Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a character study; a respite from the almost non-stop action of the last five books and the action that must follow in the next one. Therefore, barely anything happens in this book. It even has the delightful audacity to begin with a very British comedy scene involving the [metaphorical] heartburn suffered by the Prime Minister of England when visited by the Minister of Magic.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harry’s always been wary of his celebrity status, but this book is the first time he’d really rather not be Harry Potter anymore. We learn more than ever about the wizarding world and finally see the Ministry of Magic. In an earlier book this would have been a whimsical journey of wonder. Here Harry learns a dark truth - the adult world is petty and unconcerned with justice. But let’s back a up a bit. The last book tore the last bit of the mask of a children’s story off as Harry had to watch a classmate die and come face to face with Voldemort and his top Death Eaters. It still came as quite a shock to find that Death Eaters had made their way to Uncle Vernon’s suburb and terrorize Dudley.

I could have gone for something more elaborate, but at this age, it’s a lot just to get them awake enough for portraits. There are plenty of months for crazier shots.

First Samuel:

Then Stella:

(For a full-size file for printing - email me)

A few photos from earlier in the month:

(And if you want full-sized images for printing: here, here, and here)

Get full-sizes here: 1, 2, 3, 4

(Full size here)