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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 toad-like 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.L.s), 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 Philosopher'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 --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
From School Library Journal
Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as great as I had hoped,
By Aaron Boatwright (Duluth, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (Hardcover)
After a long, highly anticipted wait for the fifth installment in the Harry Potter Series, I finally laid hands on my copy at just past midnight last night. I promptly began to read, and I have to say....I am somewhat disappointed in it. Though I believe J K Rowling to be an excellent writer in general, I found the fifth book not nearly as engrossing as the last three. In fact, throughout the entire first half I was left wondering, "when is something going to HAPPEN?!". I found Harry to be more irritating than anything else, what with his constant outbursts, lack of judgement, and incessant whining. Hermione seems to be the only character that is maturing at all. The plot was not as well developed as I thought it could have been (c'mon, there are like nine hundred pages here!), and frankly the resolution (if you can call it that) took an absurdly long time to arrive. [...] Don't get me wrong, it was nice to hear what Harry has been up to, and I genuinely adore this series as a whole. I just felt that JK Rowling's talent is seriously under-utilized here. There is a persistent lack of focus, a rambling, largely unexciting plot, and for the most part the characters become lost in the jumble. This could've been better!! I rate it 3 out of 5.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Worst of the Series By Far,
By Carmyn (Alberta) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (Paperback)
OotP was definitely a dissapointment compared to the rest of this wonderful series. Although it began to piece together some of the many questions the previous books introduced, the many chapters it took to get to those answers was a little painful. Harry's new teenage attitude is hard to deal with, the romance is fairly shallow, Hagrid is dumber than he usually is, and the new teacher at Hogwarts is more annoying than anything. Do read it to fill in the blank pieces of information regarding Harry, but chances are you won't find it as enjoyable as the other books.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Rowling was straining...,
By
This review is from: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) (Hardcover)
And it shows. The pacing at points is very good, but too often there are long boring stretches; I don't mean the expositions of the previous books, either; I mean info-dumps that are not as well structured, and therefore, less enteraining. Harry has become quite whiny, even a little manic depressive, as puberty begins to take hold. This can deepen his character, but it is also bound to annoy. Much of Harry's charm has always been his easy-going attitude. The lessening of that aspect will no doubt bother some, as it bothered me, because Harry was slightly less sympathetic, and maybe a bit asympathetic. The smoothness of the previous books has also diminished somewhat; you can almost hear Rowling's labored breathing as struggled trying to add suspense to the scene when the big lummox gets whacked. The dialogue is often very stilted, and this was alarming to me. You'll notice it too, particuarly when Hermione is speaking. I hope Rowling didn't think she was writing a film script. Maybe the biggest problem is the lack of focus. The story goes off on several tangents, as usual, but unlike in the past, the "side-quests" as it were, are not integral to the story. This accounts for the bloated page-count. There was a lot of extraneous stuff going on. Maybe the most interesting thing is the new role of the house elves and how they will affect the fight with ole Voldie. Overall, OotP just isn't smooth. The thing about the series is that the writing has been so clean, so unfettered, that the reader became entire immersed. Now, too must of the story is throwaway tripe, stuff that should have been edited out or saved for the next book; God knows Rowling will need some ideas. There is some new stuff, but none of it is terribly interesting, barely enough to justify forcing 900-odd pages on readers. The only reason you should read this is if you've read the others books or plan to. In fact, if you even plan to read the others, don't even pick up this book. Don't even read the jacket. You'll be turned off from the series. This is easily the weakest book, style and content-wise. That shouldn't be surprising. Rowling did show signs of weakness when she repeatedly delayed the release date. The desperation shows in this book all too clearly. I only hope she can recover.
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