I had heard of Harry Potter shortly before the fifth book came out, and by that time it was a love-or-hate situation. I had chosen to ignore it for the time being, but probably give young Potter a chance in a couple of years. So when I came by this book (the beautiful American paperback edition) in a charity store in New York, I thought that maybe now the time had come.

I felt that much of the hype was well-deserved: this is a well written children's book with heaps of charm and a rich setting. The plot unfolds with an admirable precision (though it's not quite as breath-takingly perfect as in the second book), and there is indeed a foreshadowing of a grander scheme that is yet to be revealed.

By the end I was sufficiently fascinated that I had to order the next two books at once.