Book 7- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

I have read several school stories. Each character behaves differently when they know it's their last year there. I wondered how Harry would react when he had to leave. True, he skips his last year at Hogwarts. I would have liked to know how he would have finished school, and thus, had to leave.
　
So, coming to the book, it starts with a death. Then the amazing idea of having 7 Harrys. Another death.
　
In Dumbledore's will, he left Harry the snitch he had caught in his first year at Hogwarts. He left Ron a Deluminator and Hermione, his copy of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard".
　
Hermione and Ron accompany Harry in his mission to find and destroy all the Horcruxes. Here's the list of Horcruxes already found- the ring and the diary. Only 2 out of 7! 5 to go.
　
The Book left for Hermione proves to be useful as she finds a strange sign in it. Xenophilius Lovegood (Luna Lovegood's father) explains to the three of them that it was the sign of the three Deathly Hallows. These were- the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak. Together they make one a master of Death.
　
They decide to live at Sirius' house. A trip to the ministry helps them find the locket. But how can it be destroyed?
　
Hermione realizes that the sword of Godric Gryffindor had basilisk venom in it and could thus destroy Horcruxes. So the locket is destroyed.
　
Later comes the search for and destroying of the rest of the Horcruxes and a huge battle. Deaths everywhere.
　
A dead Dumbledore tells Harry that he had tried to use the Hallows to become invincible. He points out to Harry how much like Voldemort that made him. Quoting from the book, "Hallows", murmured Dumbledore, "Not horcruxes". 
　
Harry almost dies. Voldemort is destroyed. Harry does not use Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. Then how does Harry kill him?
　
Voldemort casts a killing curse at Harry. An Expelliarmus from Harry's side. This causes Voldemort's wand to fly out of his hands, turning around to direct the killing curse at him.

Harry possessed all three hallows because-
1)He had his father's Invisibility Cloak
2)The snitch contained the Resurrection Stone
3)Dumbledore had gotten the Elder Wand by defeating his childhood friend. Then Draco Malfoy had  disarmed Dumbledore before Snape killed Dumbledore. Harry overpowers Draco.

Voldemort was under the impression that as Snape killed Dumbledore, he would be the true owner of the Elder Wand. Voldemort wanted the Elder Wand to kill Harry as it was the most powerful wand in the world.
So, he kills Snape to gain the Elder Wand.

That brings us to the end of these stories. I would like to share a poem with you:
There is a group of seven tomes
Of which I have read all
And when I finished reading them
I wished they weren't so small!
　
Really, I would have loved more!
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This review is by my 11 yr old daughter, A.

Book 6- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

Harry knew that the wizarding world was getting more and more dangerous. He was still stuck with the Muggle Dursleys. He is desperate to meet his friends.

He, Ron and Hermione realize that Draco Malfoy is up to something. They try to investigate, without much success, at first. At Hogwarts, they find out a lot more.

A Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is needed. Snape (“Not Snape, Harry, Professor Snape!”) takes up that post while Professor Slughorn takes up his earlier post as Potions Master. He used to teach Voldemort.

Harry goes to Dumbledore’s office every now and then to help him with some important work. What important work? Finding out more about Voldemort and how to defeat him by watching memories in the Pensive.

Also, Harry has a second hand copy of the Potions textbook. It has tips for making better potions, strange spells, and other things scribbled throughout. This both helps and hinders Harry in many ways. It says-“THIS IS THE PROPERTY OF THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE”. Who is the Half-Blood Prince???

The memories reveal Voldemort’s secret to remain alive through everything: Horcruxes.

The word ‘Horcruxes’ always gave me that sense of disgusting, evil and strange. I remember opening this book somewhere in the middle when I had just finished reading the first one. I saw the word ‘Horcruxes’ and it had given me the same sense then, even when I didn't  know what it meant.

Finally, another death occurs. Everyone mourns for this much loved person. I had overheard some friends discussing this before I read it. I was absolutely horrified.

Still, a great story, to be read many times. Truly fantastic.

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A review written by my 11 yr old daughter, A.

Book 5- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

When I first saw this book, I saw that it was the fattest among the seven. This made me a little uncomfortable, as I thought it would take me ages to finish it. I wanted to read it, but I was worried. I had this conversation with my mother:

Me: This book is very fat. Should I read it?
Mother: Why are you worried about its size?
Me: I might not be able to finish it soon.
Mother: The book is for enjoying, not just for finishing.
So, I started reading it.

Harry gets attacked by Dementors, and when he tries to protect himself, nearly gets expelled.Finally, he manages to reach the House of the Black family, which is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

At Hogwarts, he has a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dolores Umbridge. Not Harry's favourite teacher. She works for the Ministry of Magic. Later in the book, she takes over the entire school.

Harry also has some strange dreams about the Department of Mysteries at the ministry. He does not know what they mean. He sees Sirius being tortured by Voldemort at this very place, in his dream. Thinking that it is a sign, he with his friends goes there to rescue Sirius.

This book ends with yet another death. Now the ministry is aware that Voldemort has risen again.

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Review written by my daughter A, who is 11. 

Book 4- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury

Contests or tournaments always have some sort of age limits. The contest in the wizarding world are no different. The Triwizard tournament was one in which Harry was forced to compete. Why?

The Goblet of Fire is a magical object in which one must only drop a chit with their name and school’s name to stand for the tournament.

Harry couldn’t remember putting his name in, but he is chosen by the Goblet to be the fourth (!) Triwizard contestant.

What with dragons, underwater trips and mazes, Harry’s year is packed full of exciting, interesting and scary incidents.

At the end, Harry meets his worst enemy. Again, Voldemort fails to destroy Harry, but a good friend of Harry’s is killed.

What is more, the next three books are darker because Voldemort comes to power in this book. The first death after the ones of Harry’s parents is in this books.

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This review is by my 11 year old, A.

Book 3- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Written by J K Rowling.
Published by Bloomsbury.

In this book, Harry finds out about a new individual: "escaped mass murderer Sirius Black".

According to what he hears, Black was the one who betrayed his parents and told Voldemort where they were living, so that he could kill them. Sirius Black was also the first person to escape from Azkaban, the wizarding prison.

Harry also gets a new Defence Against Dark Arts teacher. Professor Lupin.

A map is given to him by the Weasley twins. It gives information about who is where as well as what is where.

I was very confused as to how these loose ends would get tied up. It made me very curious.

The end is very surprising, as one person is thought to be a villain in most of the book and then he happens to be innocent! A person thought to be dead was found to be alive!

I suppose that is just the way Rowling writes! I loved it!

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This review is written by my daughter A, who is 11 years old. 

Book 2 -Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Written by J K Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury.

On the cover page there is a picture of Harry, Ron and Hedwig, of course, in the car. Before I read it, I had spent 10 mins just wondering what this was about. What was a car doing in a book where there were faster and magical ways of transportation?

A house elf warns Harry against going back to school. However, Harry does not take his advice, and is unable to board the train. Then, (here is where the car comes in) since Ron is with him, they fly to Hogwarts in Mr Weasley’s car.

There is a message written in blood on a wall of the castle. “THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to find out who did it. They suspect Malfoy.

They take Polyjuice Potion. Harry and Ron, as Crabbe and Goyle find out only one thing from Malfoy. He doesn’t know who did it.

Crisis, crisis! Ginny Weasley is in the Chamber of Secrets!

They get hold of Gildroy Lockhart, the Defence Against Dark Arts teacher, and enter the Chamber, to get her back.

Harry realizes he was meant to be a Gryffindor when he pulls the sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat and kills the monster.

He also meets an unusual form of his enemy, in a diary. It was Lord Voldemort as his 16 year old memory.

All’s well that ends well, and Hogwarts is the same as before.
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This review was written by my daughter A, who is 11.

Book 1 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Written by JK Rowling.
Published by Bloomsbury

When I was 7, I was scared of Harry Potter. My mother and cousins would sit with the books and not do anything else for a while. I used to get scared of the movies because of the strange looking characters and creatures.

At 8, my mother convinced me that I should try the first book. No prizes for guessing what happened next.

Harry was a misfit. He was different from his uncle and aunt, Dudley, and his school mates. Only when Hagrid came did he realize that there was a reason for these differences.

Everyone in the wizarding world knew his name. To think that he had been living in a cupboard all his life!

Hogwarts was different from anything he had ever seen. He was happy to be with people who were like him and understood him.

But what had Hagrid taken from Gringots? It was obviously here, at Hogwarts. Why did he have to protect it?

Later, Harry realizes that without Ron and Hermione, life at Hogwarts was meaningless, because they were a team. Together, everything was possible.

The story continues as Harry defies evil and saves the Philosopher's Stone from falling into Voldemort's hands. Thus preventing a mass murder at Hogwarts.

This was written by my daughter A, who is 11 years old.

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

Title : Five Little Peppers And How They Grew 

Author : Margaret Sidney

Reviewed By : Sandhya's A (11 years)

I have read many stories about families. This one is about a very poor family – five children Ben, Polly, Joel, David and Phronsie - and their mother, ‘Mamsie’. Their father dies when Phronsie was a little baby.

The children barely have enough to eat, let alone to go to school. Mrs Pepper has to earn a living through sewing for other people, so Polly has to take care of the house.  To make it easier for her, all she wants is a new stove. It is difficult to get even that much.

After a spell of measles for the whole family, Phronsie makes a new friend, Jasper, who is very rich. Is it possible for Jasper and his father to help the Peppers?

This book has helped me realize that I am one of the few who have so many privileges like an education and 3 good meals every day. It reminded me of another book I have read, called Little Women. I am sure that there are many more gems like this book yet for me to discover.

This book is an abridged version from the Classic Starts series. I am sure I will enjoy the original just as much.