I’m now two books into my much-belated journey into the world of Harry Potter and still very much enjoying the ride. Chamber of Secrets is a very typical second entry in many ways, opening with a bit of a recap of the events of the previous book, introducing some new characters, and increasing the level of danger facing our heroes.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione are no longer first-years at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but they still have a lot to learn about the world of magic. Harry is still dealing with the fact that he’s a celebrity in the wizarding world, and has to deal with some “fans” among the new students, especially his best friend Ron’s younger sister Ginny. He’s also facing increasing antagonism from his archrival Draco Malfoy, whose powerful father is also throwing his weight around as one of the governors on the school’s board. There’s also a new professor for Defense of the Dark Arts, the vainglorious Gilderoy Lockhart, who makes the students buy all of his books and constantly prattles on about his exploits. In one of the book’s lamer bits, Ron and Harry see right through Lockhart’s pomp and circumstance, but Hermione is besotted with him.
While some of the new additions to the cast of characters are not quite as successful, building out the world of Hogwarts is a necessity with some happy results. The plaintive ghost Moaning Myrtle, forever haunting an out-of-commission girls’ restroom, is a humorous new entrant. We also learn more about Nearly Headless Nick, start meeting more students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, and see Harry Potter discover some startling new abilities.
I’m obviously reading the books at a much later stage of life than most people first encounter them. At times I do have to make allowances for the fact that this book was written for pre-teens. I still find myself questioning some of the ways in which Rowling has her world operate. It seems odd that the Weasleys, for instance, don’t understand much of the Muggle world despite living in it and Mr. Weasley specifically working with Muggles. And other than the fact that it plays a role in the ending, it seems ridiculous that at a school full of witches and wizards, there’s no one who can fix poor Ron’s broken wand over the course of an entire school year.
Still, by upping the stakes and broadening its scope, Chamber of Secrets does a wonderful job continuing the series and keeping the reader hooked, whatever their age.