Rating: 
Summary: Bravo!
Review: Harry has hit those wonderfully confusing teen years, and the hormones have hit hard too. In this fifth installment of the "Harry Potter" series, Harry comes off as ego-centered and annoyingly naïve. While many people I know complained about this development in his character, I wonder how many of them truly remember what it feels like to go through adolescence. J.K. Rowling, shirking the simpler and easier route of creating a shallow and "easy" character, delved deeper, endowing Harry with true-to-life idiosyncrasies that make him come alive. Nor is he the only one. Her characters, while sometimes slightly exaggerated, are still painfully true to reality and real people. Within the pages of "The Order of the Phoenix" the reader will encounter characters that are so true to life that she is sure she's met them somewhere before. I was also impressed (again) with the overall subject matter and content. While many adult bestsellers avoid any and all heavy themes, the Harry Potter books explore deep questions that delve into the very fibers of humanity (life/death, love/hate, good/evil). In today's world, this is exactly what our children need. The books, while expanding in breadth, are growing better with each successive publication. Children are reading again (and their parents are reading right along with them). I can't wait to see how J.K. Rowling concludes this fantastic journey through the realms of possibility. Five Stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I have read each of the Harry Potter books as they have come out over the years and have aged as Harry have aged over his five years and so I found it appropriate for Harry to have some changes in attitude in this his latest year. I am shocked that any reader of this series who has ever lived through their teenage years could have rated this fine addition to the Harry Potter series a 1. Many teens go through a change of attitudes as they grow up. And Harry's change is not nearly as drastic some people's changes. I would just like to say that these books are one of the best fantasy series ever with The Order of the Phoenix being a worthy addition to a growing series.
Rating:
Summary: What a Nice Story
Review: Another nice story in the Harry Potter series. Answers some of the questions readers had about Harry's scar and his connection to Voldemort, but ends in a satisfactory cliffhanger as the last chapter is titled, "The Second War Begins". Even at 870 pages, you can read it in a weekend and still wish there were a few more chapters to go.
Rating: 
Summary: No redeeming value
Review: I hated what she did to the characters in this book (except Ginny, who was excellent). I might be able to forgive Harry, but I HATED Sirius by the end. I thought that was a bit weird, since in Book 4 we learned to like him (despite his sirius--er, serious--flaws). In this book, he wasn't a tragically flawed hero. He was a villain whose one redeeming quality was--er--dogged loyalty to Harry. Doesn't go very far in with me. I think this was an error on Rowling's part. Maybe her intent was to teach Harry a lesson by the parallel story with Sirius (raised in a horrible home, could've been Slytherin but with Gryffindor tendencies, loyal and with good values but also full of rage, locked up for his own protection, last of the family...etc...etc). Unfortunately, Harry doesn't seem to have picked up on the lesson. Neither will most readers. I imagine it was something like, "We have to learn to control our dark sides?" But I'm not sure, and I doubt anyone else is. Most (kids, especially) just feel both these whiny characters were really heroic and tragically misunderstood. I hoped that JK would leave us with a better lesson than that.
Rating:
Summary: Order of the Phoenix, First time reader's opinion
Review: I saw the first two Harry Potter films, however, I did not read the books. As an adult, reading The Order of The Phoenix, (while, my only knowledge was that of what the films had shown), I found this book totally spellbinding! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, and had a hard time putting it down! While I understand these are supposed to be children's novels, I truly believe that adults can enjoy them as well. The fantastic writing and imagery imparted throughout the book was totally unique to today's comtemporary literature. Simply a good-read, a book that stands apart on its own!
Rating:
Summary: Loved it to the bone!!
Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the series, therefore is Harry's 5th year at Hogwarts, thus his age being 15. The Order of the Phoenix is a fattening (not to mention intimidating) 870 pages, and is over a hundred pages longer than the Goblet of Fire, which was long in its own right. The Order of the Phoenix starts out once again with Harry living at the Dursley's home on Privet Drive, though something very unordinary happens to Harry while he's heading home with Dudley one hot evening. Harry and his cousin are attacked by two Dementors (the guards of the Wizard Prison Azkaban), and after Harry uses magic to defend him and his cousin from them, a letter is sent almost instantaneously that Harry has been recommended for Expulsion from Hogwarts and is to attend a hearing later that month at the Ministry of Magic. Harry isn't expelled, but life going back to Hogwarts wasn't going to be any easier than it has been ever since his first year. In the ending events of the Goblet of Fire (minor spoilers for those who haven't read the fourth book), Lord Voldemort has returned to a physical form, and so an old anti-Voldemort group that had been disbanded when he lost all his power to Harry Potter when he was a baby, called the Order of the Phoenix, and was founded by none other than Albus Dumbledore. The Order is comprised of many familiar characters from Harry's past years at Hogwarts, such as Madeye Moody, Remus Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius Black, a real surprise Severus Snape (as much as you may think he's evil, he's certainly not), and of course Albus Dumbledore - while a couple new characters like Kingsley and Tonks are introduced to the series, which look to be some promising characters in future books. Going back to Hogwarts wasn't going to be as much fun as Harry was hoping it would be, though, because even though Harry had been face to face with Lord Voldemort not more than 2 months ago, the Minister of Magic's Cornelius Fudge would NOT believe that "He-who-must-not-be-named", and so the Daily Prophet was reporting non-stop at how Harry is just looking for fame, basically saying that he was LYING about Voldemort's return. The Order of the Phoenix is filled with all sorts of problems like Cornelius Fudge trying to take Albus Dumbledore out as Headmaster of Hogwarts, a continued search of Sirius Black even though he is innocent of the crime he was committed of (and served for), and a new witchlike lady sent in from the ministry as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge. Aside from Harry having weird dreams where he feels like he is actually there (which of course are used to build up the ending of the book), the Ministry of Magic is trying to take over Hogwarts and Professor Umbridge was appointed High Inquisitor, and overall makes Harry's life (along with teachers and other students) a living hell. The Order of the Phoenix does a great job at building up for THE best ending in any of the Harry Potter books yet, and I was more baffled about certain things in this than I was the first four books at all, almost twice as much. While many questions in the Order of the Phoenix were answered in an explanatory matter, many more questions also rose from the book, and so that gives the sense that the sixth book will have a great deal of explaining to do on things. Basically, the Order of the Phoenix builds up around to what ends up to be the best ending than in any of the other four books, and while keeping from giving any spoilers, I must say that the action and sense of urgency was a very fulfilling feeling. The Order of the Phoenix had a lot of directions that it could have gone in, since the first 3 books were leading up to what would be the resurrection of Lord Voldemort, though it took the definite route at a much more darker feel, and ultimately to the final battle of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Who knows though? As far as anyone knows (except for Rowlings of course), the seventh book could leave off before Harry and Voldemort even have a final bout, though sensing at how bad the tension between Voldemort and Harry was in the Order of the Phoenix, I doubt the series will leave off without their final duel. Thankfully, most of the characters from the past 4 Harry Potter books appear once again in the Order of the Phoenix at one time or another, while some new ones were also introduced. Dumbledore is of course back, as well as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Sirius Black, Lupin, Mad Eye Moody, Lord Voldemort, Cornelius Fudge, and all the other Professors, while new characters to the series include Dolores Umbridge (you know that old hag of a teacher almost everyone has had one time or another in their lifetime?) and various members of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters (his followers). I HIGHLY recommend reading through the first 4 books before starting this one. While each book is a "story" in its own entity, there is still a very strong connection between all of the books to where you can't just pick up and read in the middle and expect to understand anything. The books nature is also MUCH more dark as the previous books, and at certain points kind of matures into more adult themes, but it was kind of evident that that was where the series was going to have to start going. After all, Lord Voldemort isn't some cheese ball, he's a for sure killer and will stop at nothing to get to Harry.
Rating: 
Summary: What Happened!
Review: I'm notgoing to say this was a bad book. IT wasn't. However, it did not meet the standards that the other 4 HP books set. GoF was a great book and every bit of the 734 pgs. added to the story. THe new characters, the action, suspense, and the hints of romance between certain characters was great. Howeevr, OotP did not need to be almost 900 pages long. A lot of the events were way too strtched out and it would hav been better if it was only 500 or 600 pages. Also, when Scholastic announced that Dumbledore was gonna reveal something to Harry, a lot of readers including myself expected something big, like being the Heir to Gryfondor, or something among that line. Dumbledores "secret" was a big let-down. And then of course there was the new Harry. Harry does not seem to be a angry person, and please don't give Hormones as an excuse. Hormones rage when you are 12, and 13 and we didn't see all of this anger then. THe book wasn't entirely bad though. Umbridge's character, the DA, and the Weasly twins new antics added to the plot. I hope that the 6th book will be better, as this wasn't exactly a BAD book, it just didn't meet the expectations to all the hype.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST Harry Potter, so far
Review: This is the best book of the series. It is very dark, though. If you haven't read the book, please don't read any further. I am kinda mad that they killed off Sirius...It is an interesting theory that he isn't dead, but I don't happen to think that it is at all possible... Hmmm maybe it is possible. All it does is just make me wanna read Book 6. My next topic is the thestrals... they are cool. I also thought it was neat that you could only see them if you had seen someone die. A topic that touched close to my heart, was when Luna "Loony" Lovegood mentioned the reason that she could see thestrals was because her mom died when she was 9. The reason why this is something that I mentioned, is that my mom died when I was 2, and my friend's mom died when he was 7.
That part actually made me cry......
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: What can I say, I did not like it. There is barely any story at all. It could have been summarized in two or three chapters. The rest is ... unnecessary and not interesting. I felt that two third of the book could have easily been avoided and I don't think quantity is quality (in this particular case). Pity, I loved the other books
Rating:
Summary: The latest and, in my humble opinion, the greatest
Review: The newest Harry Potter, The Order of the Phoenix, was not a let down at all for me. The book was extremely engrossing and I sped right through the book's 900 or so pages. I do admit that the beginning is a bit slow, and I was a bit put off by Harry being so angry and moody. But in the end I think it all just really sucked me into the book even more and made the character more intriguing. If Harry had remained the boy wonder of the first two books, by now his character would have become boring. There are faults but Rowling does so much good that it seems irrelevant to nitpick at what she does wrong. I loved the book, and for me it is definitely right up there with the Goblet of Fire and the Prisoner of Azbakan as the best books of the series. I highly recommend it.
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