Rating: 
Summary: 15 & up.
Review: It begins with the usual child abuse, climaxs in tradgidy, & ends unresolved. Truely Harry's most miserable year ever & yet my favorite of the 5 books. (everyone is entitled to their own opinion, ne?)This is a good read for teen & possibly preteens. Adults up to 70 really seem to like it. (I went to Nevada & like, almost everyone over 18 had read it) REALLY reccomend that you remove the book jacket while reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Takes the fun out of the whole idea.
Review: One of the best aspects of the Harry Potter series was the idea that an adult and a child could read the same book and discuss the ideas and opinions behind the story. The first three books were a joy to read and discuss but the last two books, including the newest offering, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, lack the flair. The main problem that I encountered with this book was the repetition of previous facts and lack of a new story to build upon. I enjoyed the first three books because the author developed the characters through experiences, but in this edition, the characters almost take a back seat to the idea that "he who must not be named" is back and running around as good as new. One of the best aspects of the series is simply the characters and the situations and trouble they get into. These creative endevors sell the stories and makes Harry Potter unique. Character development through talking and drama didn't exicte me, nor (...) my sister. As stated in other reviews, the book is too long. It's almost like bying a compact disk and programing your player to play the same song over and over again. Just when you are about to turn the song off, a new song comes on which is a little more interesting than the last, but then the machine skips back and you wait until the batteries expire. The experation is at the end of over 800 pages, and one is left sitting with the question of if it was really worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh no -- HP is getting Highly Patchworky
Review: I'm a relatively big fan of HP. The series has faults (too inspired by too many things, too stereotypical, too childlike for a good "adult" read); I read the first four books twice over the last years (book one during summer of 1999, books 2, 3 & 4 during summer of 2000, book five last summer; read books 1, 2, 3, 4 again in August and September). It's an enjoyable series. I do however have concerns about the end of book four and book five.
One of my regrets for the entire series, but at the same time this makes the series' charm, is that Rowling simply doesn't go as much into detail as I'd like her to... Book five has many problems:
I think Rowling should have included:
1.More Quidditch games and innovations there (foreign teams, new rules, new ... whatever!)
2.More mystery concerning Umbridge (to be used later on), a more intricate character
3.Better and more extensive final discovery and battle
4.More interesting and revelatory secrets from Dumbledore, Hagrid 5.A better management of Minor and Major storylines (way too many pages about Mr. Weasley's attack, way too little in the last two chapters), and USE the new beasts, CREATE new troubling events when Harry arrives at Hogwarts (or something!)
6.More attention to detail: why doesn't anybody complain to their parents about Umbridge, why doesn't Harry use Sirius' gift?
7.Better narrative devices use and plot leading: suspense, character mystery, surprises
8.Slightly better writing (dialog and descriptions especially)
The general turn of the events is okay with me, but I was somewhat disappointed by the serious lack of major action and plot development.
9.More detail! Rowling should aslo have developped the main characters more in their evolution: Ron, Hermione, (maybe not Harry), Hagrid, MALFOY, Ginny... The Weasley twins even...
10.More interesting events like student plots/conflicts at Hogwarts: get more exciting detective work and plot twists going, like in the first books!
11.Make better use of the characters created: Bill, Charlie etc have NO role in the series... this is not normal! In general, I was not too disappointed by this new installment because the not so agreeable things about it are bound to evolve with the new installments: Harry's temperament for example will certainly change with his coming of age. I am also sure that the minor lack of revelations and serious action in this book will also not be found in the volumes to come, since the plot is preparing us for "bigger" action (Rowling has decided to make this book a "stage setting" one, although many of us agree that even if seeking to do so, she could have done so in a slightly more "active" and "fun" way. On a more positive note, it is important to underline the fact that Rowling writes in a very agreeable way. One should also insist on the fact that the magical world (Hogwarts especially) she created is fascinating, so the HP series is always fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: A Turn for the Worst
Review: Well, for me I thought it was a little boring, I felt like the other 4 books were a whole lot better, but that's just my opinion. I Felt like Harry was feeling too sorry for himself, and getting jealous at his friends for have parents. And then there's Umbridge, she really got on my nerve, you can't really imagine her.. " Frogged Face " I personally, never saw someone with a Frog Face. Back onto Harry, I think Harry has too little flaws, and he's too " perfect " no one is like him, so you can bearly relate to him. His parents died, and Voldemort is trying to kill him.. Can you really relate to that? Unless your parents are dead, and there's some mad killer off to kill you, which I doubt because then you wouldn't have time to actully read this. I think if you decided to pick this up, just be warned it's not as good as the other 4. But who knows, this is just my opinion
Rating:
Summary: As the characters mature, so do the challenges
Review: When I heard about the first Harry Potter book I was prepared to dismiss it as an ill-informed parody and/or exploitation of occultism. Now, five volumes later, I am a devoted reader. This, volume five, was no exception. The excellent character development and magical atmosphere is strong as ever. These books are the perfect escape from the concerns of the day. Yet, Rowling has added a new element to this fifth book. Actually, it isn't new; it is more of a shift in emphasis. All of the previous books have contained valuable lessons about life, friendships, and the battle between light and darkness. This one, however, drives it home in a more mature manner. Many readers have called it "dark." I suppose that it is dark in the sense that it shows that good and noble institutions can be infiltrated and corrupted. A lot of people do not want to admit that possibility- especially to impressionable young readers. You see, characters like Cornelius Fudge and Professor Umbridge are all too common in the real world. They use once useful and beneficial organizations to gain their own selfish and twisted ends. It is the fortunate student who learns this lesson early while they are still in school and before they are blindsided by it in the outside world. Yet, in spite of this darkness, or maybe because of it, an important lesson is taught. The lesson is this- when the system is corrupt, you can resist. You can form an underground resistance and fight it, if you know in your heart of hearts that you are on the side of justice, right, and good. No wonder more than a few schools, churches, and parents have a problem with these books, and this book in particular.... But perhaps far more frightening is the prospect that there may be something dark and unrecognized in yourself. It is this that young Harry must face and conquer. As these characters mature, so do the philosophical and moral issues that are covered. Personally, I cannot wait to get my hands on book six. You see, even an old wizard can learn a few new tricks.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Review: I give Hary Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 5 stars because it is truly the best book I have ever read. In my opinion it was by far the best of the Harry Potter series, being well written and definitely intriguing. I read it's 870 pages in 6 days, which is the fastest I have ever read a book, and I can truly say that this novel along with the rest of the series are the only books I read for pleasure. I think that this book was better then the others because it required a deeper level of understanding, and evoked more emotion. In the same sense, I think that this factor also was the one small thing that I did not enjoy about the novel; it made it less easier for young children to understand. Also, since it was on a more mature level, there was less adveture involved than in the other four, and at a few parts it seemed to drag on longer and slower than the others. Aside from that, everything else in this book was very intersting and exciting. The main reason why I loved this book was because of a few of my favorite parts. One was the part where Hermione was in critical condition; I enjoyed the suspense of whether she would survive or not, and it made me really think of what Hogwarts would be like without her. I also enjoyed being releived and happy when she turned out to be okay. Another favorite part was when Harry gets to see the flashback of his parents at Hogwarts, because I was happy that Harry got to experience what his parents were like. Lastly, I loved when Dumbledore explains to Harry why everything happened to him the way it did, and his prophecy which I will not give away. Everything made sense after his explanation, and when it did, that is when I truly grew to love the book. I believe that this book was wonderfully written, and if you haven't read it, you are missing out on an amazing novel.
Rating:
Summary: Harry Potter forever changed
Review: This is the best book in the series. Harry Potter forever changed by the death of a classmate, and to watch Voldemont' return to power. However nobody in the magical world calls Harry a liar and the newspapers have a field day with this. To make matters worst there are times that Harry snaps out at his friends at school feeling that they don't understand him. Even Hogwarts have changed, the new teacher Umbridge who was at the hearing with Fudge ( Read the book to find out why Harry had a hearing in front of the Wizard Court.) Umbridge makes Harry's life very miserable at Hogwarts, and Harry isn't the only one that feels the strain of the new teacher who has all these new rules at Hogwarts even the teachers feel the strain as she reviews them and even fires a few teachers in the proceess. Some things in the book do remain the same it up to the reader to find out what they are. A few lines that best fit Harry from this book "An invisible barrier separated from the rest of the world. He was-he always been - a marked man." Harry was always different from the rest of the magcial world after all he did escape Voldermont four times in the books and escape as a baby.
Can Harry fight Voldermont again and escape once more? Read the book to find out.
Rating: 
Summary: Have You Heard About Harry?
Review: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)" was OK, but not as good as the others. It was so long, over 800 pages, that it was a struggle to get through it. Harry does not have the same personality he had in the previous books. The story didn't grab me like the other books did, and it seemed like too much time to spend on something that you're not learning a thing from. I honestly think the book I read while waiting for Harry Potter 5 to come out, "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick (only about 400 pages), was more interesting and definitely more of a learning experience than Harry Potter 5. It also has a Harry, but that Harry ends up being able to do a lot more than Harry Potter, and takes YOU right along with him on his adventure back into time and space. I was impressed. I know no matter what I say, you will still want to read J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter..Book 5". And you should. It will make you appreciate the other Harry book all the more if you do like I did and read it while waiting for #6 to come out. Have you heard about the other Harry?
Rating:
Summary: ...but the magic is broken for me
Review: O of P made me glad to be a muggle.
Intentionally or not, JK has made her world so vivid, and Harry &Co so alive to me, that I couldn't help wondering just what adulthood will hold for them. Not much, it seems. (Never mind Voledemort--that drill is getting as predictable as the old Wiley Cayote vs Roadrunner cartoons.)
Think about their career prospects. Pretty slim: Either a job in the Ministry of Magic, a mousy bureaucracy; or running a rinky dink magic shoppe in the Ally. Spare time: No literature, arts, music. No Philosophy to ask the Big Questions. No civil society either, no government, no one to rally the nation against Voldemort. Just the daily newspaper.
Frankly, this world is boring and stunted. It has stopped being cute. Hermione would make a first class genetic researcher, but all she'll ever know is how to turn an inkbottle into a bat. Meanwhile Muggles have walked on the moon.
And I'm not a fundamentalist but if I was, I'd want people to read O of P. It shows pretty distinctly that even with all the magic in the world, in the end it all amounts to nothing. Nothing but a shabby black curtain. It's enough to drive a man to religion.
I know, I know. Lighten up. It's only a story. But it's JK's magic to make you half-way believe. And O of P made me half-way sad.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" was a real let down for me. It was really slow and hard to get through. Harry was protrayed as a conceeded little brat, who only thinks about himself most of the time. There were a few good parts in the 800+ page book, but they hardly made the book worthwhile. This is a book you will definetely want to borrow if you want to read it. I hope that the next book will be better written.
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