Posts Tagged ‘Harry Potter Challenge’

Wrapping Up the HP Challenge

Dec 3 |14:30

Well, my friends- it’s been awhile. I was hoping no one noticed that I stopped my crazy reading challenge in the middle.  Unfortunately, the truth is pretty obvious now. ;)

Updates: Before part one of the HP and the Deathly Hallows movie premiere,  I finished reading (dun dun dunnnn)…. HP and the Half-Blood Prince. Gah, so close! Thanksgiving weekend, I did, however, finish reading the 7th book. What an amazing series and what a ridiculous challenge. I’m amazed I got as far as I did, to be honest.

Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are the true meat of this series. Things get darker and more mysterious with every page. Main plot lines and sub-plots are all tied together and, sadly, Harry’s story ends. I felt a little hollow after saying goodbye to characters I practically grew up with- having read these books from ages 10 through 20. The investment of time and money into these books has been rewarding and inspiring and totally worth it.

Order of the Phoenix:

This is a book with great emotional pay-offs. There are so many scenes that made me literally lol and gave me a sense that justice was served, like:

  • Fred and George setting off fireworks and leaving a swamp in a corridor for the only purpose of causing trouble with Umbridge. Then, they swoop on their brooms and bust out of Hogwarts
  • Umbridge getting things chucked at her by students and teachers alike after she comes out of the Forbidden Forest, having just been pummeled by centaurs….classic HP
  • The Quibbler publishing Harry’s true account of Voldemort returning after friends and enemies turn their back on Harry throughout the whole novel
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'Nother Hogwarts pic!! My favorite magical school!

Half-Blood Prince

This book is a bit lighter than the fifth book: Harry is much less depressed, people finally accept You-Know-Who has returned and Professor Umbridge isn’t destroying everyone’s morale. This book also seems to balance Order of the Phoenix though the close contact between Harry and Dumbledore- when in the last book, they barely spoke (and when they did Harry was mainly yelling a lot). There’s also more romantical action this time around, and, most importantly Harry discovers the meaning and secrets of horcruxes. They play a huge part of the 7th book and force Harry to make the toughest decisions of his life. In this novel, we say goodbye to one of the absolute best characters of all time but know there is so much more in store.

Deathly Hallows

Man, oh man, oh man. What to say? There is so much going on in this book. Horcruxes, Hallows and Harry. Oh, Harry. Just when you think you’ve got everything figured out- in the last 50 pages of the book, J.K. is like BAM, fooled ya. As I finished this novel,  I really felt…sad. After a 10-year journey with Harry, I didn’t want to say goodbye! It’s so sad realizing there aren’t any more books, and after July of next year, no more movies either. This last book has everything fans of all ages could want. It’s full of mystery and magic and love. Friendship is such a key thread throughout all the novels, and as Dumbledore would say, friendship and love have a magic all their own that is beyond explanation.

The 7th Movie: Part 1

Because I only finished the 6th book before the premiere- I watched in bliss as vague plot details floated to the surface of my memory. The movie seemed to stay true to the characters and story, despite having to leave a lot out due to time constraints. Although, that’s kinda hard to believe after sitting through the 2-and-a-half hour movie. I also saw this at midnight and would probably have been pretty forgiving no matter what mistakes were made. :) Besides, it was really fun reading the 7th book later and saying, “Oh, yeah!” about 50 times when I remembered all the great details that seem to get forgotten over time. In the next movie, I hope they really give the fighting scene a lot of attention- plus the sweet journey in and out of Gringotts.

Well, for those of you who completed the challenge or got really close (or maybe not that close), Congratulations! Re-reading these books is a reward unto itself. Rowling began a new wave of reading frenzy among children, teens and adults, and I am so grateful she did. These novels got me interested in the whole Fantasy genre!! I hope you all had as much fun as I have and are ready to read some more amazing books!

Coming up: Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn

 
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HP Challenge: Goblet of Fire

Nov 2 |21:06

Note: Although I am 4 days behind on this challenge- I still think I can finish all 7 books by November 19th (and so can any of you who may have fallen behind as well!).

With 734 pages of pure adventure, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire combines so many plot lines that end, fray and continue to twist on that readers could easily get lost in all that’s happening.

In this novel:

  • Harry, Ron and Hermione go to the Quidditch World Cup and encounter Mr. Crouch, Mr. Bagman, the Dark Mark and Winky
  • Alastar Moody, aka Mad-Eye Moody, comes to fill the ever-open position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher
  • The Triwizard Tournament is taking place at Hogwarts, brining in students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang
  • Harry is forced to become a school champion after his name is dropped into the Goblet of Fire, and he must face three challenges throughout the school year. Dragons and gillyweed and sphinxes, oh my!
  • Hermione is obsessed with freeing house elves- much to their horror
  • Rita Skeeter writes stories that aim to ruin everyones lives
  • Sirius remains in hiding and tries to keep Harry safe
  • Harry thwarts Voldemort’s attempt to kill him once again- but only after Voldy rises again i.e. he actually has a body instead of being a nasty baby-thing carried around by Wormtail
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Beauxbatons students ribbon-twirling as if their lives depended on it.

Not only does this novel bring together all these elements, but it brings in characters and unfinished stories from other novels and adds to them. For example, Harry sees Dobby again. Dobby then becomes a way for Harry to observe Winky’s progress and her role in Mr. Crouch’s life. More importantly, Dobby is the one who brings Harry the gillyweed in the nick of time so Harry can succeed in the second task.

Not to mention all the new connections and sub-plots that this novel has fueled for books 5, 6 and 7. You know…there’s the small matter of Voldemort rising again. Plus reader’s know they can look forward to finding out about the trouble at the Ministry, the up and coming Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Hagrid’s meet and greet with the giants and the continuing saga of what trouble Harry, Ron and Hermione will get into next.

The Goblet of Fire has set the stage for the remaining novels and has brought together some really important elements- one of the most essential being unity against an evil force. Rowling makes the point briefly in this book that, united the wizard community can stand against Voldemort and the Death Eaters but divided Voldy and the gang could eat them for breakfast.

Dumbledore’s Wise Advice“Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed into the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory.”

Next: Finish Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by November 5th- or the latest November 7th.

 
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HP Challenge: Prisoner of Azkaban

Oct 22 |12:45

It’s the second to the last week of October, and I’m in shock. How did it become so late in the year? How are there so few weeks left until this challenge is over?! I’m getting more and more excited to re-read these upcoming books, not only because they are my absolute favorites but because they begin to get into the real meat of the Harry Potter saga.

It’s in the Prisoner of Azkaban that the more complex tale of Harry Potter begins, and readers begin to get a glimpse of the darkness to come. Rowling is a master of misleading readers to believe something that seems to make sense and then completely pulling the rug out from under them with a new twist that no one could have guessed.

Sirius Black, betrayer of the Potters, escaped murderer and all-around psycho crazy- suddenly becomes Sirius Black, Harry’s cool godfather, wrongly-accused escapee and all-around psycho crazy with a heart. She is so masterful at this!

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Weasley Fireworks Dragon!

Scabbers, too, is just a plain ole rat that we’ve seen occasionally in books one and two. Then, BAM- illusions are shattered, prophecies are made and lives are altered.

In this novel, we also meet Professors Lupin and Trelawney. Both are awesome and cooky to the max. From here, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers go seriously downhill, and that’s saying something when Lupin experiences “that-time-of-the-month” but with fur. Plus Trelawney brings out the rebel in Hermione, and it’s beautiful to see- especially when you try and picture yourself telling off that teacher you always hated.

To me, a real shining moment comes during the last 100 pages of the book. Rowling connects so many different elements and complex plot lines together into a seamless blend: Hagrid and the hipogriff, Harry/Hermione/Ron/Scabbers showdown with Sirius Black, dementors and their gorss kisses and…the time turner.

Each book has so many layers and, in the Prisoner of Azkaban, Rowling starts to peel them back and expose them to mystified readers. Will Pettigrew really return to Voldemort and help him rise again? What will happen to Sirius- will he get caught on the run from the Ministry? And, will Harry ever get the chance to live with him and be part of his family? Plus, what else will Harry find out about his family, his past and himself??

I absolutely love this book, and it gets me SUPER excited to read HP and the Goblet of Fire, which is probably a close contender for favorite HP book.

Closing Prisoner of Azkaban quote:

From the Marauder’s Map“Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business. Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony, and would like to add that Professor Snape is an ugly git. Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a professor. Mr. Wormtail bids Professor Snape good day, and advises him to wash his hair, the slimeball.”

I need to write Universal a letter suggesting they sell a real Marauder’s Map. It would definitely sell out faster than those dumb Butterbeer mugs!

Annnnnd, now our next goal is to finish the Goblet of Fire by October 29th! Woop Woop! :D

 
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HP Challenge: Sorcerer’s Stone

Oct 8 |21:39

I finished HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Sunday night-ish. It’s crazy how this book can take me all the way back to when I was 10 years old and didn’t know what I liked to read yet. At that age, I had never read a book that grabbed my attention and fascination so well.

For me, it’s a little more than the Harry Potter series being so well-written and magic-infused. These books remind me of how reading transformed my life- it’s become something that has helped me cope with my problems in a practical way. Now, let’s dig into the Sorcerer’s Stone!

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Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts!

I’m going to focus these challenge posts on the parts that stick out to me the most. (If you have any topic/discussion ideas, I’m definitely open!)

1In re-reading this book, it really struck me how easily Harry accepts the wizarding world and his place in it. Looking at Harry’s life, he definitely had enought weird things happen to him that ending up as a wizard wasn’t too strange, ex: landing on top of the school to escape bullies, unintentionally shrinking ugly clothes so they no longer fit him, etc. Still, he only fought the idea of being a wizard initially because he thought he wan’t remarkable enough to actually be a person with secret talents. From there, Harry saw Hagrid work magic from his umbrella and visited Diagon Alley. All of the magic and wonders he sees are remarkable to him, but he never doubts that it’s real.

Reading this as a child, I didn’t question any of these details either. It was normal that Harry belonged to this amazing magical world because when you’re a kid, you want it all to be true. So, it’s not hard to cope with the ethereal when you suspected all along that something more out there. I think it also stems from Harry’s deep loneliness and need of affirmation. When you’re told your rubbish for a long time, you tend to believe it after a while. Being a wizard flew in the face of the Dursley’s hatred,and Harry grabbed at his chance of finally finding friendship and a place where he belonged. It just goes to show that things are much simpler when you’re younger :) Believing comes naturally.

2It’s so obvious how skilled J.K. Rowling is at weaving this very intricate storyline in and out of all 7 novels. The way she does it is so subtle. In the second chapter of the novel, the names Sirius Black, flying motorcycle and Mundungus Fletcher are thrown around. Plus there’s a handful of other clues that all point clever readers in the right direction. Well, more like clairvoyant readers, because some of the hints seem impossible to predict how they’ll end up. And, even though this first novel is very light for the most part- there is always a hint of the darkness that awaits Harry in later books. Voldemort, or the threat of Voldy, always seems to be waiting for Harry in the shadows.

3If I had to choose one character and one wizarding world trademark from Sorcer’s Stone, I’d have to choose Dumbledore (aside from Harry) and Quidditch. Dumbledore is everything a headmaster/father-figure should be: he’s mysterious, seemingly all-knowing and very odd. And Quidditch is the best invented sport I’ve ever read about. Who wouldn’t get jealous of flying around on broomsticks and imaging themselves as Gyriffindor’s seeker? Who and what would you choose??

Let me leave you with a memorable Sorcerer’s Stone quote:

Dumbledore’s Welcome to Hogwarts“Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin the banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”

Let these encouraging words from Dumbledore spur you on in further in our HP Challenge! Any thoughts/comments about the Sorcerer’s Stone?

NEXT GOAL: Finish HP and the Chamber of Secrets by Friday, Oct. 15th. If we keep on this track, we can finish all 7 books by Nov. 19th! Yes!!

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