8/10
I finished reading this to Mallory a little more than a week ago. We flew through this one much like the Phoenix flew out of the Chamber of Secrets with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Lockhart, if you know what I mean.
This was a solid follow up to the first one with all new and creative intrigue. A regular who-done-it. We definitely didn't see the twist coming at the end. Well, except Mallory did because, as she told me after we finished the book, some kid on the bus had told her about Tom Riddle.
I can't decide which book I like better between the first and second. They are about the same for me. If I had to pick though I would probably pick the second one. I think the first one has a lot of setting up to do which is enjoyable in its own right, but the second one has the advantage of picking up where the first one left off and getting to the exciting stuff sooner. The second one also had what felt like a little more at stake what with kids at the school being petrified, including Hermione, and the possibility of the school being shut down. Felt like there were higher stakes than the first one where Harry and the gang were saving the day mostly unbeknownst to the entire school. Mallory says she definitely likes the first one better because the second one had less of Hermione since she is pretty much absent from the second half of the book due to the aforementioned petrifying.
We watched the movie a few days ago and the kids enjoyed it. Brandon was less scared of this one than the first one. The movie was good, but seemed like they didn't know how to end it and so they finished with a slow clap for Hagrid for some reason.
And now for a quote from Dumbledore:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
