A Goblet of Fire Reading Diary

Day 2, July 7
Tomorrow's the big day. The country seems to be building up excitement. All the books are under lock and key! Boy, I wonder what it would be like to be Ms. Rowling. Everyone is waiting. I wonder if the rumors are true and one of Harry's friends dies. Gee, that would be depressing. Only 24 hours....

Day 3, July 8
The big day. I waited and waited. Finally it came! I ripped open the box. And there it was: "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire." It's 733 pages long and looks to be almost three inches thick!

So far I've read for about four hours and 45 minutes and I'm about halfway through ---they don't call me Eric the Read for nothing!

My first reaction: Ms. Rowling's writing style for this book is unlike what she's done before. She spends quite a bit of time telling us about Harry's summer; this was very satisfying since, before, we never knew much about his summers. And she fluently describes day-by-day accounts of Harry's life at Hogwarts.

For all the compliments I have so far, I have one complaint: Ms. Rowling gives away who Harry has a crush on! It clearly states it in the left front, inside cover. Kinda spoils the surprise. Haven't seen who dies yet. I bet it's....oh, I'd better not say, in case I get it right and ruin it for anyone.

Day 4, July 9
Finished!

All told, I read this book in two days --- about 12 total hours of reading.

I don't think I've ever read so much so fast! But I just couldn't put it down! I had to know how it worked out for Harry.

Ms. Rowling continues to surprise me. Her new style of writing describes places at Hogwarts never seen before. She has incorporated several new characters, including the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Mad Eye Moody . People's secrets are unearthed by a nosy reporter named Rita Skeeter. And a favorite little house-elf makes a return appearance.

I feel that the summary on the inside cover is inadequate. My version would be: "You have in your hands the fourth exciting installment of the Harry Potter series. He's overjoyed by the prospect of staying with his friend Ron for two weeks and seeing the Quidditch World Cup. But strange things are happening.... Rumors about Voldemort rising again.... Something is going on at Hogwarts that hasn't happened in a hundred years.....Could this be Harry's worst year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry --- or his last?"

But that's minor: This book is a definite buy for Harry Potter fans of all ages.

And now I'm going back to re-read the first three books and see if there are any hints I missed...

About Eric the Read: I'm 12. I live in Virginia. I read about 3-6 hours a day, particularly if there's a good book to read. I keep my reading stamina up by eating a variety of crackers and fruit. I sometimes get teased a bit for reading so much, and I'm usually given stunned looks when I finish 700 pages in 48 hours.