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Summary and Reviews of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix

Book 5

by J.K. (Joanne) Rowling
  • Critics' Consensus (9):
  • Readers' Rating (101):
  • First Published:
  • Jun 1, 2003, 870 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Aug 2004, 870 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.

There is a Door at the end of a silent corridor. And it's haunting Harry Potter's dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Here are just a few things on Harry's mind:

  • A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey.
  • A venomous, disgruntled house-elf.
  • Ron as keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
  • The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams

... and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with the unreliability of the very government of the magical world and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts.

Despite this (or perhaps because of it), he finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty; and unbearable sacrifice.

Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

AudioFile
Dale's wizardry transports listeners to places Muggle and magical, and Rowling's inventive plot shifts and fresh characters make this "must listening" for older Potter fans.

The Denver Post - Robin Videmos
The legend has grown with each succeeding volume, not because she's written to a formula but because she continues to deliver the same combination of enticing elements without allowing them to become predictable.

The Los Angeles Times - Michael Cart
There's no doubt that Harry is growing up, and the process isn't always pretty, although he remains wonderfully appealing and, when necessary, heroic.

The New York Times - Michiku Katutani
A considerably darker, more psychological book than its predecessors, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix occupies the same emotional and storytelling place in the Potter series as "The Empire Strikes Back" held in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. It provides a sort of fulcrum for the series, marking Harry's emergence from boyhood, and his newfound knowledge that an ancient prophecy holds the secret to Voldemort's obsession with him and his family.

The Washington Post - Elizabeth Ward
Go read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the other main reason to love the series: their sheer comic exuberance even in the midst of high drama. Kids, of course, would mention this first. Jokes, gags and memorable put-downs pop up on nearly every page …

Time Magazine - Lev Grossmn
Just when we might have expected author J.K. Rowling's considerable imaginative energies to flag -- this is the fifth book of a projected seven-volume series -- she has hit peak form and is gaining speed.

USA Today - Deirdre Donahue
A very wise decision, J.K. Rowling, to allow three years to pass before publishing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in your global sensation of a series. The fever-pitched anticipation, the media frenzy, the pilfered books, the leaked details. The book richly deserves the hype.

Publishers Weekly
(Referring to the audio book editon). Dale again takes the reins as nimble voice master and gallops away with a splendid performance of Rowling's fifth tome about the beloved boy wizard.

School Library Journal - Eva Mitnick
Children will enjoy the magic and the Hogwarts mystique, and young adult readers will find a rich and compelling coming-of-age story as well.

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Read-Alikes

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