HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS is the 2nd novel in the Harry Potter series and now that Harry has spent a year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry he can’t wait to get away from his summer with the Dursleys and get back to school.
But someone is trying to keep Harry from going back. He receives a reprimand and a threat of dismissal, then he has trouble getting to the Hogwarts express. When he and Ron finally get to Hogwarts it is by unconventional means and they are in trouble from the start of the school year.
Something is going on within the school. The Chamber of Secrets has been reopened by the heir of Slytherin for the first time in 50 years and students are being petrified by the monster from the chamber. Harry keeps finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and combined with his unusual history and skills many of the students think that Harry is the heir of Slytherin. He even starts to doubt himself.
Added to his woes is the new defense against the dark arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart who is all glamour and no skill and is admired only by the witches who fall for his lustrous locks. Lockhart has taken Harry under his wing, much to Harry’s horror.
Harry takes solace in a mysterious diary which introduces him to an ex Hogwarts student named Tom Riddle.
Finally the monster from the chamber goes too far. Harry and Ron must take it into their own hands to address the threat.
This novel was for a slightly more mature audience than the previous one, in line with Harry being a bit older. We got to know some of the adults in the story a bit better in their interactions with Harry and we got to spend some time in the Weasley home. Harry was much more confident than in the past. As an adult reader I appreciated all of this.
I enjoy this series so much that I could happily continue rereading it from beginning to end. I can’t wait to get into the next novel in the series – HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN.
Published 1998