Canton, Jeffrey. Summer 2003. Harry Potter: the Long and Short of It. Books in Canada Review found at: http://www.childrencomefirst.com/HPre...

This was an interesting review to read - and one I read after reading the book. Jeffrey Canton did not give a glowing review - he criticized Rowling of too much repetition making for a tedious read.

I did not feel it was too long. It's true there was a lot of repetition (especially in describing Umbridge's toad-like appearance), but I felt it added to the story.

Cooper, Ilene. July 2003. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:Review. Booklist online: http://www.booklistonline.com.proxy.g...

My favorite of the HP books. Professor Umbridge is one of the greatest villains in literary history. ( )

Book 5 came and went and I feel that it moved the story along nicely. Not the best book by far and it seemed that the story could have been told in far less than 800+ pages that it took. I do like how the series is getting darker and is growing as Harry ages. The questions left open in the previous four books are starting to be answered here and I'm looking forward to the final two books in the series. ( )

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in J. K. Rowling's much loved, world famous Harry Potter series. The UK edition of the Order of the Phoenix consists of 766 pages...all of whcih packed with darkness and excitement at every turn. As you may see, I have given this book a five star rating, purely because I love it, it's the biggest book in the series but only took me three days to read. The explosive battle in the Department of Mysteries takes up about six chapters, and it was amazing basically...

With the retunr of Lord Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic doing everything they can to mask this, Harry is in more danger than he could ever be. Kept in the dark by Dumbledore's organisation The Order of the Phoenix, Harry's anger is rising and with an new Inquisitor at Hogwarts and Dumbledore doing his best to ignore him Harry feels more alone than ever and his anger ever rises...

Reviewing several books of the same series can get a bit tiresome and a bit repetitive, and as this series is so heavily reviewed and virtually everybody has already read it I really can't be arsed to review it anymore...c'mon it dosn't need a review! ( )

The series turns dark with this book. A great read, but be prepared for heartache. ( )

The first time I read Order of the Phoenix I will admit I was a bit disappointed; it's a complex story, a bit dark and Harry is extremely cranky.

Now that I've read it numerous times (and listened to the audio book) and finished the rest of the series, OotP has grown on me as one of my Potter favourites. ( )

Reviewed by Nell (Class of 2010) ( )

I have to confess that, on my first reading of the Order of the Phoenix, I was disappointed but, on reflection, I think that this might be because of the excitement on the lead-up to the book's release. Certainly on this read I found the book extremely gripping and exciting, with a great deal of plot progression.

Here Harry is dealing with the aftermath of the return of Lord Voldemort, and coping with the fact that he is kept very much in the dark about what is happening. While at the Dursley's over the summer, he has been relying on the Muggle news to see whether Voldemort has started the expected killing spree and reign of terror. When Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by Dementors, Harry is forced to do magic outside of Hogwarts - something expressly forbidden - and is summoned to a hearing. This is where he begins to learn that times are changing - his relationship with Dumbledore is strained and distant; the Minister of Magic refuses to believe that Voldemort is back and a truly chilling new character (Delores Umbridge) takes on the role of Defence of the Dark Arts professor.

Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts is dark, dark, DARK! He is reviled by many of his previously friendly classmates for telling stories to gain attention; he starts having dreams that leads him to believe that he is starting to feel what Voldemort is feeling (including his glee as he commits murder); and he suffers a massive setback in his Quidditch career.

A lot of characters really develop through this book and it is fantastic to read more indepth plotlines for Ron, Fred and George, Ginny and Snape amongst others. Here we have, for example, an extremely illuminating glimpse into one of the reasons why Snape hates Harry so intensely. Ginny becomes a feisty and very effective witch, while the Weasley boys provide much of the comic relief. I was rather pleased to see Ron, in particular, step out of Harry's shadow in a subplot about him joining the Quidditch team. Neville Longbottom, also, is treated well in this book and we finally learn more about him.

Two new characters really steal the show though. One of these is the dreamy Luna Lovegood - piercingly honest at times, but also believes in fairytale creatures and gossipy stories from the wizarding world. The other is the aforementioned Umbridge - for once Harry is struggling against a person who is not part of Voldemort's group of Death Eaters. Umbridge is cruel, vindictive, truly repulsive to read about. You feel like cheering when George and Fred take her on! There are some sickening moments in the story where Harry and Umbridge have quiet scenes together, such as his string of detentions at the start of the school year - these made me shudder.

Obviously there are faults with the book. This is the one where Harry develops teenage angst. For a long period at the beginning of the book he is sulky, sullen and often shouts in CAPITALS to make his point - I guess he is quite accurately written in terms of becoming a teenage, but it becomes tiresome very quickly.

The subplot with Harry and Cho's 'romance' goes nowhere fast, and fizzles out rapidly when Rowling decides who she would most like to see Harry with - a relationship that has been signposted since the second book, but is none the less welcome for starting to take shape.

The beginning of the book is slow and dragging, up to and including where Harry meets the Order in Sirius' house. Lots of names are thrown in quickly and some of the characters suffer from not being fleshed out at all.

Unlike the fourth book in the series, these are really minor quibbles. Considering that Rowling is now dealing with a large ensemble cast, each of them seemed to get enough 'screentime' in this book. It was an extremely long book to read, but here I savoured each page rather than skipping through filler as I did with Goblet of Fire. Even the owls Hedwig and Pigwidgeon are given enough character for us to grow ever-more fond of them.

The DA lessons were incredibly funny and heartening to read about in the midst of all the gloom. Rowling also writes very effectively about the heavy workload of the students as they study for their OWLs (I love that OWLs and NEWTs correspond to our GCSEs and A Levels). It is also fun watching the three leads start to think about life after Hogwarts.

I think the real high point of this book is the fact that Rowling no longer feels the need to explain every little detail of the past four books - it is as though she now assumes that those picking up the book have already devoured her previous novels in the HP series, and so she steams straight into the plot. And the plot leads us on a rollarcoaster ride that culminates in the most dramatic climax yet (although Rowling still can't resist the big reveal between Harry and Dumbledore - however, here I can forgive her much since Dumbledore's quiet and dignified explanation had me close to tears).

As I have commented on in prior reviews it is the little details of the wizarding world that, I believe, makes these books so beloved. I shall pull out here the example of the students having to write a certain amount of feet or inches of parchment for essays rather than using a page or word count.

Finally, I leave you with a quote that had me giggling from Ron's description of his practical Divination examination: "He (Ron) had just made Harry feel rather better by telling him how he had told the examiner in detail about the ugly man with a wart on his nose in his crystal ball, only to look up and realise he had been describing his examiner's reflection."

A great addition to the Harry Potter series. ( )

So, so good. The end of the book was incredible, although sad. The most depressing yet, and it is at time difficult to watch the events pile up, but it was also great to see characters besides Harry get a chance to shine. ( )

My personal favorite HP. I know it has a rather dark and diobolical undertone, but I think thats why I like it so much. Its very different from the previous novels. I think another reason I like it so much is because of Sirius. (He is my favorite character besides James,Lupin, and Snape.) I LOVED the flashback scene between Snape, James, and Lily! Sirius had such a dry sense of humor! Most definately my favorite! (2nd favorite is book 7 FYI.) ( )

Voldemort has returned and the Ministry of Magic is in denial. To me, this is most difficult book in the series. Rowlings seems to have lost her way a little with the story. Harry is miserable and frustrated throughout most of the book. In spite of this, it is still a compelling read. In this book Rowlings confront and social institutions hinder progress in society. As with previous books, magic power, and death themes continue to evolve. ( )

Good lord has she got it? Did the wrighting fairy finally pay a visit to Rowling? I think she did! For once, Harry Potter is exciting. Voldemort's back and that means doom and gloom all around. People at Hogwarts finally realize Harry is actually a bit of a 2D character and turn against him, actually giving him EMOtions. Yes you heard me. A character in Harry Potter is actually shown to have proper, real life emotions. With danger both in and around Hogwarts, JK Rowling, we salute you! You've done it kiddo- youve written a book worth reading. ( )

An enjoyable read once more, engrossing yet disappointing. ( )

My favorite ( )

A fun adventure in and out of Hogwarts. ( )

I was driven to tears with this book as the ending broke my heart. I cannot express how wonderful the series is . It has so much emotion and realism in it despite it being a magical, fictional world. Definitely a must read! ( )

The Harry Potter series is one of my favorite series of books ever!!! The Characters are so amazing and the story lines never get dry. These are the types of books you can read again and again and they never get old. ( )

An exciting follow up to the Goblet of Fire, with less action. This is Rowling's writing at its best, and she doesn't disappoint. A must read for fans of the series. ( )

Delightfully entertaining. The book opens with a bored, 15-year old Harry. He's full of normal teenage angst that is compounded by the fact that he's feeling abandoned by the wizarding world. He managed to finish the Triwizard Tournament, only to watch Cedric die at the hands of Wormtail and then find himself face to face with Lord Voldemort. As soon as school ended, he was sent back to the Dursley's with no significant contact from Ron and Hermione. After defending a dementor attack on himself and Dudley, he is faced with expulsion from Hogwarts. This book could be considered the darkest, so far. Harry returns to school to find that he is the object of scorn and ridicule. The ministry has been playing down the events of the last year and refuses to admit that Lord Voldemort has returned. Harry is also a teenager. He's facing difficult exams. He's tired of being famous. When he finally gets to Grimmauld Place and meets up with Ron and Hermione again, he lets loose with frustrated rant. It was dead on for a teenager who is angry at the fact that while he has, several times, fought the greatest wizard of all time, he is still treated like a child who doesn't understand. He questions everything and he struggles with his attraction to Cho Chang. Professor Dumbledore seems to ignore him and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Umbridge, is an evil fascist who hates him. He's having nightmares about a door he can't get through, and he must take Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape. There is a lot of action and a lot of angst. There are some funny parts. I love the scene when Harry is telling Ron and Hermione about his kiss with Cho and wonders why she was crying. When Hermione explains the emotional aspect of girls the interchange between her and Ron is priceless. I'm so glad they included it in the film. Another great aspect of the book is when Harry, Hermione and Ron form the DA. Professor Umbridge won't teach them defensive spells and so Hermione takes it upon herself to convince Harry to teach them. That these teenagers all came together to do this is terrific and I loved seeing Harry have responsibility and the ability to teach his fellow classmates so many of the things he had used to defend himself against Voldemort. It was well done in the film too.I always felt that Sirius' character wasn't well-developed and it was hard to believe that Harry felt so much connection with him, other than the fact that he was James' best friend. In the book, he's mostly sullen and angry, which is understandable. But, there isn't much compassion or affection shown. I much prefer the Sirius from the film. Gary Oldman really brought the character to life and he and Daniel Radcliffe really had a father/son chemistry. His death in the book was anti-climactic. His death in the film was heart-wrenching. My other complaint with this book is Grawp. Hagrid doesn't need any extra, insignificant plot points. I don't see Grawp's purpose in the series. Even after finishing #7, his role isn't really necessary. He does nothing to improve the storyline. It's annoying and distracting. While I don't like Dobby, I don't understand why he hasn't been given more screen time since Chamber of Secrets. He has a much more imporant role than Grawp has in the remaining books.Until 6 and 7 came along, this was my favorite book! ( )

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. ( )

I am in LOVE with every single Harry Potter book ever written. The characters are HILARIOUS, the action is totally unpredictable and keeps you from EVER putting the book down! I LOVE YOU J.K. ROWLING!
My personal fav. character is Luna Lovegood, introduced in book 5 (order of the pheonix). She's so witty and independent, and even if people laugh at her queer quirks, she stays true to herself and always true to her friends. I LOVE YOU LUNA! ( )

[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]

In the fifth book to this series, Rowling takes the story to a dark place.
Her writing matures, and we find Harry experiencing all the emotions of a normal teenager, but on a grander scale.
Loneliness in being separated from Ron and Hermonie (the are made prefects), confusion from Dumbledor ignoring him (because Dumbledor believes he is protecting Harry), anger at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley for treating him like a child (because they too believe they are protecting him), and loss due to not being able to contact the one person who could help him, his god-father (because Sirius is still on the run.)
At first I didn’t like the book. I was angry from beginning to end. Angry at Harry for being a brat, angry at various “loved ones” for treating him like a child, and angry at his situation in general.
Then, after thinking it over, I realized Rowling was quite a talented writer. The fact that her writing could evoke such a strong reaction to the people in her story meant she succeeds in making me feel connected to them.
Rowling has done an incredible job in developing the characters and this is an exceptional series.

5 stars for making me feel connected enough to react to the story. ( )

Year 5. Since witnessing Cedric Diggory's death at the hands of Lord Voldemort, Harry has been having nightmares and feeling as though he is walking on pins and needles. Neither the Muggle newspapers nor the Daily Prophet has anything profitable to say, so it seems as though the Ministry of Magic is effectively squashing Harry and Dumbledore's proclamation that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back. Harry feels isolated and angry. Things are growing progessively darker. Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by dementors, and Harry's use of the patronus charm earns him a hearing at the Ministry of Magic. Most of the wizarding community thinks Harry and Dumbledore are nuts and no one seems to believe that Voldemort is back. The adults have reformed the Order of the Phoenix, but they aren't telling Harry and his friends anything. Harry's scar hurts worse than ever, and he seems to have a mysterious and terrifying connection to Voldemort, earning him private Occlumency lessons with Snape. Mr. Weasley is attacked by a huge snake and Harry sees it happen. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor (and Ministry of Magic employee), Dolores Umbridge, is slowly but surely taking over the school - and not allowing anyone to use magic. And Voldemort and his followers are searching for a secret weapon, a weapon that the Order is desperate to keep out of his hands. There are some bright spots, though. Cho Chang, Harry's crush, is interested in Harry. Hermione and Ron are prefects. Fred and George are still testing their joke shop products, with some hilarious results. And Harry, Ron, and Hermione form a secret defense league - the DA - where Harry teaches them all how to use defensive spells in preparation for the war with Voldemort. In the end, a showdown at the Ministry of Magic is the undoing of one character - but reveals to the world that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is, indeed, back. ( )

Well, I've finished my first book of the year, and very much enjoyed it. After the long struggle through La Communauté de L'Anneau before Christmas I was mildly surprised to get through this so quickly, despite the fact it's obviously in much simpler language. All the way through I was keen to know what happened next, and found it difficult to put down. It made me laugh in lots of places, it made me sad in one or two places too, though oddly enough not at the actual point where someone dies: too much else is going on at that moment really. It's interesting to see how much the characters have developped. And how they're not all just two-dimensional creatures, even the good guys have their bad sides, and Harry is beginning to be grown-up enough to recognise this.

It was fascinating to read it having not read the original English version first. I'm glad I did, though I think I'd like to read it in English at some point too, since I'm sure there are subtleties that I have missed. My head is filled with French now though, in a singularly disturbing manner. I'll certainly be looking to read more books in French this year, though I shall begin to aim to read more that were originally written in it.

I'm looking forward to the next volume, whenever it's written. As usual I want to know what happens next in the great struggle between Harry and Voldemort and all those backing each side, but equally there are little things I want to know - what of next year's Quidditch team?, how will they all have done in their GCSE equivalent exams?, what of Percy? ( )

First time through this in English, having finished it in French at the beginning of the year. Enjoyed it thoroughly, though I felt it was awfully short of actual *plot* for such a long book. Still, I shall be looking forward to the next one. ( )