Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [Paperback]

rowling (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 251 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury; 3rd Canadian edition (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155192370X
• ISBN-13: 978-1551923703
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,789 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. As a postgraduate she moved to London to work at Amnesty International, doing research into human rights abuses in Francophone Africa. She started writing the Harry Potter series during a Manchester to London King's Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel. Jo then moved to northern Portugal, where she taught English as a foreign language. She married in October 1992 and gave birth to her daughter Jessica in 1993. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where "Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Ston"e was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter."Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published by Bloomsbury Children's Books in June 1997 and was published as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in America by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in September 1998.The second title in the series, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in America) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention. The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.The fourth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US. It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication. The fifth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series - 766 pages - and broke the records set by "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire" as the fastest selling book in history. The sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.The seventh and final book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA and sales have contributed to breaking the 375 million copies mark worldwide.J K Rowling has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry's school books within the novels. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "Quidditch Through The Ages" were published by Bloomsbury Children's Books and Scholastic in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. The Harry Potter books have sold 400 million copies worldwide. They are distributed in over 200 territories and are translated into 67 languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, January 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (Hardcover)

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry, a twelve year old boy is continuing another fascinating year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. This second book in the J.K. Rowling series is a must read! Not only do the main characters Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger set out to solve a new problem but, they realize that somebody has opened the Chamber of Secrets. Through trial and error our heroes search for clues to save one of their friends. Again Harry must put his life in danger to save others who are important to him. J.K. Rowling has introduced us to some new characters in book two. We meet a magical elf, Dobby, a new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart and finally Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister who joins the famous trio. I liked this book because it was a true page turner. As the reader you can search for possible clues along with Harry, Ron and Hermione. I would recommend this book to anyone over seven years old. J.K. Rowling did an excellent job on this book because it's exciting and full of adventure. I have learned from this book that life is full of tough challenges and problems. No matter how hard it is you have to be brave and trust in yourself to do the right thing.

140 of 163 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth buying, May 25, 2000

By 

CPN - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (Hardcover)

After reading the original of the recent hits and chart-topping Harry Potter series, I just had to read the second. It once again begins over summer vacation and takes Harry to his second year at Hogwarts, the best wizarding school of the day. But for some reason, people begin to be attacked by someone - or something. Harry, Ron, and Hermione start on another slew of detective work to find out what's going on, and how to save the students of Hogwarts...it's hard to give a plot summary without exposing the secrets of the ending, which, by the way, was a total surprise!

This book is truly engrossing, more intense and frightening than the first. I loved it! It was both fun and funny, much like the other two in the series. It is interesting to read, and I honestly think it appeals to all ages. Even older readers will enjoy being taken back to the days when the line between fantasy and reality was blurred, and all the books would keep any modern teenager enthralled. Harry Potter No. 2 actually kept me laughing throughout. At some points in the middle, the story may get slightly bland, but don't worry: the best part is yet to come. I love children's stories, have read many, and these are the best, most modern works out there. There's a reason they are so hot right now, and all these other 5-star reviews are deserved! This series breaks the ordinary mold of children's books which are not always written with the same flair J.K. Rowling successfully incorporates into the plot, and they each possess their own sense of magic, not allowing the reader to put the book down! The Harry Potter books are highly recommended! Other children's authors I enjoy are Roald Dahl, Louis Sachar, Mark Twain, C.S. Lewis, and E.B. White.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid second novel, as good as the first., October 17, 2007

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) (Hardcover)

Rowling wastes no time further developing the world she introduced first in PHILOSOPHER'S STONE. While the first book got us acclimated to her magical world, it is here, in the CHAMBER OF SECRETS, she really begins expanding the vocabulary of that universe.

Apparently, Potter, at this early stage in the story, is already in grave danger. He has a house elf named Dobby appear to him in his uncle's house, warning him he must not go back to Hogwarts. Dobby even gets Harry in trouble with the Ministry For Magic (thus reads the unaltered UK edition, rather than the Americanized "Ministry of Magic"). When Harry and Ron try to get onto Platform 9 and ¾ they find the way blocked, an so have to (illegally) take a flying car Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, had enchanted. Once they land, Severus Snape reads them the riot act, for they have been spotted by muggles. And that's just the opening section. Danger doesn't stop there.

Murders and attacks begin to occur within the school, and whispers of a dark area known as the Chamber of Secrets somewhere in the castle, where the Heir of Slytherin has bred a monster, is begingin to circulate. Apparently this Chamber has been opened before, and the last time it was opened, someone was murdered.

It is here, in the second novel, we are first introduced to Potter's ability to speak Parseltongue, though we were told of this ability in the first book. Here this ability takes ominous overtones, for it is thought the Heir of SLytherin, the one who can open the Chamber of Secrets and command Slytherin's monster, would also be able to speak parseltongue, and so Potter must endure persecution on that front as well.

A funny character in this one is Gildery Lockhart, that fraud of a teacher who is world famous and takes credit for work that is no this.. His fate is well deserved.

Eventually, Harry finds his way into the Chamber of Secrets, and through the aid of Fawkes the Phoneix, fights off the magical beast of Slytherin and learns more about Tom Riddle, the boy who would become Voldemort.

Ultimately, All of these mysteries are unraveled, and Potter and the gang are safe again. However, in typical Rowling fashion, there are some central facts regarding the storyline that would not emerge until much later in the series. It is not until Book 6 we learn the importance of Tom Riddle's diary, and that it in fact a Horcrux.

Rowling introduces some new features and characters in her universe. It is here in CHAMBER OF SECRETS we first really get to meet Ginny Weasely (though she appears briefly in Book 1), who at this early stage has a crush on Harry though Harry does not return this crush. We are shown the Whomping Willow, Aragog the giant spider, and are given more backstory on Hagrid. We are shown Polyjuice Potion, and learn about Moaning Myrtle, the ghost in the third floor lavatory. We see that Hogwarts is not as safe as you may suppose (though the school was never THAT safe to begin with). Probably one of the most important additions to Rowling's cast of characters is Dobby, the house elf who would became a major character throughout the remainder of the series.

CHAMBER OF SECRETS shows, more than anything, that the success of PHILOSPHER'S STONE was not a fluke accident, and it is with this novel we get the first real rumblings of the Pottermania that was about to take over the globe. This book is easily as readable as the first, and most readers will fly through this novel.




This is my order of Potter books by preference:
Deathly Hallows
Prisoner of Azkaban
Order of the Phoenix
Philosopher's Stone/Chamber of Secrets (I rank them both the same)
Half-Blood Prince
Goblet of Fire.