The Verdict
This is my spoiler free review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling, which is book two of seven.
Quick verdict. It is a funnier, spookier and cleverer book than the first one, and one of the best mysteries in children’s fiction. It has a slow start and a few thin spots, but I still give it four and a half out of five. And I will not spoil a single reveal.
What It’s About
It is the summer after Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. He is turning twelve, the Dursleys have forgotten his birthday, and they have locked his wand, his spell books and his broomstick in a cupboard. Then a strange little house elf named Dobby appears in his bedroom with an urgent warning. Harry must not go back to school.
Of course, he goes back. And at Hogwarts, doors that should have stayed closed are opening. A message appears on a wall, students begin to fall victim to something nobody can see, and the whole castle starts whispering about an old legend. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, and the Heir of Slytherin has come.
It is a mystery, so the question driving the book is simple. Who is behind the attacks, and what is the thing nobody can see?
Year Two At Hogwarts
It was first published in the UK in nineteen ninety eight, and in the United States by Scholastic in nineteen ninety nine. My edition has eighteen chapters and roughly eighty five thousand words, which is longer than the first book, and you can feel it. Confident readers from about eight or nine can manage it, and it is a lovely read aloud.
The first act is a series of delightful set pieces. A dinner party for Uncle Vernon goes spectacularly wrong. A flying car rescues Harry in the middle of the night. Then comes the Burrow, the crooked, crowded Weasley home, where even the mirror on the mantelpiece nags you to tuck in your shirt.
After that comes my favorite stretch of shopping in the series. Harry gets lost in a Dark Arts alley by accident, and then a book signing in Diagon Alley introduces Gilderoy Lockhart, a dazzling celebrity author who is about to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.
What Works
Four things work wonderfully for me.
First, the mystery. This is a real whodunit, with clues, suspects and red herrings, and it plays fair. Harry and his friends suspect the wrong person for a long time, and the book makes that feel natural. On a second read you see how much was in plain sight.
Second, the humor. Lockhart is one of the funniest characters in the series. His gushing book signing, his titles like Gadding with Ghouls, and his unshakable belief that he is a hero had me laughing out loud. The Dueling Club chapter is a comic highlight. The Weasley twins, a Howler, and Ron’s taped up wand add plenty more.
Third, the atmosphere. A cold voice that only Harry can hear, and long, empty stone corridors, give Hogwarts a real edge. It is the first time the castle feels dangerous, not just magical.
And fourth, the world keeps growing. We learn how Floo powder travels, we see the Burrow and Knockturn Alley, and we meet Mr. Weasley, who is delighted by telephones and Muggle money. Wizarding society gets rules, quarrels and politics here, and it makes the first book’s setting feel lived in, not just decorated.
Characters and Themes
Harry is more confident here, and also more alone. For much of the year people he trusts start to look at him differently, and the book is honest about how much that hurts. Rowling understands what it is like to be stared at when you did nothing wrong.
Ron and Hermione each get great moments. Ron is braver than he thinks, even when he is miserable about it, and Hermione gets some of her best displays of research and nerve. The Weasleys deepen the world, from the fussing parents to the twins and a prefect brother, Percy, who takes rules very seriously. A new student, Colin Creevey, is an eager first year with a camera, and he gets a lot of laughs and some real heart.
Draco Malfoy gets sharper too. His father Lucius arrives, cold and polished, and you see where Draco learned his sneer. Snape, Hagrid and Dumbledore all return and are as memorable as ever. Hagrid in particular is the warm heart of the castle, even when the plot puts his friends in an awkward position.
I also adore Dobby. He is funny, heartbreaking and unforgettable. He punishes himself whenever he says too much, and the way he tries to help Harry, and keeps making things worse, is the book’s most original idea.
The big theme is identity. Harry spends the year wondering what he is made of, and whether fame, talent or even bloodline decide who you are. The book answers with a famous line, which I will save for the ending video. It also tackles prejudice, because the villain’s whole cause is about who counts as a real wizard.
Writing and Pacing
Rowling’s prose is brisk, warm and full of small, memorable details, from the Weasleys’ crooked house to the school’s talking portraits. Her jokes land, her dread builds without getting gory, and almost every chapter ends on a hook that makes it hard to stop.
The pacing is slower than book one in the opening chapters, because it takes a while to reach Hogwarts. The middle is the best stretch, with each incident adding another piece to the puzzle. Then the final act speeds up so much that you will want to read it in one sitting.
Reading it as an adult, the thing I notice most is how tidy the plotting is. Small scenes that seem like jokes, a bathroom here, a bit of gossip there, a detention that seems like a punishment, all turn out to matter. Rowling does not waste a chapter, and she trusts the reader to keep up.
I also love how the book works for two audiences. A child follows the adventure, and an adult notices the structure, the foreshadowing and the way jokes turn into clues later.
What Doesn’t Work
It is not perfect, so here are five small complaints.
First, the start is slow. Seven chapters pass before anything truly sinister happens at the school, and some readers will want Hogwarts sooner.
Second, adult readers may spot the answer early. The book is written for kids, and the clues are generous. If you read mysteries a lot, expect to be a step ahead.
Third, Hermione and a few others get sidelined for long stretches, which is a shame, because the trio is at its best when all three are on the page together.
Fourth, the house elf storyline is played partly for comedy, and the cruelty Dobby faces can feel uncomfortable. The series returns to it later with more weight, but here it is a little light.
Fifth, the adults are oddly passive. Students are being attacked, and still it falls to a few twelve year olds to do the real detective work. That is how children’s adventure stories work, and I forgive it, but it does stretch belief once or twice.
Content Notes
This is gentler than the later books, but darker than the first. There are frightening moments, with students found frozen and rigid, and talk of death in the school’s past.
There is a lot of peril, plus snakes and giant spiders, so if you or your child are afraid of either, be ready. A slur for wizards born to Muggle parents is used by the villains and is clearly framed as ugly. There is bullying, a potion mishap that is more icky than scary, a broken arm, and a house elf who is treated cruelly.
I would say it is best for readers around nine and up, or younger with a grown up beside them.
The Scorecard
Here is my scorecard, out of five.
Mystery, five out of five. It is superbly built.
Humor, four and a half. Lockhart alone is worth the price.
Characters, four and a half. The Weasleys and Dobby steal it.
Pacing, four. It takes a while to get going.
Ending, five. It is dramatic, satisfying and sets up a lot more than you realize.
That averages out to four and a half out of five.
Who It’s For
Read it if you loved the first book, if you enjoy a good mystery, or if you want a cozy, funny, slightly spooky read that gets better on a second reading. It is also a great pick if you are reading along with HBO’s series, which reportedly plans one season per book.
It also works as a gift for a young reader who has just finished the first book and wants more. The story is a little scarier but still very safe in the end.
Skip it, or wait a little, if you are brand new to Harry Potter, since this one builds on the first book. And hold off if very young or sensitive readers would be frightened by snakes, spiders and creepy voices.
If you like this, my ending explained video digs into every reveal, and the clues video shows what was hiding in plain sight.
Where To Get It
You can find links to the book and the audiobook in the description. The audiobook is wonderful, with big character voices that bring Lockhart and Dobby to life.
Tell me in the comments, who is your favorite character from this book, Dobby, Lockhart or someone else? And if you want to know how it ends, my ending explained video is next. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next one.
