Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)
by J.K. Rowling

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

Book Review: Defending Harry Potter!
Summary: 5 Stars

Now, there are some parents who
absolutely forbid there children to read them. Some say that they
attempt to promote witchcraft and Satanism. These books are filled to
the cover of magic and magical teachings. Harry and his friends learn
about the history of the magical world, the art of potion-making, the
transfiguration (changing one thing into another) and apparition
(disappearing from one place and reappearing in another) processes,
the magically botanical studies of Herbology, the care of magical
creatures, Charms (spells that allow you to move objects, protect
yourself, as well as change the physical appearance of things),
Divination (a.k.a. predicting the future; Harry and his friends do not
in anyway excel in this subject and believe that very few wizards
carry this talent), Astronomy, and last and most important, Defense
Against the Dark Arts.

It is fun and exciting to read about all of
his classes, but let's think for a minute about one in particular,
Defense Against the Dark Arts. People go on and on about the evil
Dark Lord in the books and about the dark spells and curses that are
feared by Harry and his friends and teachers. But if Harry takes a
specific class to learn how to defend himself against these evil
topics, how can anyone say that these books promote evil witchcraft
and wizardry. All of the magical people in the books are fearful of
the Dark Side and are fighting against it. Against it? Hmm...Does
that really sound as though these books were written to promote the
Dark Side? Absolutely not!

These books were written and are
intended to be read for the entertainment of the reader by enjoying
Harry's many adventures at his magical school. How can learning about
history of magic, potion-making, transfiguration, divination, charms,
astronomy, the caring for/of magical plants and animals, and Defense
Against the Dark Arts (there's that word again) be sac-religious,
satanic, or even promotional to violence and slander. If you ask me,
most of these parents haven't even read these books to know enough
about them, and even if they have, they probably have so much free
time that all they care about is having something gripe or complain
about to consume time.

Also, I understand that some parents are
speaking out against the Harry Potter Series because of what they have
heard about it, and are trying to protect their children from a
Christian point of view. Well as a life-long Christian that grew up
around the church, I would just like to say that I have no objections
about reading the Harry Potter Series. As I have said before, the
characters in these books battle against the evil Dark Side. Now
there are those students who believe in the magic in these books.
Those students are the types that more than likely have no Christian
background. I have also heard that there are some kids who were
Christians but now say that magic is the only way and that the Bible
is nothing but a terribly ruly book of stories and rules. These
students have already got problems if they actually believe in this
magic. J.K. Rowling states in an interview that she has written her
books for the enjoyment of the reader. Rowling herself does not
believe in any of this. She simply wrote some stories for her own and
even what she thought would be the few people that would read them's
entertainment. Never did she guess that her writings would be
published, much less become bestsellers.

In this Interview,
Rowling also states that her favorite author is C. S. Lewis.
C.S. Lewis is a born-again Christian with many biblical teachings.
Yet he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. I don't know how many times
I've read articles explaining how different the Harry Potter Series is
from the Chronicles, but still, how can an evil witch with deep dark
magic be so much different than the evil Dark Lord in the Harry Potter
Series. My own church family heard our preacher, Rev. Jeff Witcher,
32, preach quote after quote from C. S. Lewis's teachings. Lewis
writes about the fight against the evil deep dark magical witch in
Narnia, and Rowling writes about Harry's fight against the Dark Lord
in the wizard world, yet C.S. Lewis is still looked up to for his
biblical teachings so why is there so much fuss about Harry Potter?
Both series are in the school libraries around the world and are even
used as English reading tools during class, and both have literature
and teaching materials used for teaching other forms of language arts.
Both series' have a moral for each chapter. Both series' contain
books that have won awards such as the Parenting Book of the Year
Award. So, I ask again, what is wrong with Harry Potter?

So for
those students that are turning away from Christianity and are
converting to these beliefs, try to understand that J.K. Rowling did
not write these books to try to encourage Christians to believe in
magic. No human can magically do anything so why would anyone believe
in magic to be real. The purpose in these books were to entertain the
reader.

A writer from Beliefnet (www.beliefnet.com) says this:
"There are some Christians who view these two activities as a
contradiction--who think that Hogwarts is worse than hogwash, and that
the magical scenarios of J.K. Rowling's imagination are inherently
un-Christian. I would counter that, instead, these books have the
potential to be profoundly Christian if readers can see past the
medium (magic) to the novels' deeper messages about self-sacrifice,
the triumph of good over evil, and the glorious possibility of human
redemption."

Just two weeks ago, at my school, the special
education teacher was telling the school secretary while I was working
in the front office as an eighth grade office-aid that one of her
students that she had been having problems with trying to keep him
calm, quiet and attentive had found the first book in the series and
was silently trying to interpret the words on his own. She thought
that if this book appeared to be that interesting to him, maybe she
should read it to him and use his interest in this particular book as
a tool to assist her in teaching him how to read and learn better and
easier. So if even students that are in some way disabled can read,
understand, and enjoy these books, why can't everybody try or at least
have the chance to read, enjoy, and understand them. For as I have
stated before, those that come to believe that magic is real and are
taken to the Dark Side because of these books, are in less
understanding before they have read them than after because everyone
should know that none of these things that we read and enjoy reading
about are true.

Now let's focus on another of Harry's subjects,
Divination. Many believe that the act of trying to predict the future
in the Harry Potter Series should not even be written. But once
again, Harry does not in any way excel in this subject and believes as
Hermione said 'that it is a very imprecise branch of magic'. In fact,
during Harry's third year at Howarts, Hermione disagreed with their
Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, and quit taking the class.
Now that is saying something because Hermione is the most clever of
the three main characters, Harry, Ron Weasley, and herself. She also
stated at the beginning of the year that 'if foolish guesswork and
pretending to see death omens is what it takes to become a true
see-er, then I'm not sure I will be taking this class much longer.
Just because Rowling writes about Divination, doesn't mean that she
believes in it nor is she trying to encourage her young readers to
take on this foolish practice. So if Harry and his friends believe
that Professor Trelawney is as they say continuosly an "old
fraud", Hermione quit taking the class, and Ron is always
performing stupid imitations of her, then how can anyone say that
Rowling is trying to promote this strange practice, and like I said
before, anyone who actually believes in this practice or any other
form of magic, is already as Ron believes, the headmaster, Professor
Dumbledore is, 'off his rocker'.

WoW! Can you believe it! That
brings up another topic, Professor Dumbledore. I've heard other
complaints about some of Dumbledore's wise sayings. One, for example,
is when in the third book, after Harry tells Dumbledore that he
thought he saw his father, but it was really him, Dumbledore answers
by saying that, although he may not have actually seen his father, he
may have simply found him inside himself. Many argue in reply to this
wise saying, that your parent's or any other ancestor's spirits do not
remain inside you after they are deceased. I agree on this thought.
No, the dead's spirits do not remain inside us (only Jesus's does
that, whenever we ask him to), but the memories that we have of them,
however, do.

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

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

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