Here it is folks, Book 4. In all of its Harry Potterish glory. Now is where things get real as the children say. Right here in this 700+ page tome is where Rowling gets serious. No more cutesy boarding school antics and be prepared please, people will die. (Not readers! Characters in the book!)
This time, the book opens with a triple murder. Or at least a story about a triple murder. Evidently three members of a family are found dead by their maid and their gardener was arrested for it. Over the course of the first 15 pages, we learn of another murder and witness yet another. So the death count is at 5 (plus a threat on Potter’s life) all before the end of the first chapter.
Much of the book focuses on the Triwizard Tournament, a tournament which was once discontinued because of the high death toll. It very quickly becomes clear that the tournament really is terrifically dangerous and may even be used as a way to put certain people in harm’s way. The tournament also marks one of the first times that Harry experiences people turning against him. Of course, in earlier books Malfoy and Snape dislike him, but in Goblet of Fire he has to deal with people who like him being unsupportive (a theme that will continue into the next book).
Many people consider this to be the first of the “scary” Harry Potter books, just because it features what they consider the first death. I suppose in a way it is the first death, because it occurs in the present rather than the past. Here’s something to consider. If your children have seen the movies, assume they know this is coming. That they have some level of mental preparation for it. But for a child who is reading the books for the first time with no prior exposure, it can come as a bit of a shock, because in children’s books*, characters aren’t usually killed off wily-nily.
Aside from the gloom, doom and danger, there’s a significant jump in reading ability required. The first chapter jumps from the past to present, through a few rumors and requires a vast, vast amount of inferring on the part of the reader. We should infer that the character addressed as “Your Lordship” is Voldemort, but would a child know? As the book progresses, there are an increasing number of characters to keep straight. There are the main core characters that children will be familiar with from the prior books, but there are also students from other schools, wizards who work for the Ministry of Magic, assorted Death Eaters (supporters of Voldemort) and various others. And it is actually necessary to keep them all straight, because at the end, when all is revealed, there are an awful lot of questions of identity and questions of loyalty, all of which will make no sense if you can’t remember who is who.
There’s definitely a continued theme of not being sure who you can trust, especially when it comes to adults. The Dark Arts teacher is going to teach them things that the Ministry believes they should not yet be taught, but the headmaster thinks they should know, which shows a questioning of authority (which will only ramp up in the next book).
The ending of this book is incredibly scary for many, with a scene in a graveyard and resurrection of evil and random thoughtless death. You might even just flip through those last chapters. Start at thirty-two, Flesh, Blood and Bone and see how you feel about it. The next book is even darker in tone and a bit scarier. So what you’re dealing with, really, is that the end of this book is not a happy ending. It’s foreboding and chilling. But if you choose to continue, things really aren’t going to get better, so you can’t just push past this dark bit and expect things to go back to funny and light next. Because they won’t and they don’t. For some, they tend to fixate on the last bit they’ve read, and if you stop here, you’re leaving them with quite a worrying scene. If you stop after book three, it’s not nearly as nerve wracking.
*Is this a children’s book? Is it? Should it be filed J in libraries? I don’t know. Probably? But I do think there’s a point at which the series is far more YA appropriate. Which brings me to…
Age Recommendation: I do think there are some fourth graders who are advanced readers and emotionally mature who could handle reading this book, particularly if they have an adult they can talk to about it. I would say in general though, that it’s a much better fit for a fifth or even sixth grader. I would also say that this right here is where you would stop (or pause rather) if your child is in any way young for the series or prone to being upset by things.
Discrimination of Sorts Mr. Dursley does not want a “swotty little nancy boy for a son” which sort of reeks of anti-gay sentiment. And then of course, there’s the continued racism against Muggles. Really, many wizards are against anyone (or anything) that is not pure wizard. House elves are back, with their improper speech and ideas about not wanting to get above their station and lack of appropriate clothing and not actually wanting to get paid! There’s a lot of talk about how their conditions do not need to be improved because they like their work. Hermione insists they are uneducated and brainwashed and deserve better lives. A house elf who has been freed refuses to sink so low as to take pay. I don’t know. There are parallels to be drawn to how whites perceived slaves, but I know a lot of people think it’s silly to go there. I just don’t love that Hermione is considered so ridiculous for trying to remedy the situation.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – There are beautiful dancing female things called veelas which seem to be able to control men’s wishes. A wizard refuses to put on pants saying he likes a breeze around his privates. A woman’s drawers are exposed. A boy is reputed to be handsome. A girl is so pretty that she renders people speechless. Hagrid fancies a lady. A newspaper erroneously reports that Harry is in love with Hermione. There is a ball and therefore much discussion about how to ask someone to go. Boys are turned down by the girls they’d like to invite. Girls ask Harry to the ball. There are a lot people being snippy because they did not get to go with the person they liked or they did not have the time they imagined. A female ghost spies on Harry in the bath. He protests that he’s not wearing anything. The ghost mentions that she’s seen another boy in the bath too. A girl kisses two boys on the cheeks, twice each. An article in a magazine claims Hermione is Harry’s girlfriend but that she has captured his and another boy’s attention through use of love potions. A girl saw a boy and girl kissing. A girl eyes a boy with great interest.
Profanity – “damn” used multiple times, “git,” Ron tells Draco to do something he “never have dared to say in front of Mrs. Weasley, “good lord,” “hell,”
Death, Violence and Gore – There’s a story of a triple murder. A woman was delivered to Voldemort and killed. A man is killed for overhearing something. A man plunges into the ground and requires reviving by mediwizards. A man is hit in the face by a bludger and it broke his nose and caused there to be blood everywhere. A man’s arm is bleeding profusely. A man has a bloody nose. It is made very clear that Voldemort and his supporters killed for fun. That in particular they killed non-wizards for fun. Torture is mentioned as well. There are rumors that dead bodies are removed from the woods around the Quidditch Cup. Ron jokes about pushing someone off a glacier and making it look like an accident. A magical creature can burn you, sting you and suck your blood. There is a curse that can kill you. It has no countercurse and no way to block it. There is a complete detailed run down of Harry’s parents’ murder and exactly what took place. Harry and Ron predict bleak futures for themselves while goofing around doing a class assignment. Ron claims he will drown and/or be trampled by a hippogriff, while Harry claims he will be decapitated. The floor of the owlery is covered with regurgitated skeletons of small rodents. There is reason to believe Harry has been entered in the Triwizard tournament by someone who wishes to see him dead. Harry worries he’ll break his neck. It is repeatedly pointed out that wizards often get killed in the Triwizard tournament. Harry throws a badge and hits Ron in the face. We learn that people in July are in great danger of sudden violent deaths. Harry is cut on the shoulder. A boy is badly burned on the face by a dragon. Dobby bangs his head on the table very hard for revealing information. Giants are violent murderous beings. Giants have been responsible for mass Muggle killings. Many giants were killed by Aurors. A girl’s dead body is not found for hours after her death (this is a death we are aware of in a prior book). It is made to seem that if Harry cannot rescue one of his friends, that friend will die. Hermione receives letters that cause her physical harm. Hagrid receives letters saying that he should be killed or that he should kill himself. A student is attacked and stupefied. Someone is lifted by his robes and slammed into a tree. Someone is dead (we don’t know who – just hear a voice saying “he is dead.” A man has seen another man torture people. Another man was killed in the struggle when he was captured. Another man helped murder people while another forced people to do horrific things. A character’s parents were subjected to the Cruciatus Curse which causes immeasurable pain. They became insane. Some of the good guys authorized the use of violence against suspects. Prisoners in Azkaban often die and the dementors get excited right before a death. A mother dies not long after her son. From the sound of it, a student uses the cruciatus curse on another student. He is stopped before permanent damage is done. A giant spider attacks. A student falls from a height and his leg is bleeding and cannot support his weight. Harry feels intense pain from his scar. <spoiler>Cedric is killed at the end of the Triwizard Tournament</spoiler> A man cuts off his own hand it seems, he later extends a bleeding stump. Harry is stabbed. A man killed his own father. A woman died giving birth to her child. Another person is caused extreme pain through the cruciatus curse. A man is said to take a lead in torture. Harry is subjected to the cruciatus curse. Shadows and ghosts of those killed emerge. Yet another man kills his own father. He then transfigures his father’s dead body into a bone and buries it. A man’s soul is sucked out by a dementor.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – Drunken yells are heard at the Quidditch World Cup. Horses drink only single malt whiskey. One boy is offered mulled wine, another requests it. A professor drinks from a hip flask. Another has a tankard. A painting because tipsy from eating chocolate liqueurs. A house elf seems to be intoxicated on butterbeer. There’s talk of how it’s not strong, but too strong for a house elf, which makes me wonder if the kids should really be drinking it. The house elf passes out and is covered up by other elves.
Frightening or Intense Things – Evidently a man who has seen Voldemort screamed so loudly that he never heard the words that killed him. Dementors, the soul-sucking fiends introduced in Book 3 are mentioned again. A group of drunken masked wizards capture several non-wizards, including children and trap them and spin them about. People must take refuge in the woods during this riot. A neon skull and serpent, the sign of Voldemort appears to the crowds. Evidently this appeared every time Voldemort and his followers killed someone. People would find it above their homes and know to expect the worst. People’s memories are altered so that they don’t remember upsetting or disturbing things. A teacher is scary looking, missing a large chunk of his nose. A student is temporarily turned into a ferret. Another teacher threatens to turn a student into a ferret. There is a curse that allows someone to be completely controlled. That person could be made to do anything, including causing his own death. There’s another curse that causes excruciating pain. Harry and the other champions have reason to believe that those closest to them are in grave danger. A man seems to have lost his mind. There is a physical description of Voldemort that is a bit gruesome. Again a trusted adult turns out to be responsible for trying to kill Harry. A man has been trapped, imprisoned, stunned and controlled. A man has an insane grin when discussing being called by his master. It is clear he takes joy in evil. An illustration of a skull with a snake emerging from the mouth is featured at the start of chapter 36.
