Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, #5)

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5)

by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré (Illustrator)

4.37 of 5 stars 4.37 · rating details · 872,806 ratings · 13,215 reviews

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from th...more

Hardcover, 870 pages

Published June 21st 2003 by Arthur A. Levine Books (first published 2003)

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Community Reviews

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Mar 30, 2013 Caris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Amazon,

Congratulations on your recent acquisition of Goodreads. It is a good purchase, a meaningful one. It’s like buying someone else’s grandfather’s house. Or a classic car someone else rebuilt. You know it’s a quality product because a lot of folks really sunk their hearts into it. For a lot of us, it’s been a labor of love. We’ve spent years carefully cultivating this community that you were lucky enough to buy.

This occasion reminds me a lot of one of my favorite books, Harry Potter and...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Jess Michaelangelo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: series, fiction, young-adult, favorites, fantasy, own

I cried like a little baby. J.K. Rowling really starts taking the series down a darker road in this book. She is so talented at character development, and it really shines in this book. Here, Harry is 15 years old, and for most of the book, he's whiny and self-centered, just like a typical teenager. I also adore Dumbledore's role in this book--his conversation at the end with Harry put me to tears. Rowling did an amazing job with the character of Umbridge...never have I hated a fictional charact...more

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Jul 18, 2007 Keely rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary-fiction, novel, reviewed, contemporary-fantasy, uk-and-ireland

This is my favorite installment of the quintessential modern bildungsroman. Nevertheless, it has its problems, familiar to any reader of Rowling's.

She never seems to gain control of her writing, which spirals out into thousand-page doorstops filled with unimportant side characters and rambling plots. The story is moved along by arbitrary plot devices, often magic. Instead of using the magic to make her world seem more strange and wondrous, she uses it to cover up plot holes. Why write a consiste...more

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Jun 28, 2007 Annie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: tried and true Harry Potter fans

Shelves: almostcrapbutnotquite

hrrmmpp.
This is my least favourite of the Harry Potter series, and almost borders on the "don't bother". It is saved only by the virtue that it is a Harry Potter book and moves the series along to the still yet unknown finale.
My issues with it:
- deals with complex social/political problems in a simplified, extreme, and dichotomous manner
- characterisations are too easy/lazy- all good or all bad (with the exception of Snape who's good/evil intentions are yet unknown), all courageous or cowardly,...more

60 likes · like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Wile rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been told this was the most difficult to read of the series and I found it to be true. Harry is full of teen angst and spends a lot of the book furious (and being quite infuriating) at the fact that nothing is happening, and that when things do happen, he's not allowed to be involved. Of course not being allowed do things should never stop a boy like Harry Potter from getting involved - except that amazingly it does.

This book isn’t really so much about Harry Potter, but about all the other...more

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Apr 20, 2009 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 03, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Wonderful book...only complaint I ever heard was it was too short. Still the emotional toll of this book is heavier than the ones before and it is more a young "adult" book than a "youth" book. As I've pointed out before, the original "generation reading these books had more time to mature between the publishing date of each book. Now they can be bought all together. Harry goes through some amazingly tough times (and doesn't handle some of them too well). Read these books before you simply turn...more

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Oct 22, 2007 Carmen Maloy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

What stands out in book 5:

* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming.
* Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her...more What stands out in book 5:

* Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming.
* Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of wills alone.
* Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a teenager.
* Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape.
* Dumbledore's confession to Harry.
* Harry yet again loses another loved one.
* We meet Hagrid's brother and come to love him as much as Hagrid does.
* We learn more about the destiny of Harry and Voldemort.
* We also see first hand how destructive government can be when predjudice, ignorance, and pride are at the helm. (i.e. Fudge and Umbridge)

Amazon Review
As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is in full-blown adolescence, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a nearly debilitating crush, and the blooming of a powerful sense of rebellion. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, this time with minimal contact from our hero's non-Muggle friends from school. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike. Returning to Hogwarts will be a relief... or will it?
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.
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Jun 26, 2007 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading this book for a second time, I've decided to dock it a star. It's still a good book, very well written, but I have some grievances to bring to Ms. J.K.'s attention:

(SPOILER WARNING!!!!)

At 870 pages, it is very laborious to get through this tome when every other sentence brings a new disaster/ problem for Harry. Drama is fine, but to this level at this length is just overdoing it. Starting with the dementor attack in the first few pages and continuing through Umbridge's evilness, a...more After reading this book for a second time, I've decided to dock it a star. It's still a good book, very well written, but I have some grievances to bring to Ms. J.K.'s attention:

(SPOILER WARNING!!!!)

At 870 pages, it is very laborious to get through this tome when every other sentence brings a new disaster/ problem for Harry. Drama is fine, but to this level at this length is just overdoing it. Starting with the dementor attack in the first few pages and continuing through Umbridge's evilness, all the way to Sirius' death (which on second read seems tacked on and unnecessary). What makes Four and Six so good is that they retain the sense of fantasy wonder that drew so many readers to the series in the first place. The Triwizard Tournament (4) and the Horocruxes (6) were just plain cool. The tournament was a fun story element and set up what is thus far the most important few chapters in the series. The horocruxes presented a great plot for the whole book and gave a basis for where the series is actually going to head down the stretch.
But what was there in 5? There is a bare minimum of quidditch, dumbledore's army is a very minor part, the Grawp storyline is total filler, the whole thing with the department of mysteries isn't all that engaging until the climax, and then ends with a silly prophecy (Why doesnt Voldemort just steal harry's wand, tie cinder blocks to his legs and throw him in the lake?) and a much-too-quick duel between Dumbledore and Mr. Riddle. There's just not enough fun in this book. Although i did like how the Cho subplot was dealt with.
And then at the very end, after all the doom and gloom, Rowling drops the ball on giving a glimmer of happiness. When Harry leaves the train platform, some of the Order is there, including much of the Weasley family. But where is Percy? Now that nobody is denying that V-thug is back, it would have been the perfect opportunity to show that Percy is back with the "good guys" without having it be overblown and sappy.
This book is probably the most confounding of the six so far, since when you look back at it, after nearly 900 pages and seemingly so much going on, there was very little substance as far as the big picture goes:
Fudge now believes Dumbledore. Sirius is dead. Is there really anything else that happened in this book that matters? Umbridge was just there to be the cunty character that Rita was in 4, and doesnt figure into 6 at all. Occlumency seemed interesting, but it ended with Harry giving up and us learning that Snape doesn't like Harry or his dad (really????).
This rant could all end up negated if certain aspects get flushed out in 7. This happened in 6, when it turned out the diary in 2 wasn't just a cheesy little contrivance. We shall find out soon...
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May 19, 2013 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ya-pnr, haz, hp, 5-star, read-05-2013

I bawled my eyes out during the last fifty pages. I cried for almost an hour. I went to sleep at 1 AM with a headache, tachycardia and a slight fever. ~~I'm being perfectly Sirius.~~ Oh God, no, that was so lame. I'm sorry, guys.

Aaannyyywwayyyy, this book shot my expectations through the roof. It's like J.K. Rowling keeps getting better, but to do this she needs to smash my heart to pieces that get smaller with every book.
For example, right here she has created my #1 Most Hated Character Of All Time...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: so-much-hype, classics, fantasy, paranormal, wizards, children-s-books, cover-i-love, annoying-main-characters, treasure-keeps, summer-reads, made-me-laugh, action-adventure, mystery, shattered-my-heart, 2012-favorites, leaves-awesomeness-behind, best-characters, best-endings, books-that-i-love, favorites, heroes-i-admire-and-respect, heroines-i-love-and-respect, made-the-hype-worth-it, books-reviewed, witches, series-ended-well, life-changer-books, rainy-day-re-reads, mythological-creatures

Warning: There will be spoilers present in this review.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was deeply-moving, touching, and suprising with plenty of twists from beginning to end. It wasn't a suprise to me that every book I've read in HP series thus far, has made on my list of favorites. J.K Rowling keeps writing books that I've always wanted and look in a book. I don't know how she has done it, but it's a truly a gift.

In the 5th book, we get to see Harry has truly grown increasingly mature...more

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Jul 19, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-characters, best-endings, will-love-it-until-i-die, amazing-storytelling, fab-writing, writing-to-which-i-aspire, heroes-i-love-and-respect, prose-envy, writer-crush, reviewed

I have such fond memories of this book. I was twelve at the time, and I was the first to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from the Barnes & Noble I had gone to for a midnight release party. I was so ecstatic to have that big blue book in my hands. It felt like such promise within my palms (especially since I had had to wait three years for it!!) -- and I wasn't wrong. My next day and a half were spent just reading, reading, reading (and maybe sleeping and eating a bit...more I have such fond memories of this book. I was twelve at the time, and I was the first to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix from the Barnes & Noble I had gone to for a midnight release party. I was so ecstatic to have that big blue book in my hands. It felt like such promise within my palms (especially since I had had to wait three years for it!!) -- and I wasn't wrong. My next day and a half were spent just reading, reading, reading (and maybe sleeping and eating a bit here and there too).

Some people say the book was too long -- but I never thought so. Even the filler bits made me happy. After three years of having to wonder what was going to happen after Goblet of Fire's ending, Order of the Phoenix was the best remedy for a Potterhead like me. I was just so happy to have a new addition to Harry's world that I was all the happier to have more pages to peruse!

Then came the scene that made my eyes freeze on the page, my breath stutter to a halt on my lips, and my mind lose all thought. At that moment, I just wanted to shut the book and go bawl in a corner. I still remember that, how shocked I was -- how devastated I was -- and I don't think any character's death has ever quite affected me as much as that one has. I still just have to sigh when I think about it.

(Looking back, I also feel that this was a great representation of becoming a teenager. Harry seemed like a real teenager, brimming with conflicting emotions, to me. He went through a lot of growth in this book -- and the sixth one as well -- but the fifth book was the first time Harry actually had to deal with real consequences to his mistakes. He needed that wake-up call that every choice he made would have repercussions even when he thought he was doing the "right thing.")

By Sunday night, I had finished the fifth installment -- and, even though I knew Harry's world wouldn't be open to me for a few more years at least, I don't think I have ever been so satisfied with a book before even with all the tumultuous emotions it caused in me. It's a rare thing to find a book that just captures and moves you. Even though I love all the other Harry Potter books, I have to say that this one is my favorite by far, most definitely.(less)

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Feb 27, 2009 Crazy Uncle Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-that-rock, books-i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, I know that for the last three books the story of how I read them has been less than epic but fear not, the story picks up a bit from here. Summer 2003 came along, I had just graduated from college and I was anxiously awaiting the release of the fifth Harry Potter book. I was so anxious in fact that I actually fell for and spread around the story that volume 5 would be called “Harry Potter and The Green Flamed Torch.” Not one of my prouder moments. As soon as the book became available for...more Well, I know that for the last three books the story of how I read them has been less than epic but fear not, the story picks up a bit from here. Summer 2003 came along, I had just graduated from college and I was anxiously awaiting the release of the fifth Harry Potter book. I was so anxious in fact that I actually fell for and spread around the story that volume 5 would be called “Harry Potter and The Green Flamed Torch.” Not one of my prouder moments. As soon as the book became available for preorder I went to my college computer lab (which I mysteriously still had access to) and ordered my copy online. Unfortunately, I failed to order it from an online store that would deliver it on the day it came out. It would be shipped on the day it came out.

As it turned out, my brother got married the weekend of the book’s release. The wedding was on Friday and the book came out on Saturday. Saturday morning my sister, brother-in-law, my niece and I all got in their car and started heading home. We pulled off the highway into the first major town we could find and started driving around looking for a Walmart® so they could get their copies of the book. Finally, we spotted one and my sister and I started cheering like crazy people. My 1-½ year old niece stared at us with a very confused look on her face as she wondered what in the world Crazy Uncle Ryan and mommy were doing. My sister and her husband both bought copies of the book and we started back out on the road. As we drove we took turns reading out loud and as Harry was sitting with Luna and Neville on the Hogwarts’ Express we pulled into my apartment complex. They left me there and I was stuck without a book. I watched countless friends reading the book over the next few days. I expressly forbad them from telling me anything about what happened as I checked the mail every single day wondering when my copy would actually arrive. During that wait a nice girl I knew let me borrow her copy one evening as she told me she was not going to read any more that night. I ran back to my apartment with the book under my arm cackling fiendishly and I read as much as I could knowing that I would have to return the book the next day. All in all, I ended up using three or four different copies before I finished reading this book. I then didn’t see it for at least a month as I loaned it out to several friends to read.

There were several times during this book that I get really frustrated with Harry. These times involve him loosing his temper with Umbridge. So many times I just found myself shouting at the book telling Harry to control his temper and not yell at her again. That woman is the DEVIL! I can’t think of any character in the whole series that I dislike more than her and I include Voldemort in that. It’s no wonder that Rowling named her Dolores Umbridge. The name “Dolores” comes from the Latin word for pain. “Umbrage” (yes, Rowling changed the spelling for the name) means “anger or resentment caused by some real or imagined wrong.” That certainly describes her attitude and outlook accurately. “Umbrage” can also mean a shadow. She certainly is a dark presence that seems to brood over people.

This book also contains what I think are the two most powerful and moving scenes in the series. Neither of which, incidentally, made it into the movie version. The first of these is the scene in St. Mungo’s where we see Neville visiting his parents. That scene along with the battle in the Department of Mysteries should leave no doubt in any reader’s mind that, in spite of the fact that he is rather clumsy and awkward, Neville is extremely brave and absolutely belongs in Gryffindor. The second is the scene at the end after Sirius’ death when Harry rages at Dumbledore and their subsequent conversation. You finally see all the anger and sadness that had been building up inside Harry since the end of book 4 come out and we all FINALLY get the answer we had been waiting for so long as to why Voldemort came after Harry in the first place. That’s a very good scene.

Of course, one of the coolest parts in this book, if not in the whole series, is the wizard’s duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. I love how Dumbledore is dueling the most feared dark wizard ever and keeps calling him Tom and speaking to him as though he we still his teacher and Voldemort is nothing more than a misbehaving student. That and the scene where Dumbledore tells Fudge that he has no intentions of going to Azkaban and than proceeds to knock out everyone is his office and disappears with Fawkes in a flash of fire just make you realize that Dumbledore is the most awesome wizard ever.
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Jun 14, 2011 Callista rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-more-than-once, five-stars, fantasy-all-ages, favourite-characters

First read in 2003; re-read in 2006.
I know some people who complained about Harry being so angry in this book, but I think he has the right to be. He’s traumatized over Voldemort’s return and Cedric’s death, very few people believe he’s telling the truth about Voldemort, and he’s being kept in the dark by the people he trusts and cares about. The formation of Dumbledore’s Army is enjoyable because it finally gives Harry a chance to take on a leadership role, and his fellow students get to learn...more First read in 2003; re-read in 2006.
I know some people who complained about Harry being so angry in this book, but I think he has the right to be. He’s traumatized over Voldemort’s return and Cedric’s death, very few people believe he’s telling the truth about Voldemort, and he’s being kept in the dark by the people he trusts and cares about. The formation of Dumbledore’s Army is enjoyable because it finally gives Harry a chance to take on a leadership role, and his fellow students get to learn valuable skills that the foolish Ministry of Magic, deep in denial, won’t teach them. Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Luna also all really start to bloom throughout this sequence of events.
However, Rowling doesn’t skimp on exploring the consequences of human faults and weaknesses, and her characters make some truly painful and tragic decisions. Dumbledore’s distancing himself from Harry, Snape’s and Sirius’s inability to let go of the past, the adults’ failure to impress upon Harry how very important it is that he shield his mind from Voldemort, and Harry’s own impulsive tendency to leap to his loved ones’ defense all combine and result in terrible outcomes.
To top it off, making everything worse, is Umbridge, the bureaucrat from hell. I’ve heard it said and agree that for most of the book, Umbridge’s evil, deluded ways upstage the danger of the Voldemort situation. There she is, centre stage, literally torturing children in the name of following the rules. I love everyone’s attempts to outmaneuver her. The way McGonagall especially deals with Umbridge is priceless, and the Weasley twins’ fireworks assault and final departure are fabulous.
I wanted to dock this book one star for a long time because of the way certain plot twists broke my heart, but I have to give Rowling credit for creating such a complex, nuanced story and such interesting, believable characters. If she didn’t do such a good job, I wouldn’t care so much about what happens to the characters.
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Apr 24, 2012 Brett rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Well, I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and thought over the first half that it might wind up being my favorite, but as I read on I found out why many friends of mine said it was the worst of the lot. While I liked it, it ended up not living up to the previous four books. That said, the movie based on it is amongst my favorites, and my be the best Harry Potter movie so far.

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Aug 19, 2011 Mary JL rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anybody

Recommended to Mary JL by: About 26 different people at one time or another

Shelves: main-sf-fantasy

With thousands of reviews on this book, I am unlikely to say anything new, so I will just say what I liked.

Several freinds of mine stopped reading here because they disliked the change in Harry's character. Actually, I found it realistic. He's a teenager! So one week you act like the adult you almost are and the next week you act like the kid you recently were! Aren't most teenagers like that?

I felt JKR also put a lot of needed infomration in this book. I have read some reviews that said it was...more

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Aug 07, 2007 Ren the Unclean rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Hardcore Harry Potter fans only.

Shelves: fantasy

This is the worst Harry Potter book. The characterization is unbelievable and annoying, taking the various holes in the world J.K. has created with Harry Potter and throwing them in the face of the reader with the expectation that they will accept anything at this point. Events in the world that main characters (and by extension, the reader) find outrageous and crazy are accepted by everyone else in the world without adequate reasons for their acceptance.

Harry whines incessantly throughout this...more

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Apr 12, 2013 Lexi Z added it · review of another edition

I am currently reading HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and oh my goodness, do I love this book! It has the perfect mixture of happiness, sorrow, zany humor, adventure, suspense, mystery, and just a touch of romance. I had started reading this series in the very beginning of second grade, but when I started reading the fifth book I just lost interest. I guess the big words and complicated plot where just to much for my eight-year-old brain. I didn't pick the book back up until a couple...more I am currently reading HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and oh my goodness, do I love this book! It has the perfect mixture of happiness, sorrow, zany humor, adventure, suspense, mystery, and just a touch of romance. I had started reading this series in the very beginning of second grade, but when I started reading the fifth book I just lost interest. I guess the big words and complicated plot where just to much for my eight-year-old brain. I didn't pick the book back up until a couple weeks ago and suddenly, everything changed. The chapters were no longer too long, the words, not too big, and the book it's self, not just a boring old drown on. The pace of the story kind of changes throughout the book. The beginning is especially slow, but as you get towards the middle, things start to speed up and really get intense. I can't exactly relate to Harry (I mean both my parents are alive, my aunts and uncles aren't abusive, and there isn't an evil wizard out to get me), but I think I can relate to Hermione. She's studious and sweet and follows the rules, but knows when to break them and when to stay safely inside. I think I kind of have her mixture of risk and playing it safe. But I definitely have her need for good grades. The Harry Potter series is probably the best series I have ever had the privilege to lay my eyes on, so, solute to J.K. Rowling, the author of this intricately designed masterpiece. I love the way Rowling develops the characters. They are genuine works of art in your mind. The way she describes their personalities and physical appearances, is just GENIUS! I rate this book ten stars out of five!
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I recently finished the book HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. I think this book is a good example of a book with different genres. It has humor adventure, romance and a mix paces. At some times it is a little bit slow and others I couldn't take my eyes off of the page.I wish my life was as action packed as Harry's but probably a little less dangerous. His life is always changing and he never has time to slack off. I know what it means to slack off and I really wish that I didn't. Whenever I read this book, I'm always jealous of Hermione and her studiousness.she just has a since for right and wrong and I admire how she has such I expectations for herself and her grades. I can DEFINITELY relate to that. Harry and Ron and can't relate to as much. I am not as lazy and careless as them. I would recommend this book to anyone who is ready to commit to a LONG book and I can guarantee that if they are willing to give up their time, it will be absolutely worth it. When I read the Harry Potter books, I seem to slip out of Austin and into Hogwarts because of the way that J.K. Rowling describes the scenery and the characters. She really maks the book come alive and I get lost in the pages. TEN STARS FOR HARRY POTTER (out of 5)!(less)

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Aug 16, 2012 Morgan F rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, made-into-movies, 2000s, re-read, boarding-school, completed-series, wizardry-and-sorcery, own, ginormo, read-2012

As the largest book in the entire series known for its enormous size, you have to have some respect for the author here. Rowling mentions herself in an interview that if she could go back and edit this particular book more, she would, and I can't blame her. Not my favorite in my series, but I am seriously glad I've read it not only once, but 3 times.

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Jan 25, 2013 Anh rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, hated, young-adult

Years ago, I made a terrible mistake of sampling The Order of Phoenix (HP5).

It was like this: somehow I had never got the chance to read the first four, but of course people had been talking about HP everywhere, and I was naturally very curious and decided to test the water. I reasoned: if it is as good as rumored, the middle of it is also good. Most unfortunately, that was when they had just published the translation of HP5, so the very first fantasy I read is the first chapter of HP5.

Couldn't...more Years ago, I made a terrible mistake of sampling The Order of Phoenix (HP5).

It was like this: somehow I had never got the chance to read the first four, but of course people had been talking about HP everywhere, and I was naturally very curious and decided to test the water. I reasoned: if it is as good as rumored, the middle of it is also good. Most unfortunately, that was when they had just published the translation of HP5, so the very first fantasy I read is the first chapter of HP5.

Couldn't have chosen anything worse. This whole volume is full of the whining ego of this jerk called Harry Potter. He ceaselessly complains why people don't pay more attention to him at a time when the Super Evil Overlord returns (oh, why indeed!) Just because you're an orphan, people don't have to fawn over you to make up for the years you lost, do they? And just like Hermione diagnosed, he's only too eager to act heroic, always thinks too high of himself. He struck me as dull, pathetic, arrogant, nosy, reckless, and above all, stupid beyond measures. He blunders around, never really cares or thinks what the consequences might be, and that others might have to clean the mess after he's done having tantrums.

(The first time Harry broke into Umbridge's office to contact Sirius has the most ridiculous excuse that's ever been made up. So he risked being expelled and even the location of the Order to tell Sirius that he knew the gang had bullied Snape? That's it? That's the lamest excuse - ever!

And there's another thing: so that was true that his dad was in fact an ass and Snape had every reason to act crazy, and Harry was decidedly mad with Snape still? Hey Rowling, you lost me there. I just couldn't get it. Are we mad at someone when we know they were treated like vermin?)

Of course, that is exactly the point because JKR wanted to create an exemplary teenager. It's just that she overdid it. She created the only obnoxious protagonist among highly agreeable supporting cast I've ever read. Now I know why I shunned fantasy all those years. Quite understandable, to quote Professor Dumbledore. It was all because of this book! Not only did I avoid HP at all costs, I also stayed away from fantasy for a good 5 years…

ETA: at the moment I posted this, I'd already read the first 4 books.(less)

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Sep 25, 2011 Mohammed Al-Garawi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another amazing Harry Potter story. Out of the first five books, this is the longest and the densest. The story progression is good, the introduced characters are solid and the book never felt dull. The writer made a good job in making me hate whoever I should hate, and like whoever I should like. However, the book didn't have many high moments except at the end (The last four chapters).

The end was shocking and enjoyable, indeed. Even though I knew what is going to happen already, since I've alr...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Micheline rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: favorites, multiple-reads, magic-witches-wizards, hero-worship, classics, fantasy, young-adult

The Order of the Phoenix is the 5th Harry Potter book and is decidedly the biggest book of the series. My feelings about Order of the Phoenix have always been a bit more complex than is the case for other Harry Potter books; but then again OotP has a complex plot. Book 5 finds Harry dealing with the aftermath of watching Voldemort come back from the dead...and coping with the loss of Cedric. Only this time around there is an added twist; Harry is now considered a threat to the Ministry. And to t...more The Order of the Phoenix is the 5th Harry Potter book and is decidedly the biggest book of the series. My feelings about Order of the Phoenix have always been a bit more complex than is the case for other Harry Potter books; but then again OotP has a complex plot. Book 5 finds Harry dealing with the aftermath of watching Voldemort come back from the dead...and coping with the loss of Cedric. Only this time around there is an added twist; Harry is now considered a threat to the Ministry. And to top it all off Dumbledore won't even look at Harry let alone speak to him. He must come to grips with Voldemort's return, Harry must also get used to more frequent glimpses into Voldemort's feelings...and mind which tend to make Harry angry and moody. He feels guilty about a connection that exists between himself and Voldemort, a connection he has never fully understood.

Like I said, my feelings about this book are complex. During my first readings, I always said this was my least favorite of the series, but upon re-reads my opinion has changed. There are so many things about OotP that I absolutely love. There are also some things that I used to hate; but that now I understand happened the way they did for a reason. OotP is a necessary evolution for Harry's character. He gets invaluable lessons early on; lessons that are difficult, and sometimes unpleasant but that will serve him well. J.K.R really establishes how difficult a battle this is for Harry. How it feels to be completely isolated. To believe in a cause so much you're willing to be the martyr, to never waver when you really believe in something. Yes Umbridge is absolutely heinous and unbearable. But it shows how far the Ministry is willing to go to avoid the truth; and the lengths to which politician will go to remain in power (not something all that difficult to imagine)

I will say, I found the Grawp storyline to be a something of a drag. And a little bit pointless to be honest. There really is no reason for his storyline because (view spoiler) I feel like OotP had enough plot and information that we could have done without that whole detour. (view spoiler)

The Harry from Order of the Phoenix is angry, bitter, confused, and isolated, but also realistic, determined and resolutely brave and compassionate. In some ways, I relate to Harry as a character so much more in OotP. Harry Potter will always be my favorite character in fiction. And despite being darker in this book, J.K.Rowling manages to have him ooze compassion...vulnerability...and love. Yes Dumbledore's favorite answer of love is probably what makes me read and re-read the Harry Potter series. JKR revealed many secrets at the end of this book, but she's not even close to done weaving her web :)
(less)

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May 17, 2007 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-lit, sf-fantasy-horror

There was so much bitching and whining about this installment of Harry's adventures when it came out that I held off reading it until Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was published in summer of '05. The main "criticism" seemed to be that Harry complained too much for most readers' tastes. Whatever. To my mind, it showed that Rowling had learned how to write a long novel. The pacing, structure, and overall oomph of this book were far better than the substantially shorter but less well-wrou...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Everett Cortes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a great book! This book was very well based of the past books that J.K. Rowling has written. It is the fifth book of the Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling has very well used the other books of the series, in the mystifying plot of this book. She has also created very new and well written plots for Harry’s life at his school, Hogwarts. She has done a stellar job of having Harry’s world grow along with him. In the first couple of books she described more minuscule plots of Harry’s years a...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Katya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fantasy, holy-hell, kudos-for-the-worldbuilding, oh-come-on, the-harry-potter-challenge, teen-lit

Hello, friends, and welcome back to my reviews of the Harrietta Potter books!

*sigh* We got a bad one today, folks. I just don't mean bad, I mean really, really bad! I've often given many stars to horrible books, as long as I liked the characters, so it probably won't surprise you that I deduct from a rating when an MC annoys/pisses me off.

Luckily, that doesn't happen very often! Only a handful of times, really. Bella Swan, Luce Price, Laurel Sewell, Ever Bloom, Nora Gray, Bethany Church... but...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Devon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: own, favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one didn't start out as slow as 4 and (Oh, GOD) 6 for me...which was surprising because I remembered it as being boring. In fact, I actually like the whole Harry-listens-in-to-Muggle-news thing. And Harry's so sarcastic and bitchy with Dudley at the beginning.

See, when I was 12 I read this book for the first time. Harry got on my nerves. He was a royal pain in the ass. But now I'm seventeen and I remember being 15. I remember getting on my own damn nerves with being so teenager-y and annoyi...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really liked it because Harry's finally having to deal with something darker than outside forces - himself. The anger flashes, the completely justified rebukes from Ron and Hermione (not to mention Phineas Nigellus' pertinent points about the self-focus of teens), all to the good. Thought it perfectly natural that Harry feel guilty about all of it, feel rage against Sirius' killers, and want to hurt Dumbledore so that he would feel the pain Harry did. Also liked that Rowling didn't always preten...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.co...

A lot of things happen in this book. I mean A LOT! So much information is contained in these pages... and yet this is my least favorite book. I suppose it's because the story is now getting dark. So much for fun times. It has been a long time since I have read this book so I found some of the things missing from the movies cool. Like Gwap's story. In the book he seems WAY more dangerous then in the movie. I find in the book you actually feel bad for Lockha...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Shaun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

The longest book in the series topping out at 870 pages, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though not my favorite, is still a solid installment in a marvelous series for young readers.

Once again Rowling gives us a memorable character that we love to hate in Delores Umbridge, who happens to be one of my favorite thus far. Harry's never ending angst and teenage moodiness got a little old in this very long book, however, the development of the Weasley twins and their decision to leave Hogw...more

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Feb 21, 2012 H.I. Al-Muhairi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, britain-british, magical-realism, sci-fi, fantasy, 2012, the-teen-i-am

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

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About J.K. Rowling

Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling,her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initia...more Although she writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling,her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, "No one ever called me 'Joanne' when I was young, unless they were angry." Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King's Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother's maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother's paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Rowling's sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael's Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael's, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: "I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee." At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said "taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind," gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford's autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling's heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, "I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life." She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, "Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She's a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I'm not particularly proud of." Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as "not exceptional" but "one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English." Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.(less)

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Books by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, #3)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, #4)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, #6)

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5)

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