Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling is a fantasy adventure for 11 year olds in which leaving home has become a dangerous business for Harry.

What happens

Voldemort wants to catch him, and the people planning his escape know they can't trust every familiar route. Even deciding how and when Harry should travel matters. Someone may already know more about the plan than they should.

Harry is getting ready to leave Privet Drive. Packing his old school trunk brings back memories he hasn't found it easy to put aside. Some of the things he finds matter far more than their size would suggest.

For a reader who's been with him through the earlier stories, these small reminders can feel very sad. Harry has lost people he cares about. Getting his things together doesn't mean he's stopped missing them.

There's also the very awkward business of persuading the Dursleys to accept help. Uncle Vernon would much rather question the arrangements. Harry has to explain that pretending the magical world doesn't exist won't keep them safe.

If your child likes stories where danger makes familiar people behave differently, there's plenty to notice here. Harry is trying to protect relatives who have treated him badly. Saying goodbye to them turns out to be a strange experience.

The opening gives your reader a frightening look at the people hunting him. Even Voldemort's own followers are scared of attracting his attention. You can feel how carefully they choose what to say around him.

This is a dark beginning. A captive is murdered and her body is offered to a snake, while other characters discuss killing Harry. These events happen in the first chapter, so they're worth knowing about before your reader starts.

For a child who finds cruelty or death upsetting, that may be too much. A reader already comfortable with the series' frightening moments may want to follow Harry as he faces this new danger. The story draws heavily on people and events from the earlier books.

What to read next

For another fantasy with a child caught up in dangerous adult secrets, try Northern Lights. It's in the library too. Lyra and her animal companion Pantalaimon sneak into a forbidden room and discover something much more serious than a reason to get told off.