Rating: 
Summary: Can't be beat!
Review: Since there are over 3,000 reviews on this book, I'll keep mine real short. I have read all of Rawlings' books and this one is just as good as the others. However, this book starts off on a darker tone than the others did ~~ Harry Potter is now 15 and is moody as most teenage boys that age are. But he still retains his sweetness and intergrity amidst all of the confusion that is happening at the Ministry of Magic and at Hogswart.This is an excellent follow-up to the other four books in the series ~~ and as usual, leaves you hungering for more of Harry Potter. I highly recommend this book to all adults and children ~~ there is nothing like a classic entertaining book about good vs. evil. This book is it...
Rating: 
Summary: Book 4 was better
Review: Book opens and ends with alot of well written and much desired action. However, there are slow points in the middle, as well as, Harry's character change from innocent boy, to hard nose teen. The story line was weaker than the 4 other title, but I would still recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: J.K. Rowling Scores Again
Review: She just has a way of captivating you, no matter your age! Rowling scores again with the fifth installment: Order of the Phoenix. Harry is plunged into conflict that he could have EASILY avoided, but didn't. Many emotions stir in this brilliant work of literature! A must read for ALL Harry Potter fans and others alike!
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter Masters Wizardly, Fumbles Puberty
Review: By now, anyone dumb enough to criticize the Harry Potter novels has been shouted down by a loud and loyal majority. The Harry Potter books are literature, and they deserve to be treated as such. Just because they happen to appeal to everyone doesn't make them any less worthy of inclusion to the historical canon of Great Books. These are wonderful books - richly plotted, full of distinct and lovable characters, and much smarter than first glance would indicate. And so we arrive at Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the first and last 870-page book I will likely ever read (unless JK Rowling ups the page number again with Year 6 of Harry Potter's adventures). Like the previous four books, it puts you into a parallel universe you're unlikely to want to leave. Rowling's genius was to make Harry Potter someone who lives, theoretically, in today's world. It makes relating to him a whole lot easier, and that helps because in Order Harry isn't such a lovable little scamp. He pouts, he rages, he's nasty to friends, and he makes stupid mistakes. He's become a wizard version of Kevin Arnold from "The Wonder Years". No matter. Potter's adventures here are just as intoxicating as ever, and as the series continues to darken in tone, it's beginning to take on even greater and more complex meaning. For sheer excitement, Order isn't superior to the last two installments of the series. Goblet of Fire and Prisoner of Azkaban were more fast-paced and entertaining books. But it's worth sacrificing a bit of action to see that Harry Potter is a more textured, complicated character than ever before. It's worth noting that this is the first Potter book to be published since the film versions of the first two books have been produced. It's a sad thing, in a way, because the unique images each readers will conjure up for every character is bound to be replaced somewhat by the actors who portrayed Ron Weasly, Hermione, Snape, McGonagall, and so on. It robs the reader of just a touch of imagination. Then again, that will hardly stop the Potter freight train from rolling along. In a series of classic books, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix continues a remarkable streak.
Rating:
Summary: Rowling is the George Lucas of children's literature
Review: Calling Rowling the George Lucas of writing is a compliment or insult depending on whether you think Rowling is the master of words or a genius of franchising. Like Lucas, she is perhaps both.
Harry Potter's life has gotten more complex this year. Voldemort is out, and the Ministry of Magic has embarked on a smear campaign to discredit Harry's and Dumbledore's message by installing the evil Professor Umbridge in their midsts. In the meantime, the Order of the Phoenix has been re-established to combat the followers of Voldemort. And perhaps most difficult of all, Harry is growing up. He faces everything but bad skin, having to face awkwardness with girls, mood swings, and egocentricism.
Perhaps Rowling's greatest strength has been to draw archetypes of characters that most readers can identify with. The Dursleys are the embodiment of intolerance just as Voldemort is the embodiment of evil. This may also account for some criticism about the one-dimensionality of the characters. Although this may be true, I can't help but be amazed at the way Rowling has been able to handle such a huge cast of characters. Many fantasy authors who have attempted similar feats end up drawing up cardboard and empty characters that have little variation between one another (Robert Jordan comes to mind). However, we all know (or think we know) an Aunt Petunia in our lives, and we can all imagine running in someone like Snape or Hagrid or Malfoy.
The other great strength is how her books can often be appreciated on multiple levels. There is the plot of good vs. evil, but in this book, there are also many other facets such as the coming-of-age part, or the interaction between government, education, and citizen, and how knowledge is created in society.
The only thing that I was a bit annoyed with was the hype. The way the publishers marketed this book was like the way Simpsons tried to get more people to watch their show by announcing that they're killing off a regular. Rowling should feel that her words alone are enough to attract readers without having to pull of such marketing gimmicks. Kill off a character, or don't kill, please retain the integrity of your writing by not turning it into another, big hype machine.
Having said that, it is with great anticipation that I await the next book, and only wish that it would take less years for her to come up with another adventure. Given that the war is only just beginning at the end of this books, and Rowling has said there would only be seven, I can only assume that the remaining two would exceed 1000 pages each. Bring it on!
Rating:
Summary: Absoulutly Superb
Review: Ever since the first Harry Potter book came out I have been hooked. Jim Dale is absolutly superb. While in the movies you aren't given the sense of making the characters in your head, Jim Dale captures the spirit of Harry Potter with amazing voices, and narratives, and you are able to really get a picture for yourself of what the characters, and places in these amazing books look and even feel like. You really get a sense that you are right there. The best part about them is you can become a Harry Potter genius. I now know anything you ask me, not from just the books, but the tapes. It's hard to capture every little detail that may come up later in the books, but in tapes you find yourself saying, "ahh" and finding connections throughout the series. I would reccomend these to any child. They are also great fo families. When we go on long trips in the car we just pop in a Harry Potter tape and everyone is happy, wethere your a child or adult you will love any CD or Cassette from the Harry Potter series.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Althought the beginning is a little slow...around the upper 100s it starts to pick up and you will not be able to put it down/ Awesome book and great for all ages.
Rating:
Summary: Another gem to the HP series
Review: Well done JK! This book was an amazing read! I admit, toward the middle i was wondering when the book would pick up a bit, yet i still give this book 5 stars for the ending justifies any "slower" parts that may be in the middle. J.K. Rowling is an incredible writer. I have grown to truly love many characters in these books, and to really despise others. You really feel for Harry in this book; the HATE for Umbridge (urgh! what an incredibly frustrating character!), the stress of OWLS (brought back the terrible memories from my high school exams), etc. Harry is like a REAL teenager, which i can't congratulate JK enough for portraying. He feels uncertain of himself, of others, questions adults, and -although i think this part of his character development has been a bit slow- starts actually going out with girls. Some people might say they thought his anger a bit over the top sometimes, but look at what Harry's been through. Different people handle things in different ways, and i believe he acted truly believable- like some teens might. (Though he did piss me off a few times, like when he was throwing things all the time, and SCREAMING at Dumbledore.) Many people might argue that this book is too dark, too depressing for children's stories. I say JK should keep doing what she's doing. With her story line, the books simply CANNOT stay childish and happy. Harry Potter is now 15, and for the books to be somewhat relatable, they cannot be bright and cheerful, and Harry cannot stay nieve and innocent. People might say that this book has no morals or lessons, but it is REALISTIC. Take the conflict between Snape and Harry, for example. Though in a nice kid story, they might make up and live happily ever after, but in real life people that have had far too many past conflicts for a long time, would be reluctant to make up. Harry reacted the way a real teen might- though he feels bad for Snape, and can relate to him, he is too afraid of him to ever confront the issue, and it is doubtful Snape will ever be able to like Harry. Yet, we still have books 6 and 7, so we will see what happens there. With the movies out, they made the books seem more childish than they really are. The books get more scary and darker -and more complex- with each year Harry grows older. And Bravo for that JK!! Yet there are parents that have young children and will complain about that. I say, then just let your kids read the first few books only. If JK wrote the books with small children in mind, than they would lack that real quality we can relate to; that depth and intrigue we all love. Not to mention they wouldn't be half as exciting. If the movies keep making Harry Potter PG, then they will really stink. If they want to keep the movies aimed toward little kids, than please stop after movie 3. I know many high schoolers who love HP and are frustrated with those who complain that it is too dark and scary. I believe that the main reason smaller kids love Harry Potter is that it is a HUGE bunch of books- complicated, action-packed, and dark- for once a "children's" book that makes them feel older, smarter, and better about themselves and their reading ability. HP is no "Happy Ever After" tale. Real life isn't that way, so in that sense HP is very real. Past characters we love return in this book, and you learn a lot more about them. (Including Harry's parents- I loved the scene with the 15 yr. old James, Sirius, Lilly, Snape and others.) This book is no black-and-white tale. Yes, there is good and evil, but there are also those who are not-so-good; yet not completely evil as well. Harry Potter grows to realize that adults aren't all-knowing saints, they struggle as well. The loyalty and strength Harry finds in his friends is one of the best themes in the book. Ginny and Neville grow into bigger characters (I love them both), and the sacrifices his friends make for him is incredibly touching (and unbearably sad...). I loved the 5th book. I laughed, I cried (a lot- when my favorite character that I loved so much died) and I felt angry at times (I almost threw my book across the room when "THAT CHARACTER" died- JK Rowling WHY DID "that character" HAVE TO DIE??). You'll be left almost in a daze, waiting desperately for that next amazing chapter in Harry's life- the 6th book!
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book!
Review: In this, the fifth Harry Potter book, Harry spends his summer watching the news, waiting for some sign that Lord Voldemort is on the march, only to find nothing. But when Dementors attack him on the street, Harry soon finds that the wizard world is riddled with plots and schemes. And, when the Ministry of Magic places an evil woman as the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher, he finds that even Hogwarts isn't a safe place. So, it is up to Harry and his friends to prepare for what is certain to come...though they are not entirely certain what that is. I have been following the adventures of Harry Potter since the beginning, and I have found this book to be every bit is nail biting as the others. The intensity is so high in this book that you will not be able to put it down. This is a great book, and a great addition to a wonderful series. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: This book is chillin'
Review: What can I say this is HP you know it's going to be rockin' anyways it was great. I was very upset about the climate of the story but beside that it was great. Yet again you just want to read more of it. It's just an awesome read. I can't wait till th next one comes out. hurry up J.K. Please!!
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