It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten much now.
I, for one, would enjoy Harry Potter V all the more if I had a refresher course in what happened in the first 4 books. And I’d probably not be the only one.
So… who would care to let us all know what was most important in the plot in each of the four books? And of character development?
Book one,
The Dursleys are mean to Harry.
Harry gets invited to school.
He goes and meets many people.
Someone tries to kill him.
He plays some sort game like soccer only in the air on broomsticks.
Turns out someone he thought was his friend was actually his enemy and someone he thought was his enemy was actually his friend. The enemy would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those medling kids.
Harry goes home and the Dursleys are momentarily afraid of him but then in
Book Two
The Dursleys are mean to Harry.
Harry gets ready for school.
He goes and meets many people.
Someone tries to kill him.
He plays some sort game like soccer only in the air on broomsticks.
Turns out someone he thought was his friend was actually his enemy and someone he thought was his enemy was actually his friend. The enemy would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those medling kids.
Harry goes home and the Dursleys are momentarily afraid of him but then in
Book Three
The Dursleys are mean to Harry.
Harry gets ready for school.
He goes and meets many people.
Someone tries to kill him.
He plays some sort game like soccer only in the air on broomsticks.
Turns out someone he thought was his friend was actually his enemy and someone he thought was his enemy was actually his friend. The enemy would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those medling kids.
Harry goes home and the Dursleys are momentarily afraid of him but then in
Book Four
The Dursleys are mean to Harry.
Harry gets ready for school.
He goes and meets many people.
Someone tries to kill him.
He plays some sort game like soccer only in the air on broomsticks.
Turns out someone he thought was his friend was actually his enemy and someone he thought was his enemy was actually his friend. The enemy would have gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for those medling kids.
Harry goes home and the Dursleys are momentarily afraid of him but then in
For some reason this takes more and more pages with each book.
:::would stand up and applaud Zebra if I could stop falling down laughing:::
Having not read any of the Harry Potter novels, Zebra has just convinced me to save my money. Thanks! 
Um, actually, in Book 4 Harry doesn’t play the game like soccer only in the air on broomsticks. He does, however, attend a match where he watches professionals play the GLSOITAOB. This is not an improvement over the prior books.
I sense a… pattern…
He doesn’t go back to the Dursley’s at some point, am I right? He actually movies in with the Weasely’s. IIRC, which I probably don’t.
Smack
IN book four instead of going from home directly to school he gets to spend about the last two weeks of summer with the Weasleys.
Oddly enough I kind of like the books. But that is going down book by book. In number four Harry wonders to himself if someone could be trying to kill him. I just wanted to scream. LOOK! Someone tried to kill you as a baby. Someone tried to kill you your first year at Hogwarts. Someone tried to kill you your second year at Hogwarts. Someone tried to kill you your third year at Hogwarts. And NOOOOOWWW you are wondering if someone may be trying to kill you your fourth year at Hogwarts? Here is some money, go buy a clue!
I was wondering the same thing - the best summary I could find is on www.sparknotes.com and also gives a listing chapter-by-chapter and of the characters in each book.
Happy reading!
I suppose there could be a more useful summary than Zebra’s masterful restatement of theme. I’m about 150 pages into Book V so far and it seems as if everything important to the plot of this book is being restated, reminded, or teased.
In other words, I could give you a recap, but 1) the recap of pertinent information might constitute spoilers, and 2) everything important is probably going to be mentioned again anyway.
And don’t forget, Zebra, that before Harry gets to school he’s blamed for some illicit use of magic and gets into trouble.
FISH