Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Year 4 - Books - http://maxpages.com/hp1/Goblet_of

The Barnes & Noble Review
You've been waiting for this one, haven't you?

Harry Potter is back in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and this time, the magic gets out of hand!

First, imagine if you will, the sleepy but mysterious village of Little Hangleton, and what happened at the Riddle House. No, the Riddle House is not a place for riddles, but a home where the family died of fright. The man accused of murdering them was eventually released, but when he returns to the Riddle House, he overhears a curious conversation between someone named Wormtail and a terrible, dark presence by the name of Lord Voldemort -- oh, so sorry…He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Volde... (oops, almost said it again) He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is one of the most powerful Dark wizards -- and he wants Harry Potter.

When Harry wakes from a particularly vivid dream, the scar on his forehead throbs, and he knows something is up. Harry's been living in a dreadful house on Privet Drive with his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and greedy cousin, Dudley. They won't even let him do any wizardry -- you know Muggles, how they can't really handle that kind of stuff.

Harry's uncle and aunt like to let the neighbors think that Harry goes to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys rather than to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has to hide his magic -- and even broomsticks aren't a suitable topic of conversation in the Dursley household. But everything is about to change for Harry, beginning with this particular summer vacation.

It starts with a letter from Mrs. Weasley, Harry's friend Ron's mother. She invites him to come spend the rest of the summer with the Weasleys and to go see the Quidditch World Cup. Quidditch is Harry's favorite sport in the world, and it isn't often that the Quidditch World Cup is in Britain. Faster than you can say "Hogwarts," Harry travels by fire to the Burrow, and the dark and threatening adventure begins.

On the way, Harry discovers that his interest in girls is becoming more nerve-wracking -- how is a young wizard to ask a girl to the Yule Ball? And what of the Goblet of Fire itself? And the Triwizard Tournament? And then, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named might be seeking Harry out even now!

Who can resist a Harry Potter tale? J. K. Rowling has proven again that her international success seemed inevitable -- from the first page of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the story soars. It is beautifully written, with a strong narrative and fascinating, unforgettable characters, and there is not a reader in the world who won't love this book. The novel is long - more than 700 pages -- and not one word is wasted.

Now, my only problem is I need to find Harry so I can start classes at Hogwarts, soon. I sent him a message by owl, just this morning.

--Douglas Clegg

Douglas Clegg is the author of several books, including the Bram Stoker-award winning collection, The Nightmare Chronicles, and the novels You Come When I Call You and The Halloween Man. He lives near Manhattan and also enjoys a good game of Quidditch now and then.

Synopsis
From Barnes & Noble.com: Kids of all ages -- even adults! -- have fallen under Harry Potter's spell. And now, as the young wizard-in-training returns for his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, there are plenty of exciting new adventures in store. It's a semester that's sure to be magical!

Annotation
Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter joins the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, then enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.

From the Publisher
Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year of magical adventures in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This year Harry turns 14 and becomes interested in girls — one in particular. And with Dark Magic comes danger, as someone close to Harry dies. You'll have to listen to learn more! The audio is available on July 8th.

What People Are Saying
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fireis the pivotal central book in the series; it is by far the longest (at 734 pages, it's roughly double the size of any of the first three), by far the most ambitious--and fortunately, by far the best as well. It is also clearly the darkest, especially in the dazzling climax and it consequences. Ultimately, through, the book's strongest asset is satisfying that irresistible curiosity of discovering what is behind the next corner. For almost all of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire the readers are totally spellbound--entirely at the mercy of an expert storyteller.
—The Tech - Massachusetts Institute of Technology

From the Critics
From School Library Journal
Gr 4 Up-Harry Potter is back in J.K. Rowling's fourth installment of his adventures (Scholastic, 2000). He is 14 years old and in his fourth year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the traditional Inter-House Quidditch Cup has been temporarily suspended so that the Triwizard Tournament can be held. Only three students, one from each of the biggest schools of wizardry, may compete, but the Goblet of Fire that chooses the champions from each school mysteriously produces a fourth name--Harry Potter. As the school readies for the tournament, it becomes obvious to Harry's allies that Voldemort is plotting something dastardly--but only at the very end does he show his hand, springing a trap that Harry only narrowly escapes. Jim Dale, who has narrated the previous Harry Potter audiobooks, succeeds marvelously at the Herculean effort of voicing about 125 characters. By now, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid are so well known to him that his renditions of their voices are practiced and flawless. He also invests new characters such as Mad-Eye Moody and Winky with voices that enhance their already vivid personalities. Dale intones magical commands with such great authority that one would almost think he was a wizard himself. Twenty hours is a long time to listen to a book, but the combination of Rowling's enthralling adventure and Dale's limber narration will easily see kids through to the very last sentence.-Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

From Children's Literture - Children's Literature
Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione return for their fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year promises to be special, for the school plans to resurrect the tradition of the Triwizards Tournament, pitting the best Hogwarts student against foes from two other schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. It is no surprise to Harry Potter fans that Harry gets tangled up in the competition. This year at school is different also because the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody, actually seems to know his subject. Will he last, or will he meet an ignominious end as have all his predecessors? As with the first three books in the series, there is much skulking through the halls at night, bending rules somewhat and general schoolboy mischief. There is also chivalry, team spirit, hero worship and puppy love. What is new to this entry in the series is its sheer weight--Rowling's mastery of storytelling is evident since her fans think nothing of lugging this 734-page tome about on family vacations. The story also turns much more macabre as Harry's archenemy, Lord Voldemort, regains some of his former power. The imagery is vivid and somewhat disturbing and could easily lead to a few nights' restless sleep. Another riveting read by Rowling. 2000, Scholastic, Ages 10 up, $25.95. Reviewer: Dr. Judy Rowen

From Stephen King - New York Times Book Review
The Harry Potter series is a supernatural version of ''Tom Brown's Schooldays,'' updated and given a hip this-is-how-kids-really-are shine. And Harry is the kid most children feel themselves to be, adrift in a world of unimaginative and often unpleasant adults -- Muggles, Rowling calls them -- who neither understand them nor care to. Harry is, in fact, a male Cinderella, waiting for someone to invite him to the ball. In Potter 1, his invitation comes first by owl (in the magic world of J. K. Rowling, owls deliver the mail) and then by Sorting Hat; in the current volume it comes from the Goblet of Fire, smoldering and shedding glamorous sparks. How nice to be invited to the ball! Even for a relatively old codger like me, it's still nice to be invited to the ball.

From Charles Taylor - Salon
Children (and many of us who aren't) have been so anxious for the fourth installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series because they are caught up in a breathless adventure, because they have learned to ask the most vital and essential question any reader can: What happens next? "But," the still-puzzled persist, "aren't there other children's books that are just as good?" Perhaps. But for kids, "Harry Potter" is of their time, something that will always be theirs instead of a legacy left to them by a previous generation....Like all great fantasy sagas, the Harry Potter books have grown narratively, morally and psychologically more complex as the series progresses. There is a special pressure on a writer who midway through a series finds herself entrusted with the imagination of a huge number of readers. That Rowling has done nothing to break that faith seems a deed as brave and noble as any her hero has accomplished.

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