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Joe, the
Philosopher Don't thank him too early. His answer may lead you to nowhere.
Meet Joe, the Philosopher
Don't thank him too early. His answer may lead you to nowhere.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,
the seventh and final book in the series, is now available
at:
Amazon.com -
Standard, Deluxe Amazon.co.uk -
Adult,
Children
The Final Chapter
Released on July 21, Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows, the most anticipated book of 2007, marks the
seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's magical Harry
Potter series. In an announcement from the book's
publisher, Lisa Holton, president of Scholastic
Children's Books, said, "We join J.K. Rowling's millions
of readers--young and old, veterans and newcomers--in
anticipating what lies ahead."
Why We Love Harry
Favorite Moments from the Series
There are plenty of reasons to love Rowling's wildly
popular series--no doubt you have several dozen of your
own. Our list features favorite moments, characters, and
artifacts from the first five books. Keep in mind that
this list is by no means exhaustive (what we love about
Harry could fill ten books!) and does not include any of
the spectacular revelatory moments that would spoil the
books for those (few) who have not read them. Enjoy.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* The introduction of the Horcrux.
* Molly Weasley asking Arthur Weasley about his "dearest
ambition." Rowling has always been great at revealing
little intriguing bits about her characters at a time,
and Arthur's answer "to find out how airplanes stay up"
reminds us about his obsession with Muggles.
* Harry's private lessons with Dumbledore, and more time
spent with the fascinating and dangerous pensieve,
arguably one of Rowling’s most ingenious inventions.
* Fred and George Weasley’s Joke Shop, and the slogan:
"Why Are You Worrying About You-Know-Who? You Should Be
Worrying About U-NO-POO--the Constipation Sensation
That's Gripping the Nation!"
* Luna's Quidditch commentary. Rowling created scores of
Luna Lovegood fans with hilarious and bizarre commentary
from the most unlikely Quidditch commentator.
* The effects of Felix Felicis.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place.
A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark
and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's
anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at
Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's
frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility,
but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that
he knows is coming.
* Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling
shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that
Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards.
Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real
evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle
of wills alone.
* Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions.
Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a
teenager.
* Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape.
* Dumbledore's confession to Harry.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
* Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela (Bulgarian
National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's
fourth book addresses issues about growing up--the dynamic
between the boys and girls at Hogwarts starts to change.
Nowhere is this more plain than the hilarious scene in which
magical cheerleaders nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump
from the stands to impress them.
* Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and Ron's objection to it.
* Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badge.
* Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the intolerant bigotry of
the Death Eaters, and the danger of the Triwizard
Tournament. Add in the changing dynamics between girls and
boys at Hogwarts, and suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a
weight and seriousness not as present in early books in the
series. Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the
students tackle darker, more serious issues and take on
larger responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal
curses.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
* Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'.
* Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and
just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's
brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter
fans for a darker, scarier book.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's
Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's
books occur when she reminds us that the wizards-in-training
at Hogwarts are, after all, just children. Clearly, even at
a school of witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring
and seem pointless to children.
* The Boggart lesson in Professor Lupin's classroom.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's knock-down confrontation with
Snape.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
* The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that
even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring
angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to
make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the
garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever
and witty genius.
* Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his
mother.
* The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy
Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice
spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the
intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since
they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough,
including tickling and dancing charms.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone * Harry's first
trip to the zoo with the Dursleys, when a boa
constrictor winks at him.
* When the Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by
letters for Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much
the Dursleys have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does
a wonderful job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle
Vernon will go to deny that magic exists.
* Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full
of curiosities and rich with magic and marvel, Harry's
first trip includes a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders,
where Harry gets his wand (holly and phoenix feather)
and discovers yet another connection to
He-Who-Must-No-Be-Named. This moment is the reader's
first full introduction to Rowling's world of witchcraft
and wizards.
* Harry's experience with the Sorting Hat.
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