ABAW: Reflections on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I recently finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to the Sonars. This is our second time reading the series out loud together, and I’m enjoying it more this time. All of the Sonars are, I think. We’re all noticing new things, understanding things in a different way. The stories are so rich and they really hold up well to re-reading.

Some observations about Goblet of Fire:  

—Harry and his friends experience danger in all of the books, of course, but in a way, Goblet feels like the last moments of real safety. At the close, there is a palpable sense that Harry’s world will never be the same, that the risk and danger is about to explode.

—The tension between rumor and reality is much more pronounced in this book, embodied in the role of reporter Rita Skeeter. Public perception versus private reality continues to roil around Harry. Harry’s actions will remain largely private and unseen, even as he is a constant subject of the public imagination. All that while he struggles to be a kid.

—This book was emotional and more difficult to read out loud. There have been teary moments in all of the books, but I read more pages in this one with tears streaming than any of the others up to this point. I know that the grief and pain only gets deeper and more complicated from here.

—Turning points abound: first crushes and first stirrings of jealousy, Voldemort’s embodiment, the first representations of very disturbing dark magic, first-hand murders, malicious publicity, an expansion to include more of the wizarding government and the international wizarding community, amplification of wizard hypocrisy and prejudice (especially regarding elves and giants, but continuing the pureblood versus muggle prejudices as well), cracks in the security of society with doubts about Azkaban and the dementors and disguises, layers of both “goodness” and “evilness” in the sense that trusted individuals are seen as corrupt and even Voldemort supporters are supportive of his evil to different degrees.

There are many opportunities for thought and discussion here.

We’re taking a break from Harry now by reading Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid, the first of the Kane Chronicles. This is an adventure with Sophie and Carter Kane, packed with Egyptian mythology, culture, and history. I suspect the series will progress much like Riordan’s very successful series featuring Percy Jackson and the Olympians. In fact, my favorite moment in the book so far is when Uncle Amos says he avoids Manhattan because it is a place for other gods, alluding to the modern location of Mount Olympus at the top of the Empire State Building from the Percy Jackson series.