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Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix: Book 5
by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling
Becoming a Harry Potter Fan (3/15/2011)
Muggles and Dementors do not mix, especially when they both want to kill Harry Potter. The story begins with a long series of problems that Harry seems to cause; being attacked by Dementors sent to kill him wasn’t really his idea of causing trouble. By using the wand, Harry was able to protect himself along with his Muggle cousin, Dudley. Unfortunately the School of Magic felt it necessary to expel Harry Potter from Hogwarts and suspend his wand. Eventually Dumbledore comes through and gets Harry out of this little mess with the School of Magic and is reinstated into Hogwarts. Throughout the year, newspapers have been writing stories about Harry and his inability to tell the truth. Now, none of his classmates trust him; they think of him to be more of a convict or a virus that is lethal. Pretty much every true story told in the past by Harry was switched around, making him sound like a crazy liar. These were just cover-ups in order to keep the existence of Lord Voldemort more of a myth rather than a fact as stated by Potter.

In this book we learn that suffering is part of growing up. Everyone suffers but it is how we deal with that suffering that really counts. The following quote is an example of Harry realizing that all must suffer and that he needs to suck it up and learn from it.

“Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human … the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength.”

I am new to the world of Harry Potter. To be honest this is the first book I have read in the series. Overall, I was very impressed with the description and story plot. I felt that this book was written in a way that involves all age groups of readers. True, I didn’t understand everything going on due to lack of knowledge of the past few books, but I really enjoyed the time spent reading The Order of the Phoenix. There are many values taught within the covers; values of friendship, loyalty, and trust that are portrayed page by page as the young students struggle to overcome the different obstacles set in front of them. We can all learn from and enjoy this amazing writing style as it opens our minds to new levels of thinking. Overall, I think everyone should experience the writing of J.K. Rowling because it truly opens up your imagination to new areas and heights. Sure, it’s long, but well worth your time.
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