Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling is a magical mystery for 11 year olds about a boy warned to stay away from the school he loves.

What happens

Harry is having a miserable summer with the Dursleys. His birthday has been ignored and his friends haven't written. Going back to Hogwarts is the thing he's looking forward to most.

Then Dobby appears in his bedroom. The little house-elf is desperate to help him, but his advice is the last thing Harry wants to hear. Something terrible is being planned at school and Harry mustn't return.

It's a very awkward time for a visitor. Uncle Vernon has important guests downstairs and Harry is supposed to be silent. Dobby is finding silence rather difficult!

If your reader enjoyed getting to know Harry in the first book, there's a lot to recognise in how he feels here. He misses his friends and wonders whether they've forgotten him. Being famous in the magical world doesn't make that worry disappear.

Harry's kindness to Dobby is lovely to see. He offers him a seat and asks whether he can help. Dobby is so unused to being treated kindly that these small things mean an enormous amount to him.

But Dobby can't simply explain everything he knows. You can share Harry's frustration as he tries to get a straight answer. Why would the place where he finally feels at home suddenly be somewhere he should fear?

Back at school, threatening messages and talk of a hidden chamber turn that warning into a mystery. This could suit a reader who likes having questions to carry through a story, alongside the spells and school friendships.

There are upsetting moments from the start. The Dursleys mistreat Harry, and Dobby hurts himself because he believes he must be punished. If cruelty to a frightened character is difficult for your child, that's worth knowing before they begin.

What to read next

The next Harry book in the library is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This time news of an escaped prisoner reaches Harry before term begins, while a birthday present turns out to have a nasty bite of its own.