Product Description

The war against Voldemort is not going well: even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of The Daily Prophet looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate--and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort--and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.


From the Compact Disc edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #225061 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-16
• Released on: 2005-07-16
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 6.23" h x 2.71" w x 4.32" l, .99 pounds
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From amazon.com

A Few Words from J.K. Rowling
"I am an extraordinarily lucky person, doing what I love best in the world. I’m sure that I will always be a writer. It was wonderful enough just to be published. The greatest reward is the enthusiasm of the readers." --J.K. Rowling.

Find out more about Harry's creator in our exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling.

Why We Love Harry

Favorite Moments from the Series
There are plenty of reasons to love Rowling's wildly popular series--no doubt you have several dozen of your own. Our list features favorite moments, characters, and artifacts from all five books. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive (what we love about Harry could fill five books!) and does not include any of the spectacular revelatory moments that would spoil the books for those (few) who have not read them. Enjoy.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry's first trip to the zoo with the Dursleys, when a boa constrictor winks at him. When the Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by letters for Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much the Dursleys have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does a wonderful job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle Vernon will go to deny that magic exists. Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full of curiosities and rich with magic and marvel, Harry's first trip includes a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders, where Harry gets his wand (holly and phoenix feather) and discovers yet another connection to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This moment is the reader's first full introduction to Rowling's world of witchcraft and wizards. Harry's experience with the Sorting Hat.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius. Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother. The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling and dancing charms.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'. Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a darker, scarier book. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when she reminds us that the wizards-in-training at Hogwarts are, after all, just children. Clearly, even at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring and seem pointless to children. The Boggart lesson in Professor Lupin's classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's knock-down confrontation with Snape.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela (Bulgarian National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's fourth book addresses issues about growing up--the dynamic between the boys and girls at Hogwarts starts to change. Nowhere is this more plain than the hilarious scene in which magical cheerleaders nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump from the stands to impress them. Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and Ron's objection to it. Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badge. Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the intolerant bigotry of the Death Eaters, and the danger of the Triwizard Tournament. Add in the changing dynamics between girls and boys at Hogwarts, and suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a weight and seriousness not as present in early books in the series. Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the students tackle darker, more serious issues and take on larger responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal curses.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming. Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of wills alone. Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a teenager. Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape. Dumbledore's confession to Harry.

Begin at the Beginning

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Hardcover Paperback Adult

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Hardcover Paperback Adult

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Hardcover Paperback Adult

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Hardcover Paperback Adult

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hardcover Paperback Adult

Did You Know?

The Little White Horse was J.K. Rowling's favorite book as a child.

Jane Austen is Rowling's favorite author.

Roddy Doyle is Rowling's favorite living writer.

Books in Canada
"Where is that person leading our children?" asked the people of Hamelin. I asked myself the same question as I read this sixth installment of the Harry Potter series. Dark and disturbing, it patently paves the way for a final showdown between Harry and his arch-enemy Voldemort; it's a confrontation that can only bring our hero terrible suffering and possibly, in the tradition of mythic sacrifice, death. Since Harry and the books about him have been steadily maturing along with their initial readers, I have no qualms in stating that this penultimate book is unsuitable for anyone under twelve, and I am horrified to hear of parents reading it to younger children. At the same time, as an aside, I'm beginning to wonder if herein lies the reason why a modern Canadian children's writer has yet to achieve real international status. Both writers and editors of Cankidslit tend to play it safe, protecting their readers. A quick glance at world class rankings shows authors doing the opposite, e.g., JK Rowling, Garth Nix, Philip Pullman. Rightly or wrongly, these writers appear not to worry about the effect they might have on children who follow their stories into the darkest of places.
Back to the book at hand. Here's an odd thing. On my first reading of it, I thought it less captivating than its predecessors, unremittingly dark with none of Rowling's trademark humour, tediously overweighted with expositional dialogue (its chief flaw) and generally banal in prose. I wondered if I was suffering from series fatigue or inevitable disappointment due to unreasonable expectations. Then, upon a second reading, my opinion changed utterly! As I was no longer in a narrative panic-impaled and impelled by the plot, desperate to know what happened next-I was able to savour the story, to admire its construction, and to enjoy the fun (there is a lot, surprisingly, in what is a harrowing tale) while also marvelling at the author's grasp of teen psychology, envying her astonishing inventiveness, and ultimately agreeing with my own teen reader that a plain, direct style was appropriate for such dark material.
It was this book, too, which underscored for me the degree to which Harry is fundamentally alone in the universe as he faces his fate and the cruel fact of death. Is this the truth behind Rowling's phenomenal success: her unique creation of a secular enchantment? For she has made a magical world in which there is no God or religion or formal ethos or ideology. (Note: her references to Christmas are entirely about gifts and the "power of love" as professed by Dumbledore exists in no consistent or ubiquitous form.) Perhaps this is also the real reason why the Christian fundamentalists and the Vatican denounce her? And is this why she crosses all cultural and national boundaries, and why youth in particular, who are secular at heart, respond to her?
A final point: Even on second reading it was not obvious to me where the story was going. That Rowling can do this, extend the mystery and suspense over so many books-and such large ones at that-shows the magnitude and ingenuity of her vision. This is an epic tale with a vast cast of fascinating characters and creatures. I am surprised and dismayed at the general refusal of other writers and critics to recognize what she has accomplished as a literary feat, regardless of her worldwide recognition and absurd sales. Insistence on the flaws is no excuse. What perfect book is she being measured against? No matter what the begrudgers, anti-popes, and psychobabbling Byatts have to say, this series is a masterpiece.

OR Melling (Books in Canada)

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up–It's no surprise that everyone's favorite teen wizard is still battling Voldemort. What does perplex the young hero is a forgotten textbook with secret writing that brings together Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Scholastic, 2005). J. K. Rowling returns Harry, Hermione, and Ron to Hogworts amidst troubling signs that the Dark Lord and the Deatheaters are gaining strength. Fortunately, Headmaster Dumbledore is helping his apt pupil prepare for an expected showdown by taking Harry to remembered incidents in the life of his old enemy. Less dangerous, but still disturbing, Ron and Hermione have put Harry in the middle of their incessant bickering. Then there's Slytherin Prefect Draco Malfoy who's under orders to commit murder–but who is his intended victim? Finally, Professor Snape is now teaching the Defense of the Dark Arts class, but he appears to be doing some dark deeds of his own. A blossoming relationship with Ginny Weasley is a bright spot for Harry, but another personal loss forces him to make some grave decisions by the novel's end. Narrator Jim Dale is completely at home with all his familiar characters and just as adept at creating new vocal personas for returned faculty such as Potions Master Slughorn. Experienced Harry Potter listeners will recognize Snape's haughty hiss and Dumbledore's smooth heartiness before the text identifies them. Even house elves Dobby and Kreacher are unmistakable during their brief appearances. Every library will need this audiobook, but it would be wise to buy two copies since they'll be zooming off the shelves faster than a broomstick.–Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.