Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

     Can I just say, I love Harry Potter?  I love everything about this kid!
This is the second book in the series and my second favorite in the series.  
     The story is well-developed and unique.  I did not expect the story to go anywhere it did, and it made the ride even more enjoyable.
     The characters are also unique.  I loved the little details J. K. Rowling put into the story to help develop the characters, such as Gilderoy Lockheart's photos running off to hide the curlers in his hair.
     One of my favorite things about J. K. Rowling's writing is how she incorporates powerful moral and ethical lessons without being heavy-handed.  Even as an adult, I read her stories and ponder how these lessons impact my life and the world I live in.
     Although this book has been banned for magic and witchcraft, there isn't anything in the book that would harm kids.  The true reason for the banning may be that the moral and ethical lessons shake up the status quo.   I recommend this book for people of all ages.

Sea of Monsters

     The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan is the second in the series.  Nick and I loved it just as much as The Lightning Thief.
     The characters were still well developed.  We both absolutely LOVED Tyson, the baby Cyclops.  A close second was Rainbow, the Hippocampus.  And a third was the Laistrygonian Dodge Ball Players.
     The Sea of Monsters is a parallel book for The Odyssey.  For my English teacher friends, struggling readers could read The Sea of Monsters, while advanced students read The Odyssey.  Then they could share with someone who read the other novel and compare the two novels.
     I love this book and recommend it to everyone!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

     I want to live in Hogwarts.  I want to see the ghosts and fight trolls and have a snowy owl.  Okay, I love Harry Potter.  Not the movies, but the real Harry from the books.  Especially the young Harry and friends before they turn into moody teenagers.
    This book is one of my all-time favorites.  You know it's a good book when you reread it for probably the tenth time and you still laugh out loud and share lines with the nearest person, even when he is a stranger.
     I love the lessons in the book and can't see why parents object to the book.  What better lessons to learn than loyalty, standing up for what is right - especially against our friends, love, sacrifice, and friendship.
     Dumbledore is an amazing character.  The movies do not do him justice.  His speech before the feast, leading the school song, a flowered hat, and his deep insight and compassion for Harry make him a literary character worth remembering.
     I recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!