Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling (2003, Hardcover)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth sequel of the series. The prequel to this book are: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In the prequel, The Goblet of Fire, Harry is entered into the Triwizard Tournament. The goal of the last task is to survive the maze and reach the Cup. Somehow the cup was turned into a portal key (transports you from one place to a designate other). He ended up in a grave yard and was an unwilling participant in the reincarnation of the Dark Wizard Voldemort. In the book The order of the Phoenix, all of the adults that he has know to be like family members to him band together to stop Lord Voldemort. All of them are hidden in number twelve Grimmauld Place, an invisible house that belongs to his godfather. Harry and his friends return to their school, Hogwarts. In Hogwarts they are presented with a new teacher for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. This teacher was assigned to them by the Ministry of Magic (wizard government). The Ministry of Magic is trying to keep people from panicking so in the press they deny the return of Lord Voldemort. This book shows how the press and media can distort the truth and what some people will do for power. It also reminds you that you should choose your battles wisely because there are some that are not worth fighting for. Some of the strong points of the book are that you can read what they are thinking and feeling and that helps you to get a better understanding of why they say or do certain things. Even though it makes the book really long, I love the way J. K. Rowling, the author, goes into detail about the characters. The only thing in the entire book that I had a little trouble with was following along when she would go into the deep background of a character. It would be a separate story and then go back and start where it left off in the basic storyline of the book. This was the only time I experienced this slight confusion because in the prequel she makes the transitions clear. Other than that, I think that this is a great book. It is able to keep your attention while introducing to new concepts. You also learn valuable life lessons that connect with your own life. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to boys that don't like to read. This book is so action packed that you don't even realize that your reading. It exercises your mind because you can picture everything and it becomes like you are watching a movie. (I also recommend reading the book before you watch the movie).

In this 5th installment of the Harry Potter book series, Harry shows himself early on to be a very different young man than we have grown to expect.

Although completely justified, Harry is rather 'moody' in this book. Realistic in the sense that our 15 year old hero is finally acting more like a teenager than ever before. Withdrawn, angry, lashing out at his friends...this was the first time in the series that I thought, "Gee, I don't know if I would like to be Harry's friend if I were at his school this year". I could not help but wonder, as the events of this school year unfolded, why Hogwarts does not have something like a school counsellor on staff. A few months ago, a student had died at school, and with all the changes in administration (due to the interference of the Ministry and the High Inquisitor), there is a lot of stress for the students of Hogwarts. Oh well...I suppose wizarding kids are made of stronger mettle than us mere Muggles when it comes to emotional problems and upsets.

This book was about the same size as the previous book (#4, the Goblet of Fire) which, by previous standards, is quite a big book (over 750 pgs...compared to the first 3 books at an average of a mere 300 pages). I found this story to be the most 'disturbing' yet...the things that bothered me the most was the though of the Ministry (government) framing Harry (ex. the Dementor attack and changing his trial time so that he would miss it and be found guilty) and the media slandering his character and that this was viewed as acceptable behavior. Also, the (literally) torturous detentions given by new 'Professor' Umbridge were almost too awful to imagine.

I feel, for the most part, that this book was the beginning of a new chapter in Harry's life. There was the very short time in his life when he had a 'normal' existence with his parents, then the terrible 10 years that followed living with his neglectful/abusive relatives, then the (relatively) happy next 4 years Harry spends at Hogwarts with his friends...and then this. He is kidnapped and almost killed by a murderous villian and now (understandably) his life has changed and his mood with it. In this part of the continuing series, Harry must arm himself for future conflict by building his confidence and strengthening his friendships with his closest comrades. He learns to become a leader, and is forced (again) to deal with a great emotional loss.

It is an excellent book. Of course, you do have to start at the beginning of the series and work your way up to this one. And please, do yourself a favor and read the book (don't just see the movie)!

This was the only book in the Harry Potter Series that I would not rate Excellent. I feel that she finally fell into the "middle book funk" that plagues so many other book writers and movie producers.

My theory on avoiding the "funk" is to provide the characters a few clues they can work for and give them some small victories to show they are at least making progress for their pain. It worked in JK's other books, so why she chose to change her formula here is beyond me. The only "victory" won here is that the wizarding community finally knows Voldermort is back. Small consolation, since those that can do anything about it (the Order of the Pheonix) already believed Harry.

The Mininstry of Magic, in an attempt to keep Harry Potter quiet, assign Delores Umbridge to the school. I would call Umbridge worse than Voldermort in many respects. Voldermort kills for the pleasure of killing, but is generally quick and painless about it. Once he sees the fear in his victim's eyes, he is satisfied and finishes them off. Torture is used to either get information from his victim or to make a point to his underlings. Inflicting pain for sport was something his underlings did.

Although Umbridge is never specifically mentioned as being a Death Eater, loves to leave people in perpetual misery. In particular, she bans Harry Potter (and the Weasley twins) from Quiddich and locks their brooms up. She also has a magic pen that, when used, prints the words in blood on the paper and etches the words on the writer's hand. These scars remain on Harry at least to the end of the 7th book. Just to keep people on edge between these major attacks, she produces an endless array of Ministry approved prohibitions and takes it upon herself to micromanage every teacher in Hogwarts. She threatened firing just about every staff member at Hogwarts at one time or another, except for Filtch (who loves her changes).

What Voldermort and Umbridge do have in common is a desire to impress their idea of a perfect society on others. The fact that their ideals are based on the genetic makeup of people, and therefore impossible to change, does not phase them at all. The obvious solution is to banish or kill those who don't measure up.

But this evil is not why I gave this book a low rating. The heroes, Harry in particular, never fully grasp what what is happening and are completely unable to stop it. Figuratively speaking, they are little more than test dummies and take whatever is given to them.

There were only two times that Harry and Co took a stand and the both backfired disasterously (three if you count the Weasley twins revenge, but that was short lived and had no lasting affect). The first was when Harry formed Dumbledore's Army, which resulted in Dumbledore being fired. The second was when Harry rushed to save Sirious Black from Voldermort. I won't say how that one ended for the sake of those that haven't read it yet, but suffice to say it caused the only regret Harry had in any of the seven books.

There is a difference between suffering and sacrafice, and this book was all suffering. No good came out of what Harry went through, either in this book or the sequels. However, in order to get the full effect of her last two Harry Potter books (which I think are the best in the series), reading this book is a must.

John Holland-author of The Necklace of Terrersylvanous

Just like the rest of the series written by author J.K. Rowling, this book delivers a plot that will leave you in awe.

J.K. Rowling brings the story of a young wizard to life with imaginitive storylines, descriptive writing and a great sense of humor. Her characters have such credibility, you will find yourself in love with some and loathing others.

I won't give away any spoilers for those who haven't read the book yet but a brief description: During his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is at war (both mentally and physically). Cruel teachers and irksome students fill his days as no one believes that Lord Voldomort has indeed returned. He is made to look like a crazy, ranting lunatic in the newspapers of the wizarding world and only a minority of others believe he to be telling the truth. He begins having strange dreams that, in time, are found to be true events. With the help of Ron & Hermione, he uses his abilities in Defense against the Dark Arts to help other students. The ending is action-packed and certain not to leave the reader bored.

I am a fan of the entire Harry Potter series and was happy to add this book to my collection.

I love all of the Harry Potter books. I got into them after the 'Goblet of Fire' came out in paperback. I bought this one in hardcover and the last two. However, when my husband took the 'Order of the Phoenix' (his fave in the series) book to work, it was stolen! I had to rebuy it. I also have replaced all my paperbacks with the hardcovers. Now, I have the entire collection to read over and over and over again.
Although I love the entire series, as an idividual book, this is my favorite. Harry goes through so much this school year, including the loss of someone close to him. Rowling also starts to give a little more background so that the readers can understand what this fifteen year old boy is going through. It is so easy to loose yourself in the story. He looses so much in this book, yet is determined to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. (Although, not many beleive he is even back. Poor Harry.)
Even though the book was written for a younger crowd, I'm one of those 'mid-thirties' moms that has fallen in love with this series. What's not to love? It's got good verses evil, lots of conflict, a touch of romance, and it's all tied together with a great dose of humor. My favorite characters are Fred and George Weasley. They are a RIOT! (The movies don't have them in nearly enough.) Your age shouldn't stop you from picking up this book. I've even had other exited adults talk to me in public about the books when they've seen me with these books! I beleive everyone should read the series. Because 'Order of the Phoenix' is my fave, that might even be a good one to start with!