I listened to this book on tape (yes tape) years ago when it first came out back in 2000. I had trouble getting into the first Harry Potter book and found that listening to it made it easier. I highly recommend listening to either the American or the British version of the audiobook. They are so amazingly well done and enjoyable to listen to. But anyway, I decided to pick this book and read it because my daughter is going through the series and I wanted to read them with her.
Harry is back at the Dursley's but things are a little bit different now that they know that his godfather is a wanted murderer who could pop up at any point and take issue with anything they do to Harry. So when the Weasleys ask if Harry can come with them to the Quidditch World Cup and to spend the rest of the summer with them Mr. Dursley wants to say no but doesn't dare do so for fear of what Sirius will do. Besides, it gets Harry out of his hair even earlier.
What Harry isn't telling anyone except only Sirius and only part of it to him is that he had a dream about Voldemort killing someone and that he had plans to kill someone, perhaps Harry, and that he woke up with his scar hurting. Sirius replies to keep him informed of anything suspicious.
The Weasleys arrive by flue powder into a fireplace that's blocked up and must be unblocked but that's not the worst of it. George and Fred leave behind one of their joke candies they have concocted for their business they're trying to start and Dudley eats it and his tongue grows exponentially. Once that's taken care of they head off toward the Weasley's home where Harry's best friend Ron's older brothers Bill and Charlie and Percy are all there taking time off from work to go with them.
They use a boot as a port key to arrive at the game grounds and find their campground area and set up their tents which Harry is surprised to find hold three rooms inside of them and multiple beds. The Irish are going up against Bulgaria. The Irish have a strong team but Bulgaria has a strong and popular seeker named Viktor Krum. Neither disappoints as the Irish win the game but Viktor catches the seeker spectacularly.
Then after the game, some Death Eaters began to have fun with some Muggles by tossing them in the air so wizards have to deal with them when suddenly across the sky is the Dark Mark, the signal to the Death Eaters to come to Lord Voldemort. The Death Eaters scatter and when Ludo Bagman who works in the Ministry as the Head of Magical Games and Sports as he was once a famous beater for a professional team is there in the forest where Ron, Hermione, and Harry are which is where the Dark Mark was sent. He accuses Harry but realizes how ridiculous that is when pointed out by Mr. Weasley. Then Barty Crouch who works for the Ministry finds his house elf, Winky, holding Harry's missing wand right behind them suspicion falls to her but not for long because house elves wouldn't know how to do the spell it is more likely she picked up his wand from the ground after whoever did the spell left. Barty looks in the bushes for anyone but finds no one there. He gives his house elf clothes and turns her away from his house. She is distraught.
Once they return to school they find out about their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Mad Eye Moody who is an Auror, or one who captures Death Eaters and the Triwizard Tournament that is only open to those wizards that are seventeen and up. Wizards from two other schools Beauxbatons from France and Durmstrang from Bulgaria are also competing. Viktor Krum will be one of those attempting to compete in the tournament from his school. You place your name in the goblet but it is spelled to keep out underage wizards. When they call out the names from each school Viktor Krum is called from Drumstang while Fleur Delacour for Beauxbaton and Cedric Digory from Hogwarts who is from the Hufflepuff House. Then the goblet throws out another name: Harry Potter. Someone put his name in the goblet perhaps to try to kill him with the tasks. But Ron refuses to believe that Harry didn't put his name in and he's pissed at Harry whom he has had to play second fiddle to too many times and won't have anything to do with Harry who gets pissed at Ron for not believing him and won't have anything to do with him which puts Hermione in the middle.
Hagrid finds out what the first task is which is dragons and shows Harry while under his invisibility cloak since he's also showing Madam Maxime the head of Beauxbaton whom he has taken a liking too since she is part giant too, though she won't admit it. Professor Karkaroff of Durmstrang is sneaking around and finds out himself. Harry will end up telling Cedric about the dragons to keep things fair. Mad Eye will also offer some help with the task by pointing him in the right direction to the answer as to how to defeat the dragons. And during the second task, Cedric will return the favor by helping Harry out though at this point Harry isn't sure he can trust Cedric who took the girl Harry wanted to take to the big dance leaving him scrambling to find a date with someone he didn't care about.
There are all sorts of subplots going on such as Hermione's crusade to free the house elves at Hogwarts whether they want to be freed or not. And Rita Skeeter a reporter who seems to know things she couldn't know as she's not allowed on school grounds who distorts the truth and makes a general menace of herself.
Mad Eye is the fourth Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and he's only around for this year. I wonder who they'll get next year? He befriends Harry not quite as Lupin did but in his own way. Professor Karkoff is said to teach his students the Dark Arts magic. Is he a Death Eater? Is that why Moody's here? To keep an eye on him?
This is one of Rowlings longest books and the first where a kid dies. When I was a librarian and this book came out there was a huge fight over where to place it between the children's librarian and the young adult librarian. The young adult librarian argued that someone dies and that's heavy stuff and it should be in the older section of the library. Since my daughter is reading my copy I checked out a copy from the library and it was found in the young adult section. I use two libraries from two counties and it was there in both of them. But my daughter is nine and I had no problem with her reading it. But then I don't believe in really putting limits on her reading. This book is a turning point in the series where Rowling begins to take no prisoners. It's the last book of innocence, which is shattered. People die including a kid and Ron and Harry's friendship is tested to the limits. Voldemort is back but no one knows it except maybe Harry and a few other people. But in what form he's back is unknown as is what he is up to. This book is one of the best books in the series. I give it five out of five stars.
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