The most sophisticated childrens' series of our time? (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling)

Member Name: notallsoft

Product:	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J. K. Rowling
Date:	06/08/01 (19 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Sophisticated, Entertaining, Multi-faceted

Disadvantages: Too short!, Adult themes upset some parents

Beginning with a rhetorical title is always a no-no, inviting as it does a one-word answer, but J K Rowling certainly justifies her many admirers in this, the most recent of her phenomenal Harry Potter series. For an adult reader, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is an extremely sophisticated book, which nevertheless retains its appeal to its younger audience. The novel, as with the other books in the series, is held together by a clever "whodunnit" fantasy story, which is hinted at throughout by a number of clues and the obligatory red herrings to confound the amateur sleuth. Surrounding this underlying plot are new developments in terms of character, as the pubescent Harry and his companions begin to feel the pangs of jealousy, regret, grief and attraction to the opposite sex.
Many adults have complained about the increasing sophistication of the books, but I find this a little derogatory to todays eleven-year-olds, who are by no means as innocent as their parents might like them to be. Rowling is very sensitive with her descriptions of death, emotional attraction and other themes, which make this a much better vehicle with which to introduce those themes to children than, say, Neighbours or many of the other trash-tv programmes children watch on a daily basis.
So, the answer to our headline question is yes, quite probably, but without the brash sexuality that characterises many unsophisticated series such as Sweet Valley High or the Point Horror books. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a book for all ages, and one which children can admire on different levels as they grow up and re-read, without endangering their innocence.

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