Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
by J.K. Rowling

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Book Reviews of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)

Book Review: Prepare to be shocked and moved
Summary: 5 Stars

Under Voldemort's regime no one is safe from harm, especially those who have sworn to protect Harry at all costs. Dumbledore's cause to protect Harry is hindered by the fact that almost no one openly believes in Voldemort's return. The Ministry of Magic exemplifies the determination of the magical community to live in denial and cling to their perceptions of a safe, Voldemort-free world.

Harry and Dumbledore are moving targets for abuse and slander, which intensifies Harry's feeling of isolation from the world outside Hogwarts and what might be happening to those he cares about. Harry and his Hogwart's friends become aware that Voldemort is hatching a dangerous plan and while all this is happening, life at Hogwart's must go on.

The death of one of the main characters is incredibly well written, shocking, moving and it almost feels like you've lost someone too. It symbolises one of the recurring themes of Order of the Phoenix, the choice between what is right and what is easy. I was personally devastated when I read it but it's necessity is there - it shows the readers what Voldemort and his supporters are capable of and how much more important it is for the magical community to fight instead of saving their own skin.

The outlook of the book and what it deals with is incredibly dark. I'm not sure how appropriate it might be for young children and it is definitely a book more appreciated by adults - the characters are given much more depth and complexity and we see more of the cruelty that the Death Eaters can inflict. Harry begins to see that things are not black and white and matures as the plot twists and turns, as he begins to understand his own destiny - a secret he and Dumdledore alone seem to share.

Summary of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)

The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to be fallible, and matters that seemed black-and-white suddenly come out in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused (especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter

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