Harry Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts is an auspicious time to be a wizard. The Quidditch World Cup is in full swing, and thanks to the Weasleys, Harry has a prime seat for the final between Ireland and Bulgaria. It’s a tremendously exciting day, as wizards from around the globe gather for should be a communal celebration. But an unfortunate incident leaves a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and makes it glaringly obvious that their are deep divisions within wizarding world.
It’s an exciting time for Hogwarts as well, as the Ministry of Magic has decided to revive the traditional Tri-Wizard Tournament, through which Rowling introduces the reader to the concept that there are other schools of witchcraft out there. The Goblet of Fire will pick out a champion each from Hogwarts, the French school Beauxbatons, and the vaguely Germanic sounding Durmstrang school. The three young wizards will compete in a series of grueling tasks to determine which of their schools is best.
This is the longest novel of the series so far, about twice as long as the previous entries. Though Rowling adds many more characters into the mis to support the load, at times it does seem like she is straining to keep the plot moving. Most of these new additions are welcome to the reader, however. There is of course a brand-new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the former Auror (a searcher for evil magicians) Mad-Eye Moody. We get to know a couple of the foreign wizards, like Fleur Delacour, whose painfully transcribed French accent is a real low point for Rowling, and Bulgarian Quidditch star Victor Krum, whose interest in Hermione may serve to clarify things for our favorite red-head Ron Weasley.
There is definitely a ratcheting up of the stakes in Goblet of Fire. You can tell that Rowling is trying to age up the series alongside her initial readers. That explains the focus on world-building, the increased amount of peril faced by our heroes, and the amount of time spent discussing, or hiding, teenage crushes.
Goblet of Fire could sink under the added weight, but the plot builds to a tremendous climax, which expertly sets in motion the events that are certain to play out throughout the rest of the series.