Rating: 
Summary: A heavier read in more ways than one....
Review: The new Harry Potter book needs all those pages to address all the questions and answers that Harry now faces. This book requires more time and attention to read, and can be depressing in places. Harry is quite isolated from adult guidance, and while this may strengthen his relationships to his friends, it causes him undue angst and suffering. I feel Rowling did a good job at protraying the adults around him as human; they have their own problems that prevent them from recognizing and supporting his as fully as you could wish, but she may have gone overboard on Harry's hair trigger negative emotions. His personality shift seemed a bit too abrupt. Thank goodness for Hermione, but she seems a bit too wise beyond her years at times.
If Rowling is trying to illustrate the confusion, embarrassment and sense of outraged justice ("that's not fair!") that teenagers feel, she's probably doing a good job. I'm just concerned that she hasnt shown the benefits of asking for help or at least clarification from a sympathetic older person. Knowing others feel as you do probably helps kids, but knowing that you can take steps to make it better would help them more. Wish I had learned this as a teen...
Right. So Harry makes it through, in part by widening his circle of friends, and Dumbledore provides some answers (that preshadow the coming books), but the wrap-up was somewhat brief. But I say that about all the books I dont want to end!
Rating:
Summary: Good story, couple of problems.
Review: This book kept me reading, which is good, but it could have stood some tightening up for a bit less length. I don't think there's anyone likely to read this book without having some familiarity with the premise, and frankly, if the editors of the series think it's important to give the reader background from books one through four in case this particular reader is starting with book five, I'd rather they stuck in an appendix at the end with the Cliff's Notes versions of Stone, Chamber, Azkaban, and Goblet. Then they could quit telling me how Harry appeared on the Dursley's doorstep, how Harry knows Sirius, and that Neville used to have a remembrall, and so on--it's a little thing in each case, a sentence or two, but it adds up! Lots of series do this, effectively, by putting things like glossaries and family trees, and even brief character descriptions in the back as appendices, and if the objection is kids don't know this, I doubt it would be a bad thing to learn.Aside from that: it's a good story along the way, and the kids are growing up in ways that feel right and make sense. The Weasley twins cracked me up and struck this great right note between the jokers they have been all along and the responsible kids their older brothers (even the obnoxious one) turned out to be. Hermione continued to be always full of book-knowledge. Neville pulled an ugly duckling transformation, becoming, not an overnight star, but a reliable friend. Explaining any more ways this is true might constitute spoiling, so that will have to do, but even though I got a little tired of short tempers, I have to agree this was fairly true to how a bunch of 15-year-olds might act, and it did tend to further the story. And, despite the insane guessing all over the internet and amongst readers ahead of time as to who was going to die (this isn't a spoiler; if Rowling released it, you can count it as a teaser given how little was released), I wasn't right, and I didn't see others that were, either. Unlike the death of Diggory, it was a character with whom we had some history this time. My only problem besides length turned out to be the nature of the secret in this one. Previous secrets were a stone that gave eternal life (obviously important), a killer sucking the life out of a girl (obviously totally alarming); a criminal hiding in plain sight for 12 years after perpetrating a major deception (would definitely make the news); and a major character being a fraud leading to the return of Big Evil (also obviously important). This one seems like it's not so very worth the trouble gone to. Especially given the (also already released) scene in which Dumbledore reveals what he should have told Harry five years ago. Oh well. Even though I thought the secret itself left something to be desired, I enjoyed getting there, and I'm chalking this up to the middle-book syndrome seen so often in trilogies: a lot of setting up for a big payoff in the next book (Ms Rowling: this means we need a shorter wait this time for the payoff to work, please...!). I'm still going 4 stars, and still think my kids be hooked (again).
Rating: 
Summary: Rowling really outdoes herself
Review: When I had first heard of the Harry Potter series some time ago, I never would have guessed how extremely well crafted this tale of spells and sorcery really was. The same holds true for the 5th book in the series. Coming from someone who is also a Tolkien, and Lovecraft fan, I expect a certain level of genuine emotional value interpreted through the words of the author. I actually found myself loathing Umbridge's trials of Haryy, and being zig-zagged around as to who could potentially bite the dust. J.K. Rowling uses her wordcraft to effectively manipulate your emotions and drag them all over the place. I really could go on aggrandizing this book, but I'll just save it and let you read it for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Triumph Of The Imagination
Review: With "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," J.K. Rowling has delivered a sprawling and surprisingly ambitious novel which easily surpasses the narrow labeling of children's literature. I still wonder why on Earth some adults are ashamed to admit they're reading a novel which is nearly a thousand pages long? If you're one of them, don't be daunted; it's well worth the time spent. Harry Potter is now fifteen years old. Gone is the innocent wide-eyed Harry of the previous novels. Harry is now sullen and angry about the lot life has cast him in. He openly questions authority as he witnesses more of the fallibility of adults. As Harry goes into his fifth year at Hogwarts he is also more on his own than he has ever been previously. Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, barely speaks to Harry now. Hagrid has gone off on a secret mission, and Ron and Herminone have been made prefects. His godfather Sirius is still hiding from the Ministry Of Magic. (Did I also mention Harry has a crush on a girl named Cho?) In addition to all of this, the Ministry of Magic refuses to believe Harry's story about Lord Voldemort's returning. Instead, the Ministry of Magic tries to discredit Harry by printing loathsome articles about him in a paper called The Daily Prophet. The Ministry of Magic also interferes with the running of Hogwarts by sending in a particularly hideous woman named Professor Umbridge to monitor activities in the school. Professor Umbridge quickly takes over the school and turns Hogwarts into a nightmarish institution. Her cruel punishment of Harry's defiance of authority is, shall we say, hands-on. Professor Umbridge also serves as a bridge between adult foils for Harry. In past installments, they'd been less threatening characters, more comedic in tone (Rita Skinner, Gilderoy Lockhart, etc.). Professor Umbridge, however, is malevolent and cruel. She is also a member of those whom we elect to protect society from danger. Her physical assaults on Harry and the boy's subsequent defiance of her authority serve to reinforce Harry's entrance into an adult world. Her behavior, which directly contradicts her position of authority in society, gives Rowling an opportunity to blur the lines further between distinctions of good and evil for Harry. Later, Rowling further strips away Harry's innocence when he's able to view someone's memory of an act of cruelty to them by his own father. You may put your concerns to rest if you're worried that Rowling has gone too far with the darker passages of the story. There is plenty of the humor and flights of imagination we've come to expect. Hagrid and his latest monstrous stray pet are as funny as anything Rowling has come up with previously. The two older Weasley brothers making their grand and final exit from Hogwarts is sure to have you cheering along with the students of Hogwarts School. Some will complain the writing is lackadaisical; the author should have done some judicious pruning of her work. I couldn't disagree more with those critics. J.R.R. Tolkien has been accused of doing much the same thing in his writings. Indeed, Rowling has borrowed a page from the old master and learned that God is in the details. Her willingness to write at length and painstakingly create detail after detail is precisely what allows the reader to fully enter the world of Harry Potter. Rather than sticking to some quick formulaic suspense novel structure, Rowling has bravely dared to push past those simplistic boundaries. In so doing she has created a world as vivid and memorable to the imagination as those of Dune or Middle Earth. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is breathtaking storytelling. One can only sit back and marvel at the sheer wonder of it. Preston McClear...
Rating:
Summary: The best in the series
Review: This book was definitely my favorite out of the five. It has everything the first four books has, combined. Much of the mysteries in the other books are solved or revealed, and new problems arise. It is sad in some parts, adding a realistic touch to the book. Not everything in the book deals with magic; it deals with friendship, which I think makes it better. I reccommend this book to anyone that like the first four.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the others!!
Review: When I got the Harry Potter book, my expectations for it were fairly high, considering the length of time it took Mrs. Rowling to write it. I was also ready to criticize, being a bit frustrated having waiting this long. But once I started the book, I could not stop. All 870 pages were thrilling, humorous and suspensful. The charaters develop so much in the fifth installment to the Harry Potter series. Since Harry's fourth year in Hogwarts, the Ministry refuses to believe that Harry's story about Voldemort arising is true, and try to convince the rest of the Magic population that it isn't true either. Harry and Dumbledore try all they can to pursuade people that the Ministry is wrong, and that they have to be prepared for You-Know-Who. But Professor Umbridge, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher sent by the Ministry, is not letting them, by teaching in a different way. But Professor Umbridge is not only disliked by the students for her odd way in teaching, but by the other professors as well. As much as everyone would like to deny the fact that Voldemort is returning, there is still an orginization called The Order of the Phoenix which tries to get as much information as possible on Voldemort as possible, and try their best to look after Harry. But Harry's scar seems to be hurting more often, and this tiem Harry can feel what Voldemort himself is feeling. In this fun and suspensful book, you can go through the same journey as Harry and his friends go through, and realize different truths that Dumbledore will finally explain to Harry, that has lingered in his mind for the bast 15 years.
Rating:
Summary: A style of its own
Review: This book starts off completely different from the other four in the series. I was completely surprised when I had gotten through the first couple of chapters becuase it jumps right in. J.K. didn't spend time to remind us what had happened in previous books like she usually does, she jumped right into the plot and started surprising us right off the bat. The plot keeps building and building and you have so many questions, but don't worry they are anwered in the last 2 chapeters of the book. But she leaves some things off to continue in the last 2 installlments. I would say this book is much darker than the other 2 and definatly shouldn't be classified as a childrens book. You will see alot of character development in this book also.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing
Review: I don't need to get into what this series is all about. If you are reading this, you are most likely an avid fan already. But Rowling just keeps getting better. While this book is far longer than any of the other books, it flows so seemlessly that the book is over before you know it leaving you wanting Book 6! Jim Dale once again turns in a performance that is out of this world. His voices for each of the characters is distinct and recognizable, even with all the new characters that have been introduced. His timing and presentation are fantastic. I can't put into words how his voice transforms the book into the vocal world of Harry Potter. For fans who love the series, I highly recommend getting the audio book. It is a completely different experience from reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Harry's growing up - great book!
Review: This book is an excellent addition to the series. Like all of the others, I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. There are several new characters, most notably the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Of course there are many surprises, as most of my predictions were worng - again. Cheers to Dumbledore's Army! Harry as well as everyone else is growing up quickly, almost too quickly. I really hope this story continues past the seven years at Hogwarts. Book three is still my personal all-time favorite but this one is now a close second. I am already reading it again, anxiously awaiting the next one! Another great book J.K. Rowling!!!
Rating:
Summary: Good Story -- Rushed into print before proper Polishing done
Review: The copy of the new harry potter book i received has alot of flaws... The ink is very inconsistant -- whole words are missing... I checked a couple of the other books friends and co-workers received and they are also in a similar conditon (I'm not just splitting hairs here -- several on everypage). The other problem is there are so many typographical errors, it is not just charactor dialect or brittish usage. This makes the book darn-right irritating.
Spacing -- On several passages in the book, months... locations... activites... Things that you would expect to see spaces or indentations at/between paragraphs (as in the previous books) are non existant. This is by far the most annoying feature. I don't know how much clout amazon might have with the publishers but, in a way I feel that this was rushed to production before the proper polishing that this manuscript deserved, was not done. Several charactors are mentioned in passing... but for those of us who have forgotten -- there is no further explanation so if this is your first Harry Potter Book Beware!!! Rowling's new story does not fall short of the others!!!
(I don't want to spoil plot) The story is five stars -- but the annoying "typos" have really detracted from the experience. That is why I'm giving it four stars.
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