Voldemort is causing so many problems that even the Muggles are noticing. There have been Muggle deaths, bridges collapsing, and all sorts of things, and the new Minister of Magic takes the time to tell the British Prime Minister not to worry about it - that he will fix everything. Meanwhile, in the world of magic, life goes on. Harry visits the Burrow and spends time with the Weasleys and Hermione before their next term. 

 

Once school starts, the students are placed in their classes based on how they performed on their OWLs and learning to deal with their feelings for the opposite sex. Harry finds a book in his potions class, now taught by Professor Slughorn, with notes from someone called The Half-Blood Prince who make him the new Potion master's favorite student. Eventually, this book gets Harry in trouble and he must learn to work without it. As Harry takes personal lessons with Dumbledore, he starts to understand how the prophecy works and why he is the one who must fulfill it.

 

This is one of my favorite Harry Potter books. I love the development of the characters and how they are slowly realizing their feelings toward each other. Although the end of the book makes me sad, knowing the great adventure the students are about to go on makes up for it. These stories are well-written and enjoyable for everyone.