Rating: 
Summary: Best so far
Review: People who complain about the length of a book really shouldn't read books: allowing the physical thickness of a novel to detract from your enjoyment of the storyline shows that you're probably not all that interested in the story in the first place. A story should be judged on its competence, its use of language and its general enjoyment factor, and while these are very personal rules to measure, the length of a story is irrelevant because if the story is good, why should the length matter?Anyway, this fifth installment of the by-now infamous Harry Potter series sees our hero, Harry, dealing with the return of his nemesis, Lord Voldemort, and the ostracisation and disbelief of the rest of the Wizarding Community. Harry's older, wiser and more inured to violence and darkness, and this is what sets the tone of the plot. From the first few chapters on, JK Rowling quickly establishes that these are dark times for Harry, and unapologetically illustrates the plight of the boy from the initial shock of the return of Voldemort, to the final, shocking climax. My hat goes off to Rowling: it's a difficult thing to live up to hype and expectation, and to take such a brave step in her writing is no small feat. Harry is growing up quickly, learning hard lessons along the way. Gone are the heady, child-like days of the first three books, and we're left with an understandably angry teenager with more on his plate than most. He shouts (IN CAPITAL LETTERS :-) and fights and has emotional responses appropriate for his age and experiences. She may have alienated a part of her audience who are caught up in the hype of the Harry Potter Series For Kids - this is a clear and marked departure from that tone of writing. Harry, Hermione and Ron all have new depth and characteristics, while retaining the old ones that we love them for. She introduces a host of new characters, too, the most memorable of which is Delores Umbridge, a hateful and vitriolic woman whose powermongering almost causes the death of our central characters. Memorable, too, is Nymphadora Tonks, a young and vivacious witch who provides some much-needed comic relief at various points in the novel. There's also a wonderful sense of resolution with characters like the Weasley parents, and Snape - their personalities are more carefully illustrated here than in previous novels. Finally, we discover exactly why Snape hates Harry so much. Dumbledore is made more human in this novel, and through this we begin to understand why he cares so much about Harry. The narrative is set at a slower pace, with more time and description devoted to what the characters are feeling, instead of driving the events. The plot comes together towards the very end of the novel, by which point we have a fully-realised set of central characters, and we understand their reactions during the climactic scenes better. Harry, and JK Rowling's initial audience, is growing up. This book is the fifth in a series where you do need to start at the beginning in order to appreciate the later novels. It's darker and more adult than previous works, but then again, so is Harry. Kudos to Rowling for taking the time to develop Harry as a complex young man, and producing the most rewarding novel for followers of the series to date.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!
Review: This book is absolutely incredible. You have to read it. Also if you want another excellent book read Eragon by Christopher Paolini. Read both and you will walk away amazed.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Review: I have to admit I was very shocked at this book. The angry, surly teen-aged Harry was quite a nasty reality check that Harry is growing up. His anger is so fresh and realistic to the reader that at times you want to scream at him and other times you agree with all your heart.His anger at the wizarding world is very understandable. I really couldn't put the book down!!I didn't think the book was too long because I flew right through it! Even though the plot is very thick, I found myself keeping interest. I found myself frustrated (along with Harry) that the wizarding world ignored Harry and calld him an attention-seeking liar. I found myself sick when Harry was slowly deprived of the things that made Hogwarts home to him. The only thing that I disliked about the book was that a very important and special character to Harry died. I cried excessively over that! Overall, even though I was shocked at how dark and somewhat depressing the book was, I enjoyed it immensly.
Rating:
Summary: good book, a little long, quit whining
Review: This was a great book, as a teacher I have seen so many kids turned on by reading again. These are great books, although this one was a little long. Some things could have been edited out, for instinance, the dating stuff, but characters have to change to evolve otherwise the story seems stagnant and is no longer interesting. There is no way Harry and Hermionie are getting togeher. Our group believes the following will happen -- Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermionie. Young people often fight when they are intersting in others, and the characters are finally growing up. I just hope we don't have to wait for another 2 years for the next book to come out. Check out the latest Simpson's episode with JK Rowling.
Rating:
Summary: It's not the best, but it's good anyway...
Review: I've read all of Harry Potter books and I must say that my favourite are book 1,book 2 and the most favourite is book 4.
Book 5 is not as good as book 4, but it's important for next book's stories;it explaines and shows some thing in different light.But I also must agree that it's too,too long - I couldn't wait the end (because explanations are always in the end).
This is a good book,but it's not the best.I hope book 6 will be more dramatic.
Rating:
Summary: one of the best books availible
Review: Harry Potter has dreams of dark, long corridors for months. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a great book to read for everyone, boy or girl, man or woman, muggle or wizard. This is the fifth of seven books about Harry Potter, a teen-age wizard with a must-be-solved mystery, adventures, horror, sadness and friendship. Harry Potter and his friends attend 'Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry' in England, which is a nice place but also a place of danger.
The Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort already killed hundreds of people and tried to kill Harry four times. This time Harry gets help from friends but they might get killed. Then there is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster (the whole book is written in British English and headmaster means principle) of Hogwarts who is old and wise, but even though he is a wizard he is only a human like you and I and he makes mistakes. After all the New York-Times bestseller by J.K. Rowling is a must for everyone who read the other four books. Even though it has 870 pages you will have the 'don't-want-to-put-down' fever from page one to the end.
Rating: 
Summary: I've Had Enough
Review: Way, way, way too long. I could not wait for this book to be over. It could have been 1/3 as long without missing a beat. repition and excrutiaing detail are what make this so long. The first book that I read in the series was book 4 and I was captivated. I loved the world that was created and the characters. I loved books one and two also. Three was a let down. Now it just seems there is nothing new or fresh. For example, in the first books the Quiditch matches were fresh and interesting. Now that we've seen them 10 times they have become as if one is watching the re-run of a TV show for the 23rd time - even if you like the show, there is just nothing new and you want to change the channel. The plots of the books have now become predictable:
1) The book opens with some strange event at the Dursely's
2) Harry finally gets to Hogwarts
3) Strange events happen at Hogwarts centered around Harry
4)There is a new odd faculty memebr at Hogwarts
4) Snape is a pain in the ass
5)There is a showdown with Valdemort
6) Harry wins (for now)
7) Dumbeldore explains everything. Its just not ineteresting anymore. If book 6 is more than 300 pages I quit. I'll just wait for the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Bye-bye kid-friendly, hello entertainment!
Review: I've lived in 2 states this year, & every time I see someone with a Harry Potter book, it's usually an adult woman. I walk up to them & ask "you bought that for yourself, right?" & I almost always get something like "Yeah. My son/daughter wants to read it, but it's too deep/a bit innapropriate/morbid/depressing for kids." In truth, I've never met anyone under the age of 18 who's read it. HP5 was a big hit with people who weren't expecting a children's book. After reading it, I was supprised parents would even allow their children too, cuz then they have to start "explaining things about life sooner than they'd hoped to be disgussing them," like death & abuse & not fitting in & life not being fair. Truely, this was Harry's most miserable year & a great deal of fellow students were bummed by the character Rowling had fated to die. All-in-all, this is the best thing I've read since Anne Rice still had tallent, & that was a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Waaaaaay Toooooo Loooooong!!!!
Review: I was very disappointed in this volume. The ending was a shocking, convoluted, let-down; the cruelty, misfortune and heart-crushing losses HP suffered were overwhelming; and WHY on earth did it require nearly 900 pages? (FYI: The audio book is a staggering 23 CDs!) It's as if JKR has become so tired of these characters and this saga that she didn't even try very hard - just wear out the reader with pages and pages of maddening repetition and excess verbiage. Were the editors tanked on butterbeer for this one? More questions were raised than answered, the onslaught of new, oddball, 2-dimensional characters was confusing, and the poor judgement demonstrated by so many of the established characters was depressing. Yes, I know... "life is rough" and perhaps every children's book SHOULDN'T end with "...and they lived hapily ever after," but this is one went far beyond what I believe is reasonable for a children's book. I slogged through it all in order to be better prepared for what I hope is a sharp, imaginative and well-crafted Book 6. The only high point: 5 STARS and more for actor Jim Dale who performed the audio book. His dazzling theatrical ability with all of the characters' voices is pure...wizardry!
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: i have never read a better book. for the people who insist on naming it boring and slow, y dont u get a life and write a book ur self? no one will ever be able to write as good as jk rowling. her whole series is absolutely amazing. i cant wait 4 the next book.... i finshed each hp in 1 day when i first got them! if i were going into hiding for 1000000000000000 years, i would bring these books bcuz i can read them over and over and over again and never ever ever get bored. this book makes me wish so bad that i were a witch. hp just makes me excited- i love fantasy, and hp is definitley my favorite books EVER! go HP ALL THE WAY! luv ya harry!
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