"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

One year has passed and the old Hogwart's company gathers once more as the new school year starts. Harry is of course there, together with Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. We shall see all old friends, inclyding Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore, and all new foes, like Draco Malfoy. Most of all, it's time we get to know new characters, like little Ginny, and Draco's father, evil Lucius. And of course lovely little Dobby is here, supressed by his master and trying to protect Harry Potter -not always in the best of the ways!

Harry Potter this year will have to face all the dangers coming out from...a diary. Innocent as it may seem, it will teach all never to trust a magical gadget that can think of its own! Tom Marvolo Riddle has already met Harry once, in Tom's future, in Harry's past. Now that they meet again under the cold eyes of a basilisk, who will survive? Hermione is out of the way and can't help with her spell knowledge, Ron has stayed behind, so Harry has to face the mortal enemy once more alone...

There is an old rule that a sequel is always inferior to its predecessor, and though Rowling is a talented writer with a sparkling imagination, this rule is one she cannot escape. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, though an easy and satisfying reading for all fans, is no more than a sequel to the original book. While reading, you are left with the impression that, you could be just reading another chapter of the Philosopher's Stone. We have one more year of Quidditch, but we have already known this game. We have new spells, but nothing of the uniqueness of your first flying lessons. The few new magical hints introduced are way less impressive and stunning than the ones used in book No1.

Of course, just to play devil's advocate for a moment, one could have said that this was quite predictable, taking into consideration the amount of information already presented in the first book. However what we had expected to see was mostly a more in-depth analysis of both the history of magicians and the background of Harry's past. Exactly the things that appear in the next books of the series and make the story more coherent and far, far more interesting.

So, in brief, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a book you must read as a sequel to the Philosopher's stone, as well as a prequel to the magnificent Prisoner of Azkaban. It will appeal to all Harry Potter addicts; yet is not a book coming up to the standards Rowling has got us used to.