Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter Book #4)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fantasy
Rating: Love
Alerts/Warnings: At least 3 swear words, murder, and intense climax (may not be appropriate for younger readers)
Premise: "Harry Potter, a fourth-year student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, longs to escape his hateful relatives, the Dursleys, and live as a normal fourteen-year-old wizard, but what Harry does not yet realize is that he is not a normal wizard, and in his case, different can be deadly." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This book was harder to read, mostly due to it being at least twice the size of the other books so far, but also due to the freedom of writing that the author seemed to achieve by that point. There is a lot more elaboration and description going on in book four then previously done. For the most part I loved seeing the greater detail, but about 2/3 way through the book I couldn't wait for the story to be done as it seemed unending. There were a few swearwords spread throughout the story, but my main concern for younger readers is the intensity of the climax. It is violent without a lot of elaboration(which I'm grateful for), but if you have my active imagination then it is plenty scary. Adults may want to re-read the story (or at least the ending) prior to allowing their children to in order to ensure that your child can handle it.

Now that I've said all the down stuff, let me tell you what I loved about this story. I love getting to see Sirius more, I love that Harry gets to experience more of the wizarding world by going to the World Quidditch Cup Final. I loved seeing more of the Weasleys, and I loved seeing more of Ron and Hermione. The people make this book. JK Rowling does a fantastic job of characterization. I also love the inventiveness of the trials within the TriWizard tournament. So overall, if you think you can handle the length, and the intensity, then I think you will still love this book. So go for it and read it...or read it again.