Review by Shirley Muramoto

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE - 2005 by J. K. Rowling Scholastic, Inc. Hardcover - $26.95

Here at last is the second-to-last book in J.K. Rowling's story about a young boy named Harry Potter, and the trials and tribulations of growing up in a magical yet troubled world not so different than our own.

What began as the writings of a single unemployed mother, has created a phenomena across the world, for readers young and old alike. Some would dismiss this as nothing more than "the latest fad," like small collectible stuffed animals or electronic toy creatures that talk to each other and annoy everyone within earshot with their incessant, nonsensical chatter. But there is, I think, a major difference - we're talking books here. And books mean reading. And getting the kids to read is a good thing.

And the books are pretty good reading, too. Unlike most (if not all) other children's books, these stories "grow" with the intended audience. As the story progresses and the main character grows towards adulthood, the tone and timbre of the books themselves change as well. And considering the timing of each book's initial release, these changes also mirror the growing maturity of the younger readers.

In HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, Harry turns 16 years old. The tale begins with a brief scene, which juxtaposes the magical world of Hogwarts with the ordinary world. We witness a meeting between the Prime Minister (presumably of England) and his magical counterpart, the Minister of Magic. This quick scene not only helps us to understand the precarious balance between the two worlds, it also provides a clever way to recap some of the key points of the previous book. We find out soon after that Voldemort and his followers have not been idle - people have disappeared. Threats have been made, and carried out. People, wizarding and mundane alike, have died. And the entire Wizarding world is in a state of war.

We immediately get the feeling of tension, uncertainty, and fear, as well as a sense of urgency and impending doom, which persists through the book. The focus this time around is a little sharper as a result (which is only natural, as this is the sixth book out a seven-book series.)

This is Harry's world now - but he seems ready for it. Harry is no longer a trusting young boy full of wonder at the magical world. Nor is he filled with the anger and angst of the previous book. He's growing up now. He's a young man who tries to meet his obligations and his destiny with courage and determination, and is fully aware of the price of failure. As anyone would be, he is very much affected by the mood and tone of the world around him, and as a result is often very suspicious, if not bordering on paranoid. As always, he is very suspicious of his arch-nemesis, Draco Malfoy. He is suspicious also of Professor Severus Snape, despite the assurances of Dumbledore.

But the book isn't all doom and gloom - as always there's also a lot of light, hope, and yes love. There is the fatherly affection of Dumbledore for Harry, as the two work together at unraveling the mysterious past of the man called Lord Voldemort. There is the enduring friendship of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. There's the impending wedding of one of Ron's brothers, to an extremely attractive young woman. There are other romances blooming as well, with all the joys and troubles such things bring. We watch as the story unfolds, and as Harry works through yet another year at Hogwarts, growing up and dealing not only with the task destiny has given him, but with the simple, mundane task of becoming an adult.

Throughout the series, Rowling likes to drop little tantalizing clues here and there, which make you feel certain that, if you only read the previous books very closely, you can figure out the answer before the next book comes out. Just little things which make an avid reader want to pull out that copy of book 5 and check this or that fact. For me, this makes the series all the more enjoyable.

Overall, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is much more mature in content and tone from the earliest Harry Potter books. Despite the appellation of being a book for "young adults," it is still a good read, and I'm definitely looking forward to the final book.

5 BookWyrms.

This review copyright 2005 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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