Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Hardcover)

by J.K. Rowling (Author), Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling offers up equal parts danger and delight--and any number of dragons, house-elves, and death-defying challenges. Now 14, her orphan hero has only two more weeks with his Muggle relatives before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet one night a vision harrowing enough to make his lightning-bolt-shaped scar burn has Harry on edge and contacting his godfather-in-hiding, Sirius Black. Happily, the prospect of attending the season's premier sporting event, the Quidditch World Cup, is enough to make Harry momentarily forget that Lord Voldemort and his sinister familiars--the Death Eaters--are out for murder.

Readers, we will cast a giant invisibility cloak over any more plot and reveal only that You-Know-Who is very much after Harry and that this year there will be no Quidditch matches between Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Instead, Hogwarts will vie with two other magicians' schools, the stylish Beauxbatons and the icy Durmstrang, in a Triwizard Tournament. Those chosen to compete will undergo three supreme tests. Could Harry be one of the lucky contenders?

But Quidditch buffs need not go into mourning: we get our share of this great game at the World Cup. Attempting to go incognito as Muggles, 100,000 witches and wizards converge on a "nice deserted moor." As ever, Rowling magicks up the details that make her world so vivid, and so comic. Several spectators' tents, for instance, are entirely unquotidian. One is a minipalace, complete with live peacocks; another has three floors and multiple turrets. And the sports paraphernalia on offer includes rosettes "squealing the names of the players" as well as "tiny models of Firebolts that really flew, and collectible figures of famous players, which strolled across the palm of your hand, preening themselves." Needless to say, the two teams are decidedly different, down to their mascots. Bulgaria is supported by the beautiful veela, who instantly enchant everyone--including Ireland's supporters--over to their side. Until, that is, thousands of tiny cheerleaders engage in some pyrotechnics of their own: "The leprechauns had risen into the air again, and this time, they formed a giant hand, which was making a very rude sign indeed at the veela across the field."

Long before her fourth installment appeared, Rowling warned that it would be darker, and it's true that every exhilaration is equaled by a moment that has us fearing for Harry's life, the book's emotions running as deep as its dangers. Along the way, though, she conjures up such new characters as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, a Dark Wizard catcher who may or may not be getting paranoid in his old age, and Rita Skeeter, who beetles around Hogwarts in search of stories. (This Daily Prophet scoop artist has a Quick-Quotes Quill that turns even the most innocent assertion into tabloid innuendo.) And at her bedazzling close, Rowling leaves several plot strands open, awaiting book 5. This fan is ready to wager that the author herself is part veela--her pen her wand, her commitment to her world complete. (Ages 9 and older) --Kerry Fried

From Publishers Weekly
Even without the unprecedented media attention and popularity her magical series has attracted, it would seem too much to hope that Rowling could sustain the brilliance and wit of her first three novels. Astonishingly, Rowling seems to have the spell-casting powers she assigns her characters: this fourth volume might be her most thrilling yet. The novel opens as a confused Muggle overhears Lord Voldemort and his henchman, Wormtail (the escapee from book three, Azkaban) discussing a murder and plotting more deaths (and invoking Harry Potter's name); clues suggest that Voldemort and Wormtail's location will prove highly significant. From here it takes a while (perhaps slightly too long a while) for Harry and his friends to get back to the Hogwarts school, where Rowling is on surest footing. Headmaster Dumbledore appalls everyone by declaring that Quidditch competition has been canceled for the year; then he makes the exciting announcement that the Triwizard Tournament is to be held after a cessation of many hundred years (it was discontinued, he explains, because the death toll mounted so high). One representative from each of the three largest wizardry schools of Europe (sinister Durmstrang, luxurious Beauxbatons and Hogwarts) are to be chosen by the Goblet of Fire; because of the mortal dangers, Dumbledore casts a spell that allows only students who are at least 17 to drop their names into the Goblet. Thus no one foresees that the Goblet will announce a fourth candidate: Harry. Who has put his name into the Goblet, and how is his participation in the tournament linked, as it surely must be, to Voldemort's newest plot? The details are as ingenious and original as ever, and somehow (for catching readers off-guard must certainly get more difficult with each successive volume) Rowling plants the red herrings, the artful clues and tricky surprises that disarm the most attentive audience. A climax even more spectacular than that of Azkaban will leave readers breathless. The muscle-building heft of this volume notwithstanding, the clamor for book five will begin as soon as readers finish installment four. All ages. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 734 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1st American Edition edition (July 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439139597
• ISBN-13: 978-0439139595
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5,185 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,682 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #14 in	Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( R ) > Rowling, J.K.
  #16 in	Books > Children's Books > Obsessions > Harry Potter Books
  #20 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Favorite Characters

• This is item 4 in The Harry Potter (English) Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 152 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, July 8, 2000

By	Xeneri - See all my reviews

What can I say about such an overly hyped book as this? Only that is was well worth the wait! For all of you who have never read any of the Potter books (could there really be people who haven't read at least one?) think of these books as a series of magical mysteries.

It's life as usual for Harry at the beginning of the book, which has him spending yet another dreadful summer with his hateful guardians, the Dursleys. (Imagine Dudley Dursley on a diet! Try saying that 3 times fast...) Things pick up when Harry goes to the Quiddich World Cup with the Weasleys. And life at Hogwarts is as interesting (and occasionally dangerous) as always with it's oddball assortment of students and professors. Naturally, there is a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher (my but they do keep going through them, don't they?) Along the way, we will learn about other schools like Hogwarts (it's about time!) And a new villain - or should I say villainess - is introduced. Someone who definately keeps Harry on his toes. All the while Harry and his 2 best friends, Ron and Hermione, become entangled with the mystery of The Goblet of Fire....

With characteristic abandon, Rowling creates familiar busy backdrop for Harry and friends as she pushes him through a series of terrifying encounters, the usual mischief and mayhem, new revelations (and, of course, rousing games of Quidditch)

It's delightful to see how Rowling can stay true to the feel of the previous books, and yet allow Harry and friends to mature (ex: As the kids are officially teenagers now, hormones will kick in for Harry, Ron and Hermione... but they all fall in love with the wrong people! Harry especially has some difficulties in this area.)

Be prepared: this is a darker book than the first 3. Some well known characters die -- one of whom is well liked by readers. The ending of the book is frightening compaired to the previos books but is a necessary evil for Harry as the older he gets, the more he learns about his past. JK Rowling has stated that each new book gets progressively darker so as to tie in with the overall plot.

As always she writes with a deft touch. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping and imaginative as the previous books -- full of unexpected twists and turns. A delight to be savored, especially you are, like me, already awaiting the next one.

79 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENTUS WONDIFERUS! Harry Potter Has Us Under His Spell!, July 12, 2000

By A Customer

Many stories have striven to catch the minds of its readers, or its listeners for that matter. From the beginning of time people have made daring attempts at concocting amusing and diverting tales, but J.K. Rowling has spun a most convincing story. Since the introduction of Harry Potter to the public, thousands upon thousands, undoubtedly millions, of every race, age, and religion, have fallen under his spell. After reading the fourth, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Finished it in less than three days; I couldn't put it down!), I have to let it be know that Ms. Rowling does not disappoint. As every preceding Potter book starts off, the newest is no different: Harry is staying with his insufferable relatives, the Dursleys. And as always, he has found a new, more creative and exciting means of shortening his summer stay with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousin. Trouble invariably manages to find Harry, even at his seemingly secure refuge. Lord Volde-- oh, goodness, excuse me!-- he-who-must-not-be-named is at his strongest, and Harry is facing greater risk than ever before. This is Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, and he is now fourteen years old. So along with life-threatening situations, almost losing a best friend, meeting new foes, dealing with old ones- namely Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy, and managing to get most of his homework done, Potter must also deal with the anguish and misery of being a teenager. Take it from me, I'm seventeen years old, and it's hard for me to believe that J.K. Rowling hasn't just experienced the cruelty of peers and at the same time, the exciting prospects that come with the whole "Being a Teen" package. Fearing that I might give too much away, I'll leave you with this tidbit: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn how to pronounce Hermione, but most importantly, you'll want to read more, and become a better person because of it.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How can I wait for the next one!, July 10, 2000

By	Christiana Sahl (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Well, I must start this review by saying that I am not 9 or even 12. I am a twenty-seven year old who recently returned to grad school.

I started Year 4 on Saturday morning. I read, almost non-stop, all day long literally glued to the book (resenting any of the banal trivialities of life--i.e. food, commitments, etc. that took me away from it) until at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night I reached the riveting last page.

In my opinion, this is the best book of the series (I recently re-read books 1-3 to regain a sense of continuity). Rowling continues to grow and develop the characters--Hermione becomes an object of desire for both new and old characters; Harry and Ron struggle with the awkwardness of growing boys to develop new relationships with girls and to deal with the expression of their feelings for the girls around them. Fred and George begin to prepare for life after Hogwarts in a way which provides a lot of fun and amusement. Draco Malfoy gets a come-uppance in one of the funniest ways impossible (I laughed out loud delightedly).

In this book, Harry Potter struggles with his fame--he almost loses friendships because of it, and he has to deal with the vicious press. He encounters an unscrupulous reporter who attempts to destroy both his reputation and the reputations of others close to him.

Of course, Voldemort is again back trying to regain power. The whole book has a sinister undertone because of the question about who in Hogwarts in helping him. The clues are sparse so the reader is left with a sense of dread.

This book does contain death, but the impact of the death is mitigated by Harry's nobleness in dealing with it.

The best part of this book is that it leaves me hungering for another. Late developments in the book with Cornelius Fudge and Severus Snape leave plenty of chaos to be mopped in the next book. In fact, at the end of book four, the future looks very bleak for good wizards and witches.

Like the others, the rich description and humor of the book as well as the real-life parallels make the place and time come alive. Hagrid, Dumbledore, the Weasleys, Sirius Black, and all our other favorites are back, better than ever.