Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely loved it--how does she get better and better??
Review: It was great! Amazing! Fabulous! Rowling's writing continues to amaze me. There was a lot more humor in this one--I found myself laughing out loud about every 10 pages. Rowling continues here realistic style of documenting unrealistic events--of course this stuff couldn't really happen, but if it could, this is how it would! Heck yeah Harry's angry--he's smack in the middle of adolesence, not to mention all the other [stuff] that has been raining down on him FOREVER. She makes her characters human and I love her for it. BUY THIS BOOK TODAY!
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter's growing up
Review: Phoenix is a very, very fine read, full of the kinds of wonderful (and wonderfully dreadful) moments we have come to expect from Rowling. (You will never want to read or hear the words "hem, hem" again.) Has Harry changed in this book? Most certainly. Is this a BAD thing? Most definitely not. Rowling is treating Harry's voyage through adolecense with dignity and realism, particularly given his painful experiences. If Rowling had kept Harry's attitude the same as books 1-4, I fear he would have become flat. Hats off to the author for having the guts to get us inside the head of a very complex (and now very hurting) 15 year old. Can't wait for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books ever
Review: THIS BOOK MAYBE LONG ,BUT MOST OF IT IS GREAT. WHEN I FIRST READ IT I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN UNTIL IT WAS COMPLETED. OF COURSE THERE THERE ARE THE DOWN SIDES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH HIM IN A BAD MOOD BUT IT STILL MEETS, MAYBE EVEN SURPASSES THE STANDARD SET BY THE PREVIOUS 4 BOOKS. IT IS A MUST READ BOOK HOPE THE NEXT BOOK WONT HAVE A LONG WAIT.
Rating:
Summary: Audio even better than the print edition!!!!!
Review: Jim Dale does an amazing job bringing Rowling's characters to life!! He gives each charater his or her own voice and personality. I know that I would not appreciate the Potter books half as much if I read them in the print edition. For example, I found myself laughing out loud when Dale described Loona Lovegood on the Hogworts Express-- I know that I probably would have just breezed right through this part in the print edition without much thought.The story itself is awesome-- each book has become more "adult" and is much better than the last. I can't wait for the next installment!
Rating:
Summary: A Boy Becomes a Man (No Spoilers)
Review: What else can be said? Surely tons of people have jumped onto Amazon.com and other websites to post their thoughts about the book. Surely people raced to finish to book and post spoilers everywhere. I cannot imagine where people are waiting to read a review to make a decision on whether to pick up this book. But if so, know this - this book was impossible to put down. Harry is growing up, these characters are maturing and changing with the events they are enduring. It was again a fascinating read, but the character development was beyond expectation. I started reading the Harry Potter books when Chamber of Secrets came out. I am sure I don't have a new story - friends laughed, it's a kids' story, slowly they got on the band wagon, indeed most of the world is on the band wagon, we all laugh and cry with Harry, religious zealots say the books should be burned, Hollywood makes millions, Lego makes little toys, blah blah blah. But if somewhere someone is jaded, disillusioned, tired of the hype, turned away from the books because they believe they are above them, want to be different, or above the trends and "fads" of normalcy - you're a twit. This book once again shows Ms. Rowling is a very much talented writer with a very good idea of where she is taking this story. I thought when I finished the book I would be anxious for the sixth book. Instead, I am anxious for the sixth and seventh. I am anxious to see where it all is going now. I have to know how it ends, even though it'll be the end of a great roller coaster of a ride.
Rating:
Summary: So Harry's Back; With ATTITUDE!
Review: I remember, and miss, Toby Tyler. I loved, and mourned, Pollyanna. But, to quote a very old song, "I'M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY" Harry Potter is a child. . .or was a child. Now he's almost adolescent. Now he has issues with his own maturity, not to mention YOU-KNOW-WHO. And god bless us all, he's not happy! Harry, I mean. Now let's get this all straight < and no pun inteneded > , but my body is outgrowing my cooridnation, my mind is still a boy's but my body is turning into a man's, and the one figure I thought I could count on has disappeared. . .??? Ms. Rowling has done it yet again! We start at the inception of a term at Hogwart's. . .we end at the close of term at Howgwart's. . .And we're led on a merry ride from start of term to end of term, and those of us with Potterite sensitivity go along for the entire ride, start to finish, and wait for the next installment with breath bated. . .and hope that Harry will get SOMETHING right after all. He has his friends, Ron and Hermione, he has his studies, and he has his own sense of right and wrong. . . I know that Harold Bloom consigns Harry Potter to the dustbins of posterity, but I think, in this one instance, that Professor Bloom gets it wrong, because Harry and company give new life to literature. . .an interest in reading. And that must surely be a laudable goal. So says the little wizard from somewhere. . .
Rating: 
Summary: Puberty, protection and partial professors
Review: Harry Potter is into his 5th year of Hogwarts and studying for his OWL's (Ordinary Wizarding Levels). At least, that is what he is supposed to do, but Voldemort has returned even though the Ministry of Magic does everything to deny this. And "everything" includes the introduction of most of the students' worst nightmare: Dolores Umbridge, the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and spy for the Minister. A witch that looks like a toad and is especially keen on trying to make Harry's life as miserable as possible. The atmosphere gets gloomier and gloomier until Harry and his friends have to take on Voldemort once again at the end of the year and Dumbledore has to tell Harry a terrible secret. In this book Harry is very obviously in his puberty, with all the mood swings and agression that come with that phase. This is definitely not a typical children's book any more: as Harry is growing up, so are his adventures. The book is also gloomier and there is less to laugh. I think it could have been somewhat less voluminous without weakening the message, but definitely a very enjoyable read.
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Summary: Brave New Wizarding World!
Review: I've run into about three kinds of people, so far, who's had valid questions about Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix. Here's my answer to those three kinds of people: 1. For the person who has not yet read OoTP, but plans to--AFTER reading Books 1-4: please be sure you DO finish reading 1-4. Book 5 will make much more sense that way, due to the fact that OoTP takes dynamite to the patterns of books 1-4 and blows it sky high! Everything you've assumed about the Wizarding world, and Harry Potter (his history, his personality, his future) has been thoroughly "disillusioned"! 2. For the parent whose child has enjoyed the books thus far, and the child may be under 13 (perhaps even under 10): if you are screening your child's reading material, there are some themes in this book -- namely somewhat graphic scenes of death, adolescent "stuff" (nothing too heavy--first crush, first kiss sorts of things) and intense emotional reactions (including a briefly voiced death wish) -- that you may want to pre-empt before letting your child read this book. This installment of Harry Potter is more for teenagers 12+ (maybe 13+) than for the younger set who may be still expecting magic spells, exciting adventures, mysteries to solve, and Dumbledore making things all right in the end. (Of course, adults are free to read at will!). 3. For the person who's sill new to the Harry Potter saga and wants to "just" read Book 5--it's your choice, but you'll be hopelessly lost if you "just" read Book 5. Significant saga plot points are revealed here that tie in to Books 1-4, and significant character development occurs throughout the book that set up the reader for future Books 6 and 7. With that said, my review of Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix is--OoTP is a triumph! Ms. Rowling continues to amaze me with how the whole saga has unfolded up to now. The emotional tone of the book is somber, dark (for real!), unrelenting, and not comforting in the least. Voldermort's back, but the Ministry of Magic wants it kept quiet, and will stop at NOTHING to keep it quiet--until it's almost too late! You'll cheer for Potter as he defends himself against the nastiest and most dangerous sorts of creatures (including a simpering, toad-like government official who needs to be slapped!), get angry with him (and at him!) as he struggles with his temper, adolescent emotions, and being seemingly abandoned by everyone he has come to know and trust, and your heart will shatter for him as never before (this refers to "The Death" and events afterward--the scene in Dumbledore's office just tore my heart out, even more than "The Death"). It's hard growing up.
You'll love this book. Go get it, already!
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Summary: The best HP book yet!
Review: I loved this book! I could barely put it down, I just kept reading. It kept me captivated. J.K. Rowling really made the characters "alive"...it was really easy to start disliking Professor Umbridge. So, if you're an HP fan, read it! But if you haven't read these great books yet, be sure to start with the first.
Rating:
Summary: Book--5 Stars, Audio--4 Stars. Why?
Review: This review is STRICTLY a critique of the audio performance of Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, performed by Jim Dale. (Four word critique of book: Joanne Kathleen Rowling ROCKS! That is all.) I've collected all of the audio recordings of the Harry Potter books, and up to now I've loved every one of Jim Dale's readings of the first three books. Starting with Goblet of Fire, however, with so many voices to keep track of, I've started to notice some inconsistencies in the voicings of certain characters (compare Dobby in the COS recording with Dobby in GOF and OoTP, for example). Also, in my opinion, some of the more dramatic parts of the books seem to lose some of the urgency when he reads it. It could be because he has to read somewhat for accuracy, and slower reading can sometimes take the steam out of "scenes" that happen much faster or have a more urgent/emotional tone. As a reader (and a fast one, at that!) I can hear and dramatize what's happening in the books to my liking, rather than let someone else interpret the voice inflections and emotional tones for me, so I qualify this observation by saying that it is completely subjective to my own personal tastes. Having said this, Jim Dale's reading/performance still has the magic touch. Still soothing, still spot-on with most of the important voices, still great with most scenes in the story. Again I note some voicing inconsistencies, but to be fair there has to be at least a gaggle of voices to keep track of all at once (over 130, I think, has been reported). With that in mind, Mr. Dale's reading is a towering achievement. In summary, if you've collected all of the audio recordings thus far, I wouldn't stop now--Jim's on a roll! If you've never purchased any of the Harry Potter audio books and are wondering what kind of quality you will be in for when purchasing this set (whether CD or Cassette), listen to the audio clip here on Amazon.com. You're in for a real treat.
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