Rating: 
Summary: Would recieve an Outstanding from the O.W.L.s
Review: I just finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and it is, in my opinion, by far the best of the series. I loved (rather obsessed over) the Goblet of Fire and its prequels, but Order of the Phoenix was on a different level. The book had a good balance of comedy, teenage drama, and deep emotion. It had its silly moments, witch were still exceptionally entertaining, but there were more serious events throughout this volume than in any of the others. The book managed to provide a powerful moral while still leaving an ominous cliffhanger for the sixth book. The Order of the Phoenix provides readers with quivering fear, tearful eyes, and lighthearted laughter that left me feeling an incredible amount of admiration for JK Rowling. Her books are so special; I don't know what I'd do without them.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: It is so difficult to describe the power that this book has...
As a fantasy and mystery writer Ms. Rowling's talent is indeed formidable, but her genius is in her sparkling and dynamic hero... the 10 year-old Harry Potter from the first book has matured little by little each year and the writing has grown along with him. The anxious-to-please wunderkid is now a disillusioned and angry teenager, beset by doubts and girls. Having been 15 not too long ago, I can vouch for the accuracy of her depiction. Certainly Harry is a much more realistic and understandable teenager than those shown in the repugnant "teen movies" that seem to be the accepted portrayal of high school life. In most books, especially in fantasy writing, we are told that a character feels a certain way, creating a rather detached situation... what makes Harry so beautiful is that Ms. Rowling's delightfully clear prose sweeps us straight into his essence and thus when Harry is upset we too are upset and when he is confused so too are we. The other major accomplishment of Ms. Rowling's is the creation of a consistent and detailed backdrop in which her story can take place. This has done before, Tolkien and Le Guin come to mind, but once again Rowling has done it in a way that we can relate to. Her world might not have the depth of Tolkien's (whose does?), but it is expanding with each additional book, and, most importantly, it is believable. Aristotle once said that in drama an audience would accept "the impossible but not the implausible", a distinction that Harry's world verifies once again. Ultimately "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is by far the most sophisticated(until VI and VII of course) of a series that has accomplished the impossible in American society - unprecedented popularity without concession of artistic vision. It helps that many of her original customers were young children(they are much more demanding about honesty than the general public), but her audience has now widely expanded as adults are dropping their self-importance and allowing themselves to be reminded that they too were once children. For all of our sakes we must hope that some of it sticks...
Rating:
Summary: Prepare to be shocked and moved
Review: When J. K Rowling said that the fifth book would be scary, I thought I was well prepared. However I was mistaken. Before Harry even starts back at Hogwarts he becomes acutely aware that his life is constantly under threat, although he does not fully understand why. There is a renewed determination by Voldemort's supporters (of whom there are many as the Death Eaters seek to recruit more followers) to harm Harry and it is not until very near the end of the book that the reason Voldemort wants Harry dead is revealed, along with many other questions readers have been debating since the first book. Under Voldemort's regime no one is safe from harm, especially those who have sworn to protect Harry at all costs. Dumbledore's cause to protect Harry is hindered by the fact that almost no one openly believes in Voldemort's return. The Ministry of Magic exemplifies the determination of the magical community to live in denial and cling to their perceptions of a safe, Voldemort-free world. Harry and Dumbledore are moving targets for abuse and slander, which intensifies Harry's feeling of isolation from the world outside Hogwarts and what might be happening to those he cares about. Harry and his Hogwart's friends become aware that Voldemort is hatching a dangerous plan and while all this is happening, life at Hogwart's must go on. The death of one of the main characters is incredibly well written, shocking, moving and it almost feels like you've lost someone too. It symbolises one of the recurring themes of Order of the Phoenix, the choice between what is right and what is easy. I was personally devastated when I read it but it's necessity is there - it shows the readers what Voldemort and his supporters are capable of and how much more important it is for the magical community to fight instead of saving their own skin. The outlook of the book and what it deals with is incredibly dark. I'm not sure how appropriate it might be for young children and it is definitely a book more appreciated by adults - the characters are given much more depth and complexity and we see more of the cruelty that the Death Eaters can inflict. Harry begins to see that things are not black and white and matures as the plot twists and turns, as he begins to understand his own destiny - a secret he and Dumdledore alone seem to share.
Rating:
Summary: Intense. That's all I can say.
Review: By now it's probably common knowledge who dies in this book, but I'm not going to be the one to spoil it for everyone, by any means. Let's just say that giving that away still tells only a small part of the story. Harry's life has gone down the tubes -- a month away from Hogwarts, completely incommunicado from the wizard world, is driving him absolutely out of his mind. His cousin Dudley has grown up to be a two-bit thug with an amateur boxing career, and his aunt and uncle are as nasty to him as ever... until Harry and Dudley are attacked by dementors and a large squadron of owls descending on the Dursley kitchen signal the beginning of what will prove to be Harry's most harrowing year yet at Hogwarts. The revelations that a) Harry is being spied upon and b) his nasty aunt Petunia knows way more than she's telling about the wizard world lend an air of mystery and paranoia to a series that is no longer just a kid's book. Meanwhile, Harry has to deal with all the usual things teenagers deal with -- the stress of schooling (his impending Ordinary Wizarding Level exams ratcheting things higher than ever), the discovery of romance, and direct exposure to the sheer brutality of school politics continue to weigh on him. Things have gone topsy-turvy indeed -- Harry rips into Ron and Hermione for not keeping in touch, only to find out that they haven't been allowed to talk to him, while Sirius Black is holed up in an old, magically-hidden house in London, surrounded by a squadron of wizards sworn to protect Harry; meanwhile, Harry goes on trial for illegally using magic to protect Dudley from the dementors, only to find out that one of the judges is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, a thoroughly unpleasant and dictatorial woman named Dolores Umbridge, who clearly has it in for practically everyone, but most obviously Harry. To top it all off, the Daily Prophet has turned Harry's name into a joke -- a child once famous for being a survivor is now seen by the wizard world as an unstable, even deranged teenager spouting delusions about Voldemort's return. In the midst of it all, Voldemort himself is gathering his forces to rekindle the Wizards' War, and attempting to work his way into Harry's mind as the connection between the two becomes all the more obvious and chilling. Jo Rowling never said it was going to be a kid's book -- that's what everyone assumed. That said, there's a fair amount of violence and some very gripping battle scenes, some rivaling the best of action movies like The Matrix or scifi like Jennifer Government or Snow Crash. Much of the book is filtered through the emotional overload of a teenager who has lived through things most adults should never have to deal with, and Rowling captures it all beautifully. The three year's wait was definitely worth it, and the end result shows a story in no danger of losing steam any time soon. If nothing else, this is gonna make one hell of a movie. Incidentally, if you don't go through at least a quarter of this book in one sitting, you're either reading it on your breaks at work or you have no sense of adventure whatsoever.
Rating:
Summary: Not just for kids (was it ever?)
Review: The evolution of these series has gone from naive and maniqueist utopia to dark dystopia. As the world of magic seems to resemble more and more the world it inhabits (since we are all muggles, that is our world), a subtextual (an sometimes not so hidden discussion) emerges about class, race, slave labor and corruption. Since the second book, where we heard for the first time the racial slur "mudblood", this has become the center of the main conflict of the series. Race relations, racism and the pretense of purity are at the heart of the confrontation between the forces of good and evil. It is no surprise that this topic which is painfully present in the political debates Europe (with its history of Nazism and the resurgence of a Neo Nazi movement) has become the underlying conflict of the series. For the first time, the sorting hat gives us the real dirt on what lies behind the house division at Hogwarts, and it is racism what it talks about. As always, the humor is there, we even find ourselves in the presence of a tabloid newspaper "The Quibbler" which is no better than our muggle tabloids, and with it a parody, to close for comfort, of the role of the media, which had begun to take form also in "The Goblet of Fire".
I particularly recommend a close reading of the description that Sirius Black does about his family and the family ties among the wizards. Nobody reading that chapter can escape the sensation that the analogy with the nazi philosophy is "too close for comfort".
I certainly think that adults should read this series, because there is much to be discussed there, and much to be learned. I am glad that the Dickensian aspect of Rawling's series has gone beyond the most obvious traits and into a discussion of our society and what we have inherited from our recent past.
Bravo!
Rating: 
Summary: A much darker book that may disappoint after the build up
Review: While the fifth installment is by far the longest, at a whopping 870 pages, I found myself unable to put the book down and after two days I had read it in its entireity taking time only to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. Wonderfully descriptive as expected from Rowling but beware, do not expect the same feel good emotion as the other books after finishing. After a 700 page build up to the meeting of Potter and Voldemort one would expect a grand finale, so to speak, but I found myself rather let down. This much darker book seems instead to build up to the 6th book as not much action really seemed to take place. This is a much more cognitively devoted plot with regards to the main character, Potter. While the previous 4 books seem suitable for younger ages this book is much more intellectually complex, and as previously mentioned, dark, more suitable for older children who can understand a 'not-so-happy ending.' Admittedly I found myself saddened after reading it but of course cannot wait for the next book (though sadly it might be another 2 years before that happens!). Extremely well written and wonderful, I highly recommend the book with the clause that the reader be prepared for a much different Potter than the previous 4 books.
Rating: 
Summary: Harry Potter's life gets .... complicated
Review: So what is there to say about this book? Arguably the most anticipated children's novel of all time- well, in the 5th volume of what will eventually become a seven part series, J.K. Rowling turns out her most most thematically rich and complex wiarding tapestry yet. Harry is at the point in his life when he is leaving childhood and progressing to brooding teenagerdom. The results I must say are mixed. Sure we all want to know what happens with Harry and Cho Chang (this story thread is developed and fairly resolved in this book) and of course, the reaction to the growing threat of Voldemort. I won't talk so much about the plot as say that was the novel does more than any other in the series is attempt to conjure feelings. There's the awkward time when one realizes that the adults entrusted to oversee one's well being are fallible, that they make mistakes, and they at times are just as confused or frightened as a young adolescent might be. I was reminded greatly of The Empire Strikes Back. At the conclusion of this story just like in Empire, a startling revelation concludes the novel and clearly things will never be the same. What makes this story unfortunatley not quite as good as the others in the series is the fact that there is no sense of building momentum, just genuine overall melancholy. Even with the death of a major character towards the end, I never felt truly involved. Order of the Phoenix is a dense story, in which the characters encounter much pain and suffering and self doubt. Sadly, on the whole it lacks emotional resonance and after all isn't that what it's all about?
Rating:
Summary: Well...
Review: I thought the book was good. But not as good as the others. After The Goblet Of Fire I was really expecting good things to finally happen in this one. But unfortunately that was not the case. I'm still excited about the next books, although I can't help but wonder what else the author will put the characters through and who else will be killed off. All in all it was a good book, I just felt really bummed afterwards.
Rating:
Summary: Deeper and Darker!
Review: The long awaited Order of the Phoenix was well worth the wait! J.K.Rowling takes the reader deeper into the world of Wizardry showing tales of it to be as relevant, complex, challenging and disturbing as tales of the human world. This is a book of dark discovery. Harry discovers more about himself, his destiny and his ancestry as the light-hearted shades of boyhood take on the darker hues of teen-angst. We learn more of Sirus, Hagrid and Snape as the story unfolds and Harry has to learn to come to terms with some unpalatable truths as well as some marvellous new creatures and magical devices. The author not only shows a talent for delving into the mystical world of her own creation but also demonstrates good insight into the workings of the adolescent mind. The confusing surges of emotion and self absorption that characterizes the mid-teens, the attraction to members of the opposite sex (and confusion as to how their minds work!), stress of examinations, being faced with decisions that you do not feel equipped to take and the guilt of taking a course of action that has dire consequence are portrayed simply, but beautifully. The initial readership will have grown up with the character and this development will not be lost on them (or their parents!). They will enjoy, as I have done, the way that characters, creatures and contraptions from the first four books are woven into the telling, revealing perhaps another facet of them as it does so, enriching the re-reading of their first appearance in the imagination. For 'first timers', however, this book stands up as a thrilling (and from time to time very deep and/or dark) tale of basic questions and truths about good and evil wrapped up in a delightfully entertaining wrapper of a world with mystical and mythical characteristics. Whether you are nine or ninety you will be enthralled!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This book is as awesome as the rest. I got it and from the moment I started I was hooked on the familiar excitement and magic. I would recommend this book to any seasoned harry potter veteran or to a newbie to the business. If you are new you should read the first 4 books first. All I can say is wow!
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