The Short Version
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, book six of seven in J.K. Rowling’s series, works well for a book club because it is funny, romantic and quietly heartbreaking, and it tells us more about Voldemort’s past than any book before it. Published in 2005, it has thirty chapters and roughly one hundred and sixty-eight thousand words. In Harry’s sixth year, Dumbledore shows him memories of Voldemort’s past, Draco Malfoy is up to something, and Harry finds an old Potions textbook belonging to the Half-Blood Prince.
Below are twenty questions: ten you can use before everyone has finished the book, and ten that spoil the ending. A short section on the 2009 film gives the group something to compare. The book scores four and a half out of five in our review, and it assumes you know the first five books.
Before You Start: Content Notes For Your Group
This is the darkest book in the series so far. There is real danger, curses that cause serious injury, a poisoning, creepy corpses and a lot of grief, and the ending is heavy. There is also teenage romance, kissing and jealousy, but nothing graphic. Our review suggests readers around twelve and up.
Spoiler-Free Questions
- The book opens with the Muggle Prime Minister visited by a worried wizard stepping out of the fireplace. What does starting outside Harry’s world tell us about the stakes?
- Diagon Alley is half boarded up, with purple Ministry notices on the windows and amulet sellers working the street. How does the book show a frightened community without a speech?
- Fred and George’s joke shop is thriving in the middle of a war. Why does Rowling let fear and silliness sit side by side?
- Dumbledore takes Harry through memories stored in the Pensieve that show how a lonely orphan became the most feared wizard alive. Why does the book spend so long on Voldemort’s past?
- Horace Slughorn is vain, a little cowardly and genuinely likable, and he is nicest to people who might be useful. Is he a sympathetic character or a snob?
- Harry finds an old Potions textbook covered in clever notes by the Half-Blood Prince. Would you have used it, and what did the margins tell you about the writer?
- Harry is convinced that Draco Malfoy is up to something, and his friends think he is obsessed. Who did you believe?
- Ron plays brilliantly after thinking he was given a luck potion. What does that small story say about confidence?
- Ginny goes from a shy girl to someone funny, confident and entirely herself. Did that change feel earned?
- Our review scores pacing at three and a half because of a chatty middle. Did the lessons, crushes and Quidditch tryouts charm you or slow you down?
Spoiler Questions (Finish The Book First)
- Dumbledore makes Harry promise to obey every order, even to leave him behind, and Harry has to keep feeding him the potion in the cave. Is that the hardest scene in the book?
- The locket they risk everything for is a fake, with a note signed R.A.B. inside. Is the letdown a flaw or the point?
- Dumbledore freezes Harry in place under the Invisibility Cloak before Draco bursts onto the Astronomy Tower. Why does the book force Harry to watch?
- Draco repaired a broken Vanishing Cabinet to let Death Eaters into the school, and Dumbledore tells him he is not a killer. Why does Dumbledore offer him mercy?
- Snape swore an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy in the second chapter. Does that explain what he does on the tower, or does it still leave him guilty?
- Dumbledore says Severus and says please, and we never learn what he is pleading for. Is the ambiguity a strength or a cheat?
- Snape reveals himself as the Half-Blood Prince by Hagrid’s burning cabin. Did you suspect him, and does it change how you remember the Prince’s margins?
- Harry ends things with Ginny for some stupid, noble reason. Was he right to protect her, or wrong to decide for her?
- The funeral by the lake ends with white flames turning Dumbledore’s body into a white marble tomb. What does the scene say about the school he leaves behind?
- Dumbledore chose trust and it cost him. Was his kindness wisdom or a blind spot?
Book And Film
Your group may want to compare the 2009 film, directed by David Yates and running 153 minutes, with Jim Broadbent as Slughorn, Michael Gambon as Dumbledore and Alan Rickman as Snape. It keeps the Slughorn recruitment, the Felix Felicis and the Prince’s textbook, but adds an action scene in which Death Eaters attack and burn the Burrow, which does not happen in the book. Critics have noted the scene takes the place of material from the book that could have been used instead.
What To Read Next
If your group wants a spoiler-free verdict first, start with our review. Our ending explained covers the cave, the tower and the Prince, and our clues page shows what was hiding in plain sight, so save both for after the discussion. The book versus movie comparison is a good follow-up for a film night.
