After a momentous year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter can't wait to return.  His summer break has seemed endless—not only are the Dursleys as horrible as always, but also Harry's forbidden from using magic, and he hasn't received even one letter from Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, or anyone else.  Have his new friends forgotten about him already?  Things become even more ominous when a strange elf named Dobby appears in Harry's room warning him that if he returns to school, terrible things will happen.

Irritated but undeterred, Harry returns to Hogwarts—to his studies, to his friends, to his home.  Despite a few new faces in the crowd (including a self-absorbed new teacher and a budding reporter who won't leave Harry alone), it's business as usual at the magical school.  Well, as usual as it gets at Hogwarts!  The real trouble starts with whispers about a mysterious Chamber of Secrets and what's being kept inside it.  When several students end up petrified (frozen like statues), fear sweeps through the school.  Who is attacking the kids?  Some suspect Hagrid, who hides secrets about his own school days.  Harry refuses to believe his friend is capable of such a thing.  It's as ludicrous as the rumor that Harry himself is responsible.  Desperate to clear his name, Harry and his friends will have to find the culprit themselves.

Although the first Harry Potter novel will always be my favorite, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is just as exciting.  It introduces interesting new characters like loyal Dobby; self-absorbed Gilderoy Lockhart; and Fawkes, a remarkable phoenix; as well as a new Hogwarts mystery for Harry to solve.  Filled with all the magic of the series debut, it's a worthy follow-up that is fun, engrossing, and wholly enjoyable.  I loved the novel when I read it the first time and I adored it the second time around.  Revisiting Hogwarts is like going home—always a pleasurable experience!

Since I shared my favorite quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, I'll leave you with some goodies from The Chamber of Secrets:

"'Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron.  'When in doubt, go to the library.'" (p. 255)

"'You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.'"  -- Albus Dumbledore, to Harry Potter (p. 264)

"'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'"  -- Albus Dumbledore, to Harry Potter (p. 333)

(Readalikes:  Other books in the HP series, including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Quidditch Through the Ages; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; and The Tales of Beedle the Bard)

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Let it be known:  I have been a Potterhead since Day One.  When Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling was published in the U.S. in 1998, I was a young mother who read voraciously.  Back in the day, however, adults rarely ventured into the children's section of the library and never the YA area (if, indeed, there was one at all).  It wasn't a thing yet, so I felt a little silly reading a kid's book, let alone adoring it as I did.  My unabashed Harry Potter love continued unabated as the series went on and the rest of the world caught on to what I already knew.  Now, everyone's an HP fan.  I don't blame them a bit.  I loved the books as I read them and I love them still today.  My daughter claims to have read each of the installments in the series eight times; I've read each once and that was when they originally came out.  Clearly, a re-read of the whole series has been in order for a long, long time!

Naturally, I started at the beginning with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  I'm not going to give you a plot summary as you all know what the book's about.  Suffice it to say that this is a magical, transporting read that is just tons of fun.  It's got action, adventure, suspense, mystery—all the good stuff!  The characters are lovable (most of them, anyway), intriguing, and unique; the supporting cast is as delightful as the main one (maybe even more so).  There are many, many reasons Harry Potter has be-spelled so many.  If you haven't read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at least once, you're missing out.

I'm going to leave off with some of my favorite quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  Enjoy!

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves.  We could have all been killed—or worse, expelled."  -- Hermione Granger, to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, p. 162

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."  -- Albus Dumbledore, p. 214

"Oh, honestly, don't you two read?"  -- Hermione Granger, to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, p. 219

"... to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.  It is in your very skin."  -- Albus Dumbledore, p. 299

"There are all kinds of courage ... It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends."  -- Albus Dumbledore, p. 306

(Readalikes:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Quiddith Through the Ages; and The Tales of Beedle the Bard—all by J.K. Rowling)

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I've had Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows since its release date, but I've been putting off reading it. Why? I was intimidated by its sheer heft, for one. It's 759 pages long, and a part of me just wanted to skip straight to the end (like my mom did) and get all the answers. That was really only a small part of me, though, because I never read the endings of books first. Anyway, the biggest reason I've been procrastinating is that I know it will be the last new Harry Potter book ever. I'm grieving. So, I vowed to read it slowly and savor the story, but...yeah, that didn't happen. I found myself racing through it like a madwoman, desperate to see what happened to Harry and his friends (and foes).

Before you read on, I should warn you that there may be plot spoilers ahead. I won't intentionally spoil the whole story, but I may inadvertently mention a few of its surprises, so consider yourself forewarned...

The story opens with a sinister first chapter affirming what we all know from the last book: Lord Voldemort has gained power and is planning to take over not only the Ministry of Magic, but also the entire wizarding world. Harry Potter is his only real obstacle, and of course Voldemort has plans to kill the young wizard. Knowing that, Harry's supporters have gathered at number four, Privet Drive, to whisk he and the Dursleys to safety. Unfortunately, the plan goes a bit awry and Harry finds himself trapped at Ron's house, under the constant, watchful eye of Mrs. Weasley. When Harry, Ron and Hermione can sneak away, they spend their stolen moments hatching their plans to continue the mission left for them by Professor Dumbledore: they must find Voldemort's 5 horcruxes and destroy them. Their search proves much harder than any of them imagined, pitting them against Death Eaters, goblins, possessed bodies and an enormous dragon among the more mundane problems of hunger, thirst, flared tempers and finding safety in an increasingly dangerous world. As if Harry doesn't have enough on his mind, he also has to face the fact that Dumbledore may not have been who Harry thought he was. Disturbing details in Rita Skeeter's new bestseller - a scathing tell-all about the Professor - seem to confirm Harry's biggest fears about his beloved mentor. Was it true the Professor was involved in the Dark Arts as a youth? What happened to his sister, Ariana? Was Dumbledore really responsible for her death? And, why, did he trust Severus Snape, a confirmed Death Eater? If Dumbledore can't be trusted, then what of the perilous quest Harry and his friends have undertaken? Somehow, Harry can't bring himself to abandon it, no matter how much danger he and his supporters are in. And they are indeed in grave danger: war has broken out in the wizarding world, and Voldemort seems intent on killing anyone who stands in his way. The final showdown happens - appropriately - at Hogwarts, with the good wizards fighting the bad. In the end, it comes down to Harry v. Voldemort, in the ultimate duel between good and evil.

What can I say? The ending was inevitable and predictable, but it was an awesome ride. The book was simply impossible to put down, and I enjoyed every word. I wasn't at all surprised by the ending, but I was (mostly) satisfied by it. My main beef was actually with the Epilogue, which was dull and not at all informative. I've still got questions: What happened to the Dursleys? They aren't mentioned after Chapter 2. I'm also wondering how Neville Longbottom ended up with Gryffindor's sword in the end? Maybe I missed something, but I thought Griphook took it...Anyway, I would have preferred a better wrap-up, but all in all, the book was breathtaking.

I'm sad that Harry Potter mania is over, but I'm glad to have been a part of it. Farewell, Harry, the world won't be the same without you!