HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

So the most recent book I've read is the second Harry Potter novel, The Chamber of Secrets.  I've always thought of the second book as the worst of all the Harry Potter books, and I think a lot of people agree with me. Now, first of all, considering that even as the worst book in the series, I still love it - well, it says something for the series as a whole.  Re-reading it, though, made me really reconsider how I felt about it, and I've come to the conclusion that The Chamber of Secrets is actually very underrated.  

Warning! CONTAINS SPOILERS!  Go read the series right now, I must spread the love of Harry Potter to everyone!

In case you want a specific synopsis here it is:

One thing that I think is overlooked, that makes me really love the second book, is that it takes a look into discrimination.  In today's culture, there are so many people that have to deal with racism and sexism, or just general discrimination on a regular basis.  I love Rowling for addressing that issue in her novels.  She uses the wizard world to take a stand against discrimination and teach children about acceptance.  Of course, saying "mudblood" won't offend the reader the same way saying the "N" word would, but when you think about the reaction from the other characters to the use of the word (someone screams out loud, the Weasley twins try to fight Malfoy, and Ron tries to curse him), it's clear that mudblood is just as derogatory in that world as racist and sexist slurs are in our world.  This isn't the first time in the series that we see a divide caused by those who discriminate against muggle born wizards (we see it when we first meet Malfoy in book one), but this is the first time we see the discrimination in the wizarding world to such an extreme.  I mean, when you look at the book as a whole, it is about a guy, Salazar Slytherin, who developed a hatred against part of the wizarding world (muggle borns) and took his hatred to such an extreme level that he quit his job and hatched a snake monster inside a school with the intent to KILL young children just because of who their parents were.  I wish I could say it's crazy to think that discrimination has ever led to the death of children, but this is actually a real life problem. So, shout out to you, Rowling, for addressing the issue and helping to teach young children who read your books that discrimination is not okay.

The Chamber of Secrets is also important plot-wise, because it sets up a lot of things that happen later in the story line.  It sets up Hermione's fight for equality and end of discrimination toward house elves, an issue that plays into every future book to larger and larger degrees.  It also presents to us a background for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.  Plus, it gives us the first horcrux we will see in the story, although we don't know the full significance at the time.  Tom Riddle's journal and the memory stored in it provided a very important clue to Dumbledore, leading him in later volumes to finally solve the mystery of how to take down the dark lord. BOOM! Second novel is starting to seem worth the read, isn't it?  

But once again, I have to point out how just... dumb wizards can be.  I mean, how did no one figure out the Chamber of Secrets?  There is a sink just chillin' in the school that has never worked as long as anyone can remember - why did no one try to fix it?  I mean, Filch can't do magic, but how long has Hogwarts been around and no one has tried to fix this sink.  Harry and Ron found the little snake symbol in like 3 minutes. Let's be honest - they're not the sharpest tools in the shed, and yet here they are, detectives of the century. I find it hard to believe that no one else found the snake symbol earlier while trying to fix the sink.  But, let's say for the sake of argument, they didn't find the snake and just were like, BLAH, I'm a wizard, and this sink that doesn't work is full of weird wizard nonsense, and it just started doing magic on it's own (or something like that).  Did no one else put together that the girl who died was in a bathroom?  No one in the 50 years since the Chamber opened thought to ask her about it?  Nope?  Didn't seem like a good idea to try to get some proof before you expelled a student by talking to the ghost?  Okay, that's cool, wizards.  But now the chamber is reopened and no one can figure out what type of monster is inside it?  Come on, it's the monster associate with Slytherin.  You know, the house that has a snake as a symbol? And the original Slytherin was the most famous Parselmouth ever.  How did no one think that the monster might just be a giant snake?  Hermione is smart and everything but she can't be the only smart wizard ever.

Here are the characters from the second book that I think don't get enough credit for the awesome things they do:

The dwarf that sits on Harry and sings him a valentine: So funny.  Can we talk about how ballsy Ginny is for sending Harry a singing Valentine?  I never would've been able to do that. But that dwarf, he was pretty determined to get Harry this Valentine, and I appreciate him for his dedication to his job.

The pixies in Professor Lockhart's class: They make me laugh. Yup, that's pretty much the only reason.

Madame Pomfrey: She is awesome.  She re-grows all the bones in one of Harry's arms. Then she helps Hermione get her furry face changed back, without getting her expelled for making a polyjuice potion.  Then she helps fix everyone who is Petrified. I don't know when this woman sleeps.

she is not about to take any of your shit

Fred and George Weasley: This time the shout out to the twins is for their reaction when the school thinks Harry is the Heir of Slytherin.  They show everyone where their support is by... making jokes about the situation (pretty much how they get through everything).

Fawkes the Phoenix: Literally saves the whole fucking day.  Harry would have died from the poison without him, and then if Harry died, Ginny would have died cause of the whole sucking her soul thing.  Not to mention Fawkes carries the 4 of them back out of the Chamber of Secrets.  They didn't really plan an exit strategy, did they?

so majestic 

Nearly Headless Nick: He gets Harry out of Filch's office without detention, he introduces the reader to some ghost culture with the Death Day party, and he also saves Justin's life by taking the bulk of the basilisk's stare.  All in all, Nearly Headless Nick, you are an unsung hero in the second novel.

Mr. Weasley: This shout out is specifically for his reaction to the twins flying the car.  It is awesome.