, Harry and his friends take dangerous matters into their own hands, confronting evil and working as a team to stop it.

From page one, where we see more complex sentences and an angrier, damaged Harry, this book's tone is completely different from the previous four: deeper and richer, with less humor and more detail. Rowling's tactics of inspiring fear are different in this installation, too. The horror is psychological rather than physical, and there is less Quidditch and more magic. Harry is achingly perfect and emotionally real as a typical teenage boy, confused and defiant about everything from girls to his friendships to his magical education. He has come to trust very few people, but those he takes into his confidence, like Ron and Hermione, complement him very well.

Patience is recommended while reading, because the pacing lags in some places while rushing in others, and the multiple plot lines take a while to mesh. Rather than take us through a mostly linear tale with a twist at the end, as seen in THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS and THE GOBLET OF FIRE, the plotline here is built of many small incidents that come together to form the whole of the story. This new approach shows a shift in the atmosphere and targeted audience of the Harry Potter series. As Harry matures, so does Rowling's writing style, coloring the events of the past and linking them to the present. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX gives many answers and raises even more questions, setting up an excellent path for the final two books in the series.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

It's the pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal — even by wizarding standards.

And in his case, different can be deadly.
REVIEW

He's baaaaaack! Harry Potter, boy wizard, returns in this much-anticipated fourth book about the amazing goings-on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

With two weeks of summer to go before school starts, Harry is thrilled to learn that he'll be leaving his wretched relatives, the Dursleys, and going to stay with his best friend, Ron Weasley, and Ron's family. But even more special than his visit is the chance to attend the Quidditch World Cup championship game. Harry, Ron, their friend Hermione, and most of the Weasley clan head off to a magical stadium for the big game. During all the festivities, the Dark Mark of Voldemort is raised in the sky, frightening the thousands of wizards and witches at the event. Could Voldemort be regaining his strength?

Harry doesn't have too much time to worry about this scary idea as his fourth year at Hogwarts is about to begin. He may not be all that eager to start his school work, but he's super excited about the new Quidditch season. And he also wants to know who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be.

Once at Hogwarts, though, Harry --- and everyone else --- gets a big surprise. They learn that Quidditch is canceled for the year so that the school can concentrate on a different competition, the Triwizard Tournament. It's a contest between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. One champion is chosen to represent each school in a series of dangerous tasks. As students from the other two schools arrive to spend the year at Hogwarts, everyone wonders which students will compete, their names finally selected by the ancient Goblet of Fire.

The Tournament is exciting, but it's only part of the year's activities. A regular class load, including instruction from Mad-Eye Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a magical eye and wooden leg, keeps Harry and his friends busy. Of course, there's time for fun, including weekend trips to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade. And at 14, Harry and his fellow fourth-years are ready for their first school dance (who will Harry ask?).

As the Triwizard Tournament and the school year unfold, nearly all the witchcraft and wizardry students face new challenges. But this year Harry faces the most danger of all. He now must trust that his growing wizard skills and the support of Professor Dumbledore, and his godfather, Sirius Black, will be enough to see Harry safely through this fourth year.

Yes, this is a very long book. But you'll want to step right into the enchanting world of Hogwarts and ride along as Harry unravels more of the magical mysteries in his fascinating life.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing 13 people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort. Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts . . . he's at Hogwarts." Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
REVIEW

Believe it or not, 13-year-old Harry Potter can't wait to get back to school. He's more than ready to start his third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after spending another terrible summer vacation with his nasty Muggle (non-magical) relatives, the Dursleys.

This summer was the worst yet, as Harry let his temper and his magic fly. When loud, annoying Aunt Marge visits the Dursleys and makes some mean comments about Harry, he blows her up with air like a giant balloon. Afraid of what his punishment from the Dursleys (or from Ministry of Magic officials) might be, Harry runs away. But in the middle of the night he is rescued by a mysterious, magical purple bus that whisks him to safety at an inn called the Leaky Cauldron. It's there that Harry learns that his third year at school will be the strangest --- and scariest --- ever.

Harry hears that Sirius Black, the right-hand-man of evil wizard Voldemort (who was responsible for killing Harry's parents), has escaped from Azkaban, the wizards' prison. But worse than that, Sirius is looking for Harry! Dumbledore (head of Hogwarts) and Ministry of Magic officials protect Harry by assigning ghoulish-looking Dementors to guard the entrances to Hogwarts. As another safety precaution, Harry is not permitted to leave the campus (though he finds a way to sneak off on a forbidden field trip).

But why do the Dementors chill Harry to the bone and render him powerless whenever they look at him? A new Hogwarts professor, Professor Lupin, holds the answer to that question and many other creepy mysteries. We won't give the secret away, but Professor Lupin turns out to be something more than he appears…

In between all their classes, Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione have plenty to do. They must find a way to help their friend (and now, a professor), Hagrid, when he gets in trouble with school officials. And, of course, Harry is still the star player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team --- this time on a brand new, super-duper broom, an anonymous gift that arrived out of nowhere.

Come along as Harry not only faces off with Sirius Black, but finds out more about his family history --- and the fascinating history of Hogwarts. This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. (And sorry, we can't promise when they'll be finished.)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Bahwa Harry potter sedang liburan musim panas bersama keluarga Dursley yang menyebalkan karena perlakuan kasar yang diterima Harry. Dia ingi sekali kembali segera ke Sekolah Sihir Hogwarts. Tetapi tiba-tiba muncul makhlik aneh bernama Dobby,yang melarangnya kembali kesana.Malapetaka akan terjadi bila Harry kembali kesana. Setelah dengan susah payah Harry potter dijemput temanya dengan mobil terbang dan sesampainya di Sekolah Hogwarts betul-betul terjadi malapetaka. Karena pada tahun keduanya di Hogwarts muncul siksaan dan penderitaan baru,dalam wujud guru baru sok bernama Gilderoy Lockhart,hantu bernama Myrtle Merana yang menghantui toilet anak perempuan dan perhatian tak diinginkan dari adik Ron Weasly,Ginny.
Tetapi semua itu Cuma gangguan kecil dibandingkan dengan bencana besar yang kemudian melanda sekolah. Ada yang mengubah murid-murid Hogwarts menjadi batu.
The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself!
REVIEW

In this sequel to HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, we find Harry spending the summer vacation with his awful relatives, the Dursleys, following his first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Dursleys are so fearful of Harry's growing magic talents that they lock his school books and wand away in a closet and even lock Harry in his tiny bedroom. Harry worries he'll never get back to Hogwarts and his friends, until he's rescued by his best buddy, Ron Weasley, who arrives in a flying car to take Harry away.

The second year at Hogwarts should be smoother sailing, right? Not so. First, Harry receives a strange warning from a house elf named Dobby. Then, when he arrives at Hogwarts Harry must face a vain new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and his old enemies, Malfoy and Snape. And, even more troublesome this year, some evil force is turning Muggle-born students (those born to humans, without magical blood, including Harry's pal Hermione) to stone. Who could be doing such a thing?

While Harry and Ron try to unravel the mystery of petrification, they discover information about the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden room in Hogwarts that is rumored to be home to a horrible monster. Old legends, clues, and research eventually lead Harry and Ron to the Chamber of Secrets for a showdown with evil like they've never seen before. And Harry must triumph over the Dark forces in order to save Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister (now a first year at Hogwarts), who has been taken over by a nasty wizard. See if he succeeds in this rollicking, spine-tingling adventure. You're sure to love all the fast-moving action, magic and fun in every chapter.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter, seorang anak berumur 11 tahun, mendapati dirinya ternyata adalah seorang penyihir, dimana kedua orang tuanya dibunuh oleh Lord Voldermort sehingga ia harus tinggal bersama paman dan bibinya yang muggle. Harry diterima di Sekolah Sihir Hogwarts dimana ia bersahabat dengan Ronald Weasley dan Hermione Granger. Mereka bertiga mengalami berbagai pertualangan untuk mencegah Voldermort berkuasa kembali
Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley — a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry — and anyone who reads about him — will find unforgettable.

For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.
REVIEW

Eleven-year-old Harry Potter is an orphaned English boy forced to live with his horrible aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, and their chubby, spoiled son Dudley. They treat Harry cruelly and dislike him so much that they don't even celebrate his birthday.

But things begin to look up when a mysterious letter arrives for Harry via an owl messenger. It's a letter announcing that he has been accepted to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Harry is led away from the Dursleys for a bit by a kindly and very large escort from Hogwarts --- Hagrid, the school's gamekeeper. Hagrid makes sure that Harry purchases all his proper school supplies (wand, cloaks, etc.) from the magical shops in Diagon Alley. Hagrid also tells Harry all about his deceased parents, James and Lily Potter, a legendary wizard and witch who also attended Hogwarts. Though it's sad to think about the parents he longs for, Harry is happy to learn that magic runs in his family!

Even though he has to go back to the awful Dursleys' from Diagon Alley, Harry can't help but be excited about his new school --- and he can't wait until September 1st, the day he leaves for Hogwarts.

On the big day, the Dursley's happily drop Harry off at King's Cross station where he catches the Hogwarts Express train at platform nine and three quarters. On board Harry meets Ron Weasley and aspiring witch Hermione Granger who will become his closest friends. Harry is amazed when the train stops at a huge castle; he can't believe this magical looking place is really Hogwarts.

As a first year student, Harry does well in his classes and also becomes the star of his dormitory's Quidditch team (kind of like soccer played on broomsticks high in the air). But not everything is jolly. In between classes in potions, spells and flying, Harry also must face some wicked and dangerous enemies like Draco Malfoy and the wizard who killed his parents, Voldemort. Harry also uncovers a mystery --- the location of the sorcerer's stone, a magical stone that can change metal into gold and provides a special potion that allows people to live forever.

Will Harry triumph over evil? Will his dormitory, Gryffindor, win the Quidditch championship? Come along on this magical adventure and find out.

J.K. Rowling has created a bewitching world that seems ever so real. We think you'll agree that her fast-paced story is hard to put down

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

HEY..hogwarts school ntu sebenernya keterdal gloucester tauk teyuz sebagian ruang dalamnya such as ruang santai gryffindor dan kamar asrama harry adl hasil sulap-nya desainer produksi stuart craig atas leavenden studio.
yoi setting indor semua film harry potter dirancang dan ditata oleh stuart craig.cita rasa seni dan feeling desainer produksi asal inggris yang pernah 3 kali meraih oscar itu (gandhi,dengerous liaisons,the english patient) nyambung banget dengan j.k.rowling saking cocoknya dengan hasil desain stuart craig,j.k.rowling sampai berkomentar,"buatku klo ntr taman hiburan wizarding word of harry potter terealisasi,q pengen stuart craig dilibatkan lebih dari ntu,q pengen dy mendesain semuanya cz q suka banget dengan apa yang terlihat di film hasilnya,penataannya betul2 mencerminkan imajinasiku selama ini"
sadis gak tuh.........