The main plot centers around the Tri-Wizard Tournament, where the three most prestigious schools of witchcraft and wizardry select a champion to compete. The tournaments are extremely dangerous and this year's is no exception. The events include stealing an egg from a dragon, rescuing a loved one from the bottom of the lake and the guardian mer-folk and finding the winner's cup in a maze made up of carnivorous hedges.

Harry wants no part of it, but the Goblet of Fire, which chooses a champion from each school, spat his name out. The tournament is supposed to be only for sixth and seventh years, but Harry is forced to participate anyway.

I said in my review of Prisoner of Azkaban that Harry comes of age at the end, when he decides to bring his parent's betrayer to justice rather than kill him out of revenge. In Goblet of Fire, Rowling has the world treat him like an adult as well, despite his age.

The new teacher of Defense Against the Dark Arts shows the class the three most horrible curses known to the wizarding world, which is pretty mature stuff. It is also the last real lesson a teacher gives Harry for the rest of the series. Never again does Harry learn a new spell in school, at least not one that is specifically mentioned in the books. He either uses spells he already knows, learns on his own or gets from his peers. There is only one more effort for a professor to teach him something (Snape teaching Occlumancy in Order of the Phoenix) and it fails.

The theme of adults no longer being able to help Harry does not end in the classroom. In the earlier books, tough questions could usually be answered by adults, or at least enough information as to form a helpful clue. Although Harry does continue to receive advice from adults in this book and the rest of the series, it is no longer very helpful. Much advice turns out to be wrong and often the adult admits to not knowing. When anything useful is received, it is of very marginal value.

The final demonstration of manhood comes when Harry must face off with Voldermort one on one. When it is over, he has completed his rite of manhood, regardless of what the Ministry says about his age.

But more than just Harry is developing. Although a mega-plot has been hinted at in previous books, this is the first time we see more than just shadows or vague references. Voldermort is alive, he has a plan and he is able to get his minions to execute his wishes. The attack on Harry wasn't a target of opportunity like the three times before, it was pre-meditated.

And Voldermore has an unwitting ally in The Ministry. The Ministry unwittingly joins the side of Voldermort when they force Harry to compete. One law says that the goblet chooses the champions, but another law says the underage should be protected. Any judge with a sense of fairness and decency would choose to protect the young over a rule to a game, no matter how important the game was. This should especially be true when it was clear that the goblet was tampered with.

Yet the Ministry didn't. It made a conscious decision to pervert the intent of a tradition for the sake of preserving the past and, in doing so, ignore the perils of the future. Like many decisions made in life, this choice has far reaching and disastrous consequences for wizards and muggles alike, but we don't see them right away. You have to read the final three books for that.

John Holland-author of The Necklace of Terrersylvanous

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth installment in the popular book series. And what a surprise to see how large it is, compared to the first 3 books! They averaged 300 pages and this one tops in at over 600!

Harry and his friends are beginning their 4th year of magical instruction at Hogwarts school. Although the school year starts with an ominous sign (a terrorist attack by Death Eaters at a huge international sporting event), Harry is sure that this year will be a good one for him. He is starting this year on a "high note"...after discovering who ther real snitch was who "ratted" on his parents to Lord Voldemort (which led to their deaths), and saving his godfather from being wrongfully re-imprisoned. Even school seems really neat this year, as they have a new Professor who is teaching them some amazing stuff in Harry's favorite class (Defence Against the Dark Arts).

But alas for poor Harry, a happy and carefree school year is not in the cards. Under very unusual circumstances, his name is drawn to compete in a magical tournament...one that he is underage, underskilled and underprepared to compete in. Everyone is mad at Harry for "cheating" to get his name in the competition...even his best friend Ron. Like in his second year, (when many Hogwarts students feared harry was the Heir of Slytherin) Harry faces months of being shunned, rejected, friendless and alone. Luckily things pick up for Harry when he starts winning in the competitions and at least most people are not mad at him anymore...but he has other problems...such as the very awkward position of having to ask the girl he has a crush on, to the school dance.

Even though Harry is in the middle of a literally life-and-death competition, the book still takes time-out from the action to include humor, and bits of teenage experiences to be thrown in for greater realism and empathy. We may not be able to relate to the experience of dragon-battling, but we all know the sting of rejection from a teenage crush, or worries about not being able to dance.

I found this book to be easy reading, and generally, not "scary" until the end...when Voldemort returns. The end of this book marks the 'end of innocence' in Harry's world...the war that was brewing has begun and the series takes a darker turn from here as the main characters find themselves growing up in a ever more dangerous world.

Please do yourselves a favor and read this series from the beginning, and also be sure to READ the book, not just see the movie. The movies are fine, but the books are spectacular.

J. K. Rowling reeled my daughter and I in with her amazing ability to draw us into every detail of Harry Potter's life. Following him through learning he was a wizard and developing a relationship with him over six books now, has us on pins and needles. These books contain a story and an inspirational hero most children need today. Frankly, Goblet of Fire delivers the best Harry Potter by far for us.
Not only is Harry coping with his typical wizarding challenges such as avoiding schoolmates who think he's insane or the antagonistic Professor Snape or the usual fear of Voldemort and Dementers; he has to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. On top of that he faces losing his best friend, Ron, disappointing Dumbledore, and trying to understand the many fits and visions he keeps having of Voldemort's killing sprees.
The Triwizard Tournament meant only for 17 year old wizards leaves 14 year old Harry, feeling sick and numb over every challenge. If it weren't for the loyalty of his friends (despite Ron's initial rejection of Harry before the first task), Harry never would have made it to the final task. And Aaahhh... The final task leads Harry to a reckoning worth reading.
Never has Rowling developed her characters beyond the children they are. In the first three books, Ron, Hermione and Harry are on the brink of becoming something more than mere mortal children. But in these three books they are simply a lucky team. A group of heroic characters searching to become the wizards, they are meant to be. In Goblet, they evolve into those heroes. Characters with passions, talents and knowledge that affects the very lives of every one they love and cherish. Instead of random acts of bravery, they must choose to be brave, choose to do what is right and choose above everything else, to protect those around them first and foremost. Finally, they learn that the truth hurts and can be more painful than any wound, especially when you and a select few are the only ones who recognize or choose to recognize it.
This book pertains to the very structure of society today. Children and Adults alike face similar issues of denial in all aspects of our culture. This book gives children a glimpse of what it means to mature, develop ideas beyond something they were taught and to finally take a stand for beliefs they have developed from their own experiences.
Parents might be surprised to find that while these books have been hailed as "evil" or "promoters of witchcraft", in actuality teach the very morals every parent wants their children to learn. Morals that center around doing what is right, searching for the truth and acting appropriately when discovering it, and understanding that doing what is right is not always easy nor is it always beneficial but something that must be done.
Many people feel this book is too long. Also, others say it revealed too little new details. Over 700 pages, could be. Yet Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince seemed more that way to me; not Goblet. It was the turning point in the series and needed to be long. Like I mentioned, the main characters had major life changes.
Also, don't be fooled, this book is by far the most action-packed of the series. Spell-binding, Goblet easily outpaces all the books so far in the series. And do not use that joke of a movie titled the same to make an opinion on Goblet. Any true fan owns Goblet and thinks highly of it!

harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the 4th book in the Harry Potter Series. It was written by JK Rowling and released in Canada in 2000.

This book starts off on a happy note as Harry and the Weasley's head off to the Quidditch World Cup. They have a grand time there marking the major high point of the book. At the end of the championship game you get a glimpse of Voldemort's old power as his Death Eater's are introduced and they attack the camp.

The 4th year at Hogwart's is highlighted by the Tri-Wizard tournament. Two other school's of wizards are sent to Hogwarts to participate in this great tournament.

Harry end's up in this tournament and he has a miserable time because people think he cheated to end up in it.

The book is full of the danger's of the tournament and the tension between the contestants, Harry, and the school who think's he cheated. The ending of the tournament also has a death occuring!

The real pay off is at the end of the book when Harry Potter has to confront a Reborn Lord Voldemort! It is a very tense and exciting scene!

A great book.

5/5

Latsyrhc
Tamarack Collectibles

I found "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" to be just as exciting and entertaining as the previous books, if not more so. Rowlings is a great storyteller, and all her familiar trademarks are here: the colorful and eccentric characters, the humor, the playful use of words, the masterful cultivation of suspense. The book is over seven hundred pages long, but at the end you'll be wishing it were longer. There isn't a slow spot in it.
The story is, however, different in some ways from the previous ones. It's a lot darker and scarier, for one thing. Voldemort and his supporters play a prominent role in it, and their malice forms a palpable undercurrent in the plot from chapter one on. By the end of the story, you get to see just HOW evil Voldemort and his minions actually are. And let me tell you, they're pretty evil.

The other big difference is that Harry, Ron, Hermione and their friends are starting to grow up. The boys and girls have begun to notice each other now, and all the familiar problems of adolescence--jealousy, insecurity, fear of rejection, desire to fit in--or stand out--are starting to descend on them. I enjoy seeing the characters evolve in this way, but those who would rather they stay eternal 11-year-olds may be disappointed.

The story is not as self-contained as those in the previous books. Many plot lines are left open at the end, presumably to be resolved in books #5, 6, and 7. If you think you had a hard time waiting for "Goblet of Fire" to come out, wait till you finish it and are left thinking about the next one!

All in all, I highly recommend this book. If you're already a Harry Potter fan you won't be disappointed, and if you're not, reading it might very well make you one.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, 4th in the ever more popular series by author J. K. Rowling, had me turning pages far into the night. Harry and his friends have adventure aplenty but more important, they continue to learn and grow from their experiences at Hogwarts. The Tri-Wizard Cup challenges Harry in ways he could never have expected. Wonderful lessons on bravery, how to handle competition in a positive way, friendship and love continue in this great fantasy novel. A definite RECOMMENDED READ for anyone 13 and up!

This was one of the most exciting books in the series, but parents should be cautioned, this also contains the first cold-blooded murder. Scholastic ran with the Harry Potter series as "children's" books, but as the years progress, so does the demographic scale of appropriateness.
Keep in mind that Jo Rowling had never intended her story to be for children. While Sorcerer's Stone was innocent enough, each book gets a little darker and less suitable for 8-11 year olds. This one is definitely "young adult" and up.
When the books were first published, the reader had aged with the release of each new book.
Now, with all of them out there at once, there is no gradual progression for a child who has just begun the series unless the parent takes hold.
In my opinion, the prudent parent would present each book (beginning with Sorcerer's Stone) at 2 year intervals until the child reaches the age of 12.

That said,at the heart of the book- the Triwizard Tournament is one of the most cleverly concocted events in the series. Rowling challenges both Harry and the reader with a bevy of cleverness and creativity you can't experience with the cinematic version.
I personally adore the Harry Potter saga. If buying them for your child, I would encourage you to read it first so you can see for yourself just how brilliant a writer Rowling really is.

In the Goblet of Fire Harry and his friends can be found together again in the thick of it and yet not quite knowing it until they are in real danger by He who must not be named. Of course Harry continues to grow into the wizard we all expect him to be and we find out just how indispensable a house elf can be! Let us not forget just how clever Hermione is for without her how would Harry get out of ANY OF the mess he gets himself into. Ron is his usual prat self though we do see a touch of his loyalty to his friends start to come out in this book. Cedric Diggory and Harry Pottor become fast friends and Cho Chang cannot decide whom she wishes to date. And Hogwarts becomes guest to wizards and witches from afar.

Most of all this is the book where EVERY THING CHANGES!

This is the fourth installment of the 7 book series by J.K Rowling. And let me say, this is a good one! Harry is sensing Voldemort more and more, Sirius sends Harry letters, and the Tri-Wizard cup with Harry as champion #4! The thing is, only three champions are allowed and there was a age restriction of 17 years. What will happen to Harry this time?

this is the fourth book in the series and probably one of the best, in it harry discovers a lot about his true character, and whre his loyalties lie, he is given a chance of a lifetime to develop his courage and build his self esteem, and even get some new spells, but will those be enough to prepare him to face voldemort?


UK adult cover
UK child cover which contains the same text as the adult just with a more fanciful pictureon the cover
UK collectors edition (stamped signiture of JK rowling,false gild on pages)
US edition

Someone once told me that when reading "Junk in is junk out" and referred to the multi-award winning Harry Potter series as junk. So I decided to see what this junk was all about. For a series of books written for children they grabbed hold of me and kept me glued to the pages. This book, the forth in the series, continues with new challenges at Hogwarts's School for Harry, Ron and Hermione in addition to the creation of new and characters. Dislikes none. I'm looking forward to reading these books with my grandchildren for many years to come.

I loved this Harry Potter book. I have all of the books and all of the movies. J.K. Rowling has managed to keep me interested so that I want the next book/movie before it hits the stores.

In this book Harry enters the Triwizard tournament though not through his own doings. This tournament pits Harry again another Hogwart's classmate as well as two others from rival Wizarding Academies. The storyline is good and keeps you on your toes. The ending is sad but real.

A good read that is worth the money.

This is maybe the 10th copy of this book I have purchased. We are a family of Harry Potter fans, so I buy for the kids, the grandkids and friends of us all. There just is not enough you can say about the Harry Potter series or J.K. Rowling's ability to put you in the scene and know these characters as friends and family. My 10 year old grandson asked me to read them, but I balked as I thought "kid's books", then my 15 year old grandson challenged me to read the first book and I was hooked for life. We have collections of Harry Potter in nearly every household. All are collecting the books, even my husband has gotten hooked on them and is finally finishing the 6th. This particular copy is to replace the paperbound in my son's collection, which I stold for my husband to read. Now I am collecting the paperbound and sending the hardbound to friends overseas. There is absolutley NOTHING to dislike about this series, about Harry or his friends and I cannot wait to see what J.K. Rowling will come up with next. We all know it will get us hooked on the first page and we will be fans for a lifetime.

This is the 4th installment in the amazing Harry Potter series and it is one of the most exciting books. It breaks apart from the first 3 and is more intense and action packed since it revolves around the tri-wizard tournament. This book is a good transition from a more soft and gentle storyline in the first 3 books, to the edgier and darker storylines of the upcoming books. It's awesome!!!!!

Many a twist and turn in this installment of the greatest boy wizard in literature. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and your eyes will blur as you cant put it down. How did Harry's name get into the Goblet? Why was it put in the Goblet? What is Mad Eye Moody's reason for being so helpful? Will Ron and Harry mend their friendship and the trust they once had? All these questions are answered in this installment as well as being packed with the adventure, drama and humor we've come to love in the HP series.

As with any Harry Potter book, the books is much funnier, entertaining, and a wilder adventure then the movies.

So if you haven't already please take the time and read each book after you have seen the movie. That way you can still enjoy all the surprises and twist and turns that the movie has with out being perturbed over what was left out from J.K.'s
telling of the story.

Examples: In the book it was not Neval who gave Harry the Gilly Weed. The movie also left Dobby out completely as well as Winky. I feel Winky was a important part of the story as was everything she reveals in her telling of her story. READ THIS BOOK. The movie left out important stuff.

While I bought this hardcover book as a present for someone else, I had read the book. It is the 4th book in the 7-book series about the Wizard Harry Potter. It is a pivital book in the series and answers many questions left by the previous books. As with the other books in the series, you will not want to put it down. It an action-packed book and an enjoyable read. If you have read the first 3 books, you will want to read this one and as a hardcover book it will be a handsome addition to your personal library.

Goblet of Fire is probably my favorite book in the whole series. It is such a page turner! Don't let its length scare you, this book is amazing! I read it in two days because I couldn't put it down. There is a ton of action and it really changes the plot of the previous books. You will not be dissappointed!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire if the fourth book in the Harry Potter books and it`s great! Everything revolves around the TriWizard Tournament and how Harry is thrown into another of Voldemort`s schemes...only this time He succeeds. There is action, new romances, several new spells, and lots of great new characters. Definitley a great read and must have for any Harry Potter fan.

i love this book a whole lot. if you like harry potter this is a great book in the series. it is very suspensful. harry is in his four year of school and the is a tournment that is going on that is only supose to be for the 17 years old but some how his name is submited and picked to compeat in the compition. you will never guess the ending and who is behind it all.

This is a wonderful book as well as the other books in the Harry Potter series. This is the fourth book in a series of seven books. It is great for adults and children alike! Great science fiction! You will not be disappointed in the books!! Hope this helps!

I admit, I am a big Harry Potter fan. I remember when I read my first Potter book, I couldn't put it down. This book transports you to a world of magic, friendship and wonder. Do the kid in you a big favor and read this book.. you will enjoy the trek into magic and have a great time reading about Harry and all his friends.
My daughter loves this book too, children of all ages get a kick out of Harry Potter and his experiences. Get ready to read until the book is done as each page sweeps you deeper into the story and the characters.

Blessings,
Donna
LyonZPath

This is an awesome book in the series of 7 Harry Potter books. I've read the books 2 or 3 times already and am no just working on getting the Hardcover copies of the books. I love these books. Once you pick them up, you don't want to put it down until you are done with it!! And then you want to start the next ASAP!

I purchased this book to finish off my Harry Potter collection in hardcover. I really liked the entire series. Would recommend to both beginner and advanced readers. My daughter is 9 and is able to read and understand the books. The movies are close to the books.