Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Rowling had her first experience of writers block when writing *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*. "I was worried that it wouldn't live up to readers' expectations--I'd heard that your second novel is the hardest to write." Rowling had delivered her second manuscript to the publisher just two weeks after her first book was published, but since she wasn't pleased with it, she asked the publisher (Bloomsbury) for it back and worked on it for another six weeks.

As of 2012, 77 million copies had been sold worldwide.

Deborah Loudon from The Times said *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* will be “re-read into adulthood” and said “the ingredients of Rowling's success are traditional - strong plots, engaging characters, excellent jokes and a moral message which flows naturally from the story.” The book also reached the top of [The New York Times Bestselling List in 1999](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/06/20/bsp/fictioncompare.html){:target="_blank"} in 1999.

*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* was first published in the United Kingdom on July 2, 1998 by Bloomsbury. The book was published in the United States on June 2, 1999 by Scholastic Inc.

Sparknotes has [a great summary](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/potter2/summary/){:target="_blank"}.

Rated PG, run time of 2h 41min, and a rating of 7.4/10 on [IMDb (where you can also find a trailer and cast information](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295297/){:target="_blank"}. Here's a [review](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-review/1900-2908103/){:target="_blank"} of the [video game](https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Chamber-Secrets-PC/dp/B00006F7RS){:target="_blank"}!