Harry Potter Readalong: Logic, Not Magic
This isn't magic - it's logic - a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever.
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Hooray for finishing the first book in readalong!! A few thoughts:
Halloween: this series has pretty epic Halloween celebrations, and this first one sets the tone for the rest of the books. There's always a feast that makes a glutton like me drool with envy!
Quidditch: despite being a cupboard kid, Harry is ridiculously athletic. Not fair. That aside, I love that he ends up catching the snitch with his mouth, and even more that the snitch Harry caught with his mouth is a very big deal much, much later in the series.
Invisibility Cloak: this has got to be the bestest gift ever, also a very big deal much, much later in the series. I would use it to sneak onto international flights and slip into closed museums and use it for other boring, not-too-illegal purposes, ha!
Through the Trapdoor is my favorite chapter because it's as magical as it can get - mythical creatures, evil plants, enchanted keys and chess pieces, potions, magic mirrors, and wicked foes. It captures the "eureka!" moment when all the hints JKR drops fall into place. This is the awesome chapter where Ron plays chess like a boss and Hermione beats magic with logic. Maybe it's because it was a riddle, and I LOVE riddles, but Snape's obstacle was the best. Who knew that he would make such a creative poet?
On to the next book!
When you line them up like that it's kind of crazy how much this book foreshadows the later books. I mean, most of them were things she could do as she went but it adds so much depth when you reread them. So kudos JK for caring about your readers!
ReplyDeleteAnd heck yes to the Halloween feast- lucky they got a hood one in, their next one is going to be the pits.
I've always wished that there had been pictures of Snape's bottles so that I could try and solve it myself. :]
ReplyDeleteThis comment is extremely late because I was on my work computer and for some reason Disqus doesn't work on it.
ReplyDeleteBUT I need to know if you drew that picture of Hermione with the potions because it is really, really beautiful.
In the same chapter he can apparently jump up buildings in a single bound.
ReplyDeleteSo really he should be in the NBA, not on the Gryffindor quidditch team.
I love how JKR's drops hints all over the place, and it's so satisfying to see them all be answered, too.
ReplyDeleteHogwarts is the best at celebrating things. I love their Christmases.
Yes, I love hunting for those hints!
ReplyDeleteThough the kitchens pour out yummy food and the enchanted ceiling "snows", the best part of Hogwarts celebrations, in my opinion, is seeing how spirited the whole school is about the festivities!
I think that my favorite chapter was actually the enchanted forest, but I do love the riddle. I would have liked to hear Hermoine talk more about how she works through it though. That whole part just goes too quickly.
ReplyDeleteThe enchanted forest is hilarious - those silly centaurs!
ReplyDeleteIt would have been nice to read Hermione's thought process too. She went into detail explaining Harry's expertise with finding the key and Ron's methods for playing chess, but I felt short-changed with the riddle too.
Guys, come on, it's in the second chapter! He spends his days running away from Dudley and the other bullies. How could he *not* be athletic.
ReplyDeleteYes! Thank you, I was going to say this too.
ReplyDeleteLOL Harry IS surprisingly athletic. I mean, flying has got to be easier than say running, but still. I'm more surprised that he's outgoing enough to even agree to being on a team. While I'm the only one who doesn't think Harry was tortured to the point of madness as a child, I do agree that given his upbringing, you'd think he'd be a little more shy.
ReplyDeleteSnape's riddle was quite poetic, wasn't it? I bet me totally writes poetry all the time, dark poetry about bats and potions and dungeons and stuff.
HAHA I bet he had a secret diary with a lock on it. (and by 'lock', i mean a hex')
ReplyDeleteI have secretly always wished that there was a picture in the book of all the potions bottles so that I could try to solve the riddle on my own. Because riddles are fun and that would have been irrefutable proof that I could have gotten through the obstacles on my own (never mind my abysmal chess skills)!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! Having that picture would have made the riddle more fun! (and I would have been stuck in that chamber forever.)
ReplyDeleteOh man, those feasts. I'm always rooting through my cupboards for roast something or cream of something afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI think there's actually a Harry Potter cookbook out there! I roasted some potato wedges earlier, but dang it! I want to learn how to cook from Hogwarts house-elves!
ReplyDeleteHAHA i just imagined you swooning at Snape just now. Poisoned with love for him - where is my bezoar?! Yessss, I'm suspicious as to how a kid who grew up in cupboard somehow avoids childhood agoraphobia and embraces flying in open area and lofty heights like it's nothing...
ReplyDeleteI liked Snape's obstacle the best EVEN IF all of the obstacles should have been way harder. If a bunch of 11 year olds can get through them, then you're doing it wrong.
ReplyDeleteHAHA, "you're doing it wrong" - true that. Good job, professors, you've been hanging out with kids way too long to make this gatekeeping thing legit.
ReplyDelete"the snitch Harry caught with his mouth is a very big deal much, much later in the series" RIGHT. I forgot that.
ReplyDeleteThe end is the best part, definitely. I love Ron's determined little (tall) self when he realizes what he has to do. Sigh. What a great book.
And I'd argue Harry's not ATHLETIC; he's just wiry and has good eyes (despite wearing glasses). I don't think being able to command a broomstick well means sheer athleticism. That'd be more like if he were a Beater or a Keeper or something.
Oh but I think he is! Sure, he's just the scrappy kicker on the football team, but it's all about agility and balance. I would utterly fail at flying, clearly.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we *knew* Snape was poetic like that from his intro talk on the first day of potions. "Bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses?" Be still my heart!
ReplyDeleteTrue, I forgot that, haha Snape should've gone into writing instead :P
ReplyDeleteyes! i didn't mention it in my post but i was all, "ooh, harry, little do you know that catching the snitch with your mouth will be important one day." SO glad that you mentioned that!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about JKR - the stuff you laugh off in the beginning comes back to bite you!
ReplyDeleteEVERYTHING about Snape is the best. Ahhhh, Snape...
ReplyDeleteAhem. So I hadn't thought about this but YES, how does Harry get to be all athletic when he's been in a cupboard his whole life?! I guess that he DID go to school and all... But then, they didn't have broom flying lessons, did they?! Hmmmmm *suspicious face*
Oh, Laura. You and I are clearly going to have a lot of work convincing everybody else of Snape's inherent awesomeness. But I'm not afaid of hard work, despite NOT being a hufflepuff...
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