School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Polly Horvath (Farrar, 2005) sets up another of her trademark situations when 12-year-old Henry's quirky mother plans a bizarre trip to Africa and his father goes along to keep her out of trouble. Thus Henry is left parentless, and his rather odd aunts must take over. From the start, Pigg and Magnolia bicker, squabble, and generally pester Henry. They decide the trio needs a vacation and travel across the country randomly visiting places like Virginia Beach, the Everglades, Oklahoma and, finally, Tulsa. Listeners will start wondering about the unpleasantness much sooner than Henry does, but the interactions between the aunts and Henry are often humorous and occasionally touching. When Henry is reunited with his parents, he finally realizes that their problems are not his responsibility. Kirby Heyborne does a subtle but distinctive job of providing vocal differences for each aunt, Henry, and the strange relatives, and others they meet along the way. His low-key, reflective style gives just the right note to Henry's musings on life, his family, and finding his own way. Heyborne's convincing skill at voicing Henry's observations becomes vital to the audio version. Although the story rambles, somewhat mirroring their journey, fans of Horvath's earlier titles will welcome this addition to her explorations of family and individuality.-Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review With the Harry Potter Express chugging closer to its final destination, the sixth book in the series gets down to business. No more diversions about the welfare of house elves or the intricacies of Quidditch. This penultimate offering is more about tying up loose ends and fleshing out the backstory. Harry and the gang are back at Hogwarts, but the mood is grim. The wizard community is now fully aware that evil has returned, and the citizenry is afraid. Harry has been left bereft by the death of Sirius Black, and there are more killings to come. In a powerful early scene, readers learn that a pivotal figure is seemingly not to be trusted, yet throughout there are hints that he or she is a double agent. Later Harry becomes entangled with a former student known as the Half-Blood Prince, having accidentally acquired the prince's Potions textbook, but this turns out to be a mixed blessing. Rowling also devotes time to a carefully crafted telling of the story of Lord Voldemort's early life, which Harry and Dumbledore piece together by plucking other people's memories. Rowling is at the top of her game here. For those able to reach just beyond the engrossing tale, there is commentary relevant to today: how governments offer false security about perilous situations and how being in a constant state of war affects people's behavior. Harry is almost 17 now, and this is a book for older readers, who will best understand the moral implications of his choices.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Harry Potter enters his sixth year at Hogwarts shaken both by the recent murder of his godfather Sirius Black and by the revelation that he alone must face Lord Voldemort, either killing him or perishing in the attempt. Professor Dumbledore prepares Harry for the duel ahead, using the Pensieve to tutor him in Voldemort's fascinating family and personal history. The keys to Voldemort's immortality are six Horcruxes, Dark Magic vessels containing pieces of his soul, which must be destroyed before Harry can face him. This serious business takes place against the engaging backdrop of a Hogwarts school year: Harry finds his academic nemesis, Severus Snape, appointed to the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts; he spies on Draco Malfoy's suspicious extracurricular activities; he successfully manages the captaincy of Gryffindor's Quidditch team; and he enjoys a double-edged prowess in his Potions classes thanks to an old textbook, heavily annotated by the brilliant and pseudonymous Half-Blood Prince. Maintaining forward momentum while juggling all of these seemingly disparate plot points is a daunting task, and there are a few missteps here, including the revelation of the Prince's identity, which is clichÚd and anticlimactic, and a flagging pace in the chapters that do not focus primarily on Harry and Dumbledore's exploration of Voldemort's past. The book's many fine qualities-leavening moments of humor, increased character development for Snape and Malfoy, realistically adolescent romantic entanglements, and genuine grief at the book's wrenching conclusion-easily outweigh its few flaws, however. It is an essential purchase.-Sophie Brookover.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Feb 06 00:00:00 CST 2023)

NoneWhile charting teenage infatuations and friendships with a wry wit that occasionally tumbles into outright merriment, Rowling tucks in several revelations (notably, the secret to Voldemort's seeming immortality), adds a dash of sympathy for Malfoy (of all people!), who does indeed turn out to be part of an ugly scheme, and further develops Snape's role as a pivotal character. Then, after a heartrending test of Harry's loyalty to Dumbledore, Rowling propels the plot to a climax that is thanks to artful pre-pub preparation, tragic, but not uncomfortably shocking. This newest excursion into the Potterverse will leave readers pleased, amused, excited, scared, infuriated, delighted, sad, surprised, thoughtful, and likely wondering where Voldemort has got to, since he appears only in flashbacks. There's no doubt, however, that he'll figure prominently in what promises to be a spectacular finish.None

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Dale gets his A game on once again, returning to the wizarding realm where his previous visits have earned him accolades that include a Grammy. By this sixth installment, Dale has created well over 130 different voices, shifting easily from his own slightly Americanized British accent to distinctive Scottish, French and regional English takes. In addition to keeping stars Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore and Hagrid firmly identifiable and in the fore this time, he serves up a delightful spin on Professor Horace Slughorn, the new teacher at Hogwarts. Slughorn's smarmy tone and Dale's guttural delivery are a winning and memorable combo. As Harry's saga darkens and his adventures become more perilous, Dale also gets to explore deeply villainous voices—with evil hisses and sharp edges—more than ever (but we won't tell you whose). Ages 9-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)

Horn Book

In this sixth volume, Rowling delivers the likable characters and thrilling situations that have made the series so popular, handily weaving in earlier plots and returning to comic staples of wizard school life while providing fresh novelties. Rowling's attention is focused on setting up Harry's final showdown with Lord Voldemort (to come in book seven), but there's plenty of engaging mystery and suspense here.