Potter goes out with a bang in 'Deathly Hallows'
BOOK REVIEW
by NAT MANCUSO Fourth Grade, Forest Elementary
The Deathly Hallows are three magical items that have a bloody history: The Elder Wand, the Invisibility Cloak and the Resurrection Stone. Harry Potter is on a mission to find and even destroy them, while at the same time trying to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's remaining horcruxes. Lord Voldemort has risen to full power and his servants, the Death Eaters, have taken over Hogwarts. Defense Against the Dark Arts is now Dark Arts. And students are being tortured for punishment by the Cruciatis Curse.

The war for power between Voldemort and Harry is being driven to a close. The Order of the Phoenix is crumbling. Everybody is forced to take sides, from the Ministry of Magic all the way down to the House Elves working in the Hogwarts' kitchen. Even giants and centaurs must choose. "Neither can live while the other survives" - but who will live?

Once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down. I kept reading faster and faster, and faster yet to find out what would happen next. Some of the parts I didn't think were necessary, but when I finished the book, I saw that all the parts were needed for the story to fall into place.

All Harry Potter fans reading this review know that Severus Snape has always been a double-agent. In Book 7, he appears to be loyal to the dark forces up until the end when Voldemort turns against him and we finally learn the truth about Snape and why he has acted the way he did from the beginning.

What really baffled me was the deaths. Many of the characters I expected would die stayed alive and some I thought would stay alive got killed. The thing that snags you is the deaths that seem to pop out of nowhere, when you least expect it.

My favorite part of the book was the end - the final battle was exciting and suspenseful, and I liked the epilogue - but of course, the whole book was great. What I learned from this book is that you have to face challenges no matter how hard they seem, and you have to make the right choices. Another thing I learned is that true friends are always at your side.

Overall, on a scale of one to 10, I'd give this book an 11. READ THE BOOK! You'll enjoy it a lot.

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is published by Scholastic Press and book sales broke records, becoming the fastest-selling book ever, selling more than 11 million copies in the first 24 hours following its release on July 21. The previous record, nine million in its first day, had been held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."