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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, Book 5) (5) Paperback – September 1, 2004
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length896 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level4 - 7
- Lexile measure950L
- Dimensions5.25 x 2 x 7.5 inches
- PublisherScholastic Paperbacks
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2004
- ISBN-101338878964
- ISBN-13978-1338878967
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The fifth book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series follows the darkest year yet for our young wizard, who finds himself knocked down a peg or three after the events of last year. Somehow, over the summer, gossip (usually traced back to the magic world's newspaper, the Daily Prophet) has turned Harry's tragic and heroic encounter with Voldemort at the Triwizard Tournament into an excuse to ridicule and discount the teen. Even Professor Dumbledore, headmaster of the school, has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Magic, which refuses to officially acknowledge the terrifying truth that Voldemort is back. Enter a particularly loathsome new character: the toadlike and simpering ("hem, hem") Dolores Umbridge, senior undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, who takes over the vacant position of Defense Against Dark Arts teacher--and in no time manages to become the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, as well. Life isn't getting any easier for Harry Potter. With an overwhelming course load as the fifth years prepare for their Ordinary Wizarding Levels examinations (O.W.Ls), devastating changes in the Gryffindor Quidditch team lineup, vivid dreams about long hallways and closed doors, and increasing pain in his lightning-shaped scar, Harry's resilience is sorely tested.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, more than any of the four previous novels in the series, is a coming-of-age story. Harry faces the thorny transition into adulthood, when adult heroes are revealed to be fallible, and matters that seemed black-and-white suddenly come out in shades of gray. Gone is the wide-eyed innocent, the whiz kid of Sorcerer's Stone. Here we have an adolescent who's sometimes sullen, often confused (especially about girls), and always self-questioning. Confronting death again, as well as a startling prophecy, Harry ends his year at Hogwarts exhausted and pensive. Readers, on the other hand, will be energized as they enter yet again the long waiting period for the next title in the marvelous, magical series. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Review
The Potternaut rolls on, picking up more size than speed but propelling 15-year-old Harry through more hard tests of character and magical ability. Rowling again displays her ability to create both likable and genuinely scary characters--most notable among the latter being a pair of Dementors who accost Harry in a dark alley in the opening chapter. Even more horrible, Ministry of Magic functionary Dolores Umbridge descends upon Hogwarts with a tinkly laugh, a taste in office decor that runs to kitten paintings, and the authority, soon exercised, to torture students, kick Harry off the Quidditch team, fire teachers, and even to challenge Dumbledore himself. Afflicted with sudden fits of adolescent rage, Harry also has worries, from upcoming exams and recurrent eerie dreams to the steadfast refusal of the Magical World's bureaucracy to believe that Voldemort has returned. Steadfast allies remain, including Hermione, whose role here is largely limited to Chief Explainer, and a ragtag secret order of adults formed to protect him from dangers, which they characteristically keep to themselves until he finds out about them the hard way. Constructed, like GOBLET OF FIRE, of multiple, weakly connected plot lines and rousing, often hilarious set pieces, all set against a richly imagined backdrop, this involves its characters once again in plenty of adventures while moving them a step closer to maturity. And it's still impossible to predict how it's all going to turn out. (Fiction. 12-15)
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books September 2003
Harry Potter's latest adventure reveals an admirable hero somewhat the worse for wear: his grief at the death of Cedric, his fear of (and connection to) the evil Lord Voldemort, and his emotional distance from Professor Dumbledore combine to make Harry a bit short-tempered, a bit short-sighted, and a bit more recognizably human. Rowling eases readers back into Harry's world-and-Harry's precarious existence-with nary a ripple: the suburban peace of the Dursleys' manicured lives is shattered by the intrusion of dementors, sent by a rogue in the Ministry of Magic and seeking to do Harry serious injury. A wizard rescue party retrieves Harry from the world of Muggles and sets him down amidst the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society that plots Voldemort's final downfall. With an escalating love life, academic complications at school, and a Ministry of Magic determined to ignore the obvious, Harry is in an adolescent uproar. Revelations about Sirius Black, Professor Snape, and Harry's late father cause the boy to question all he holds true, and his confusion clouds his judgment. A roaring set of practical jokes by Fred and George Weasley against a politically appointed, obnoxious new professor at Hogwarts lightens the tone just in time for the Order's tragic confrontation with Voldemort and his malevolent minions. Rowling cheerfully turns her own conventions on th@ir cars, and the result is a surprising and enjoyable ride. While Harry's much-touted love interest fizzles before it fires, familiar characters achieve a bit more depth. Ginny Weasley starts to come into her own, Hermione employs a dryly wicked wit, and Dumbledore reveals, if not feet, at least a little toe of clay. It's no longer quite clear that all will work out in the end; the lines are being drawn, but, as exemplified by Percy Weasley, not everyone is on the right side. Rowling has managed to make Harry and his fate a bit less predictable, which, in the fifth of a seven-volume series, is a very good thing. JMD
Horn Book Magazine
(September 1, 2003; 0-439-35806-X)
(Intermediate, Middle School) This review is much like the proverbial tree falling in an uninhabited forest: unlikely to make a sound. But for the record, HP5 is the best in the series since Azkaban, and far superior to the turgid HP4. With Rowling once again f
About the Author
J.K. ROWLING is the author of the enduringly popular, era-defining Harry Potter seven-book series, which have sold over 600 million copies in 85 languages, been listened to as audiobooks for over one billion hours and made into eight smash hit movies. To accompany the series, she wrote three short companion volumes for charity, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which went on to inspire a new series of films featuring Magizoologist Newt Scamander. Harry’s story as a grown-up was continued in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which J.K. Rowling wrote with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany.
In 2020, she returned to publishing for younger children with the fairy tale The Ickabog, the royalties for which she donated to her charitable trust, Volant, to help charities working to alleviate the social effects of the Covid 19 pandemic. Her latest children’s novel, The Christmas Pig, was published in 2021.
J.K. Rowling has received many awards and honours for her writing, including for her detective series written under the name Robert Galbraith. She supports a wide number of humanitarian causes through Volant, and is the founder of the international children’s care reform charity Lumos. J.K. Rowling lives in Scotland with her family.
Product details
- ASIN : 0439358078
- Publisher : Scholastic Paperbacks (September 1, 2004)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 896 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1338878964
- ISBN-13 : 978-1338878967
- Reading age : 9+ years, from customers
- Lexile measure : 950L
- Grade level : 4 - 7
- Item Weight : 1.32 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 2 x 7.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #63,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,648 in Children's Friendship Books
- #1,865 in Children's Fantasy & Magic Books
- #5,081 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Honest Review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Maya McKenzie
About the author
![J.K. Rowling](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/amzn-author-media-prod/8cigckin175jtpsk3gs361r4ss._SY600_.jpg)
J.K. Rowling is the author of the enduringly popular, era-defining Harry Potter book series, as well as several stand-alone novels for adults and children, and a bestselling crime fiction series written under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
The Harry Potter books have now sold over 600 million copies worldwide, been translated into 85 languages and made into eight blockbuster films. They continue to be discovered and loved by new generations of readers.
Alongside the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling also wrote three short companion volumes for charity: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in aid of Comic Relief, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in aid of her international children’s charity, Lumos. The companion books and original series are all available as audiobooks.
In 2016, J.K. Rowling collaborated with playwright Jack Thorne and director John Tiffany to continue Harry’s story in a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened in London, and is now thrilling audiences on four continents. The script book was published to mark the plays opening in 2016 and instantly topped the bestseller lists.
In the same year, she made her debut as a screenwriter with the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Inspired by the original companion volume, it was the first in a series of new adventures featuring wizarding world magizoologist Newt Scamander. The second, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, was released in 2018 and the third, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was released in 2022.
The screenplays were published to coincide with each film’s release: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - The Original Screenplay (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (2018) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - The Complete Screenplay (2022).
Fans of Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter can find out more at www.wizardingworld.com.
J.K. Rowling’s fairy tale for younger children, The Ickabog, was serialised for free online for children during the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 and is now published as a book illustrated by children, with her royalties going to her charitable trust, Volant, to benefit charities helping alleviate social deprivation and assist vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
Her latest children’s novel The Christmas Pig, published in 2021, is a standalone adventure story about a boy’s love for his most treasured thing and how far he will go to find it.
J.K. Rowling also writes novels for adults. The Casual Vacancy was published in 2012 and adapted for television in 2015. Under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, she is the author of the highly acclaimed ‘Strike’ crime series, featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott. The first of these, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published to critical acclaim in 2013, at first without its author’s true identity being known. The Silkworm followed in 2014, Career of Evil in 2015, Lethal White in 2018, Troubled Blood in 2020 and The Ink Black Heart in 2022. The series has also been adapted for television by the BBC and HBO.
J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Harvard Commencement speech was published in 2015 as an illustrated book, Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination, sold in aid of Lumos and university-wide financial aid at Harvard.
As well as receiving an OBE and Companion of Honour for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling has received many other awards and honours, including France’s Legion d’Honneur, Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award and Denmark’s Hans Christian Andersen Award.
J.K. Rowling supports a number of causes through her charitable trust, Volant. She is also the founder and president of Lumos, an international children’s charity fighting for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world.
www.jkrowling.com
Image: Photography Debra Hurford Brown © J.K. Rowling
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the pacing brisk and well packaged. They also appreciate the emotional inflections and subtle wisdom. They describe the plot as intricate, action-packed, and realistic. They praise the book as fabulously well written, easy to follow, and accurate. Readers find the entertainment value interesting and worth reading. They mention that the book is a great addition to the Harry Potter series and holds up well over time. Opinions are mixed on the length, with some finding it quite lengthy while others say it keeps them glued to it.
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Customers find the storyline fantastic, transcendent, and satisfying. They also say the book is interesting for youngsters.
"...This is an excellent novel for the precocious 10 year old; I'm not sure I would let 7-8 year olds read it unless they are exceptionally mature...." Read more
"J.K. Rowling has produced a great adolescent novel...." Read more
"...The book was very great and really explains a lot of things." Read more
"...This book is wonderful, heart-breaking, astounding, depressing, and truly amazing all at the same time. World-Class author, kudos Ms. Rowling!..." Read more
Customers find the book interesting, satisfying, and worth coming back to. They also say it immediately seized them into the plot and invites them to a world that is so close to their own. Customers say the book is the perfect escape from concerns of the day. They mention that it speaks about knowledge and secrets.
"...Rest assured, dear readers, that this novel has all the magic, all the excitement, all the adventure that we have come to expect--and more...." Read more
"...The lessons are intense, the learning rapid, but understanding may be long years away...." Read more
"...Without doubt, it is the most absorbing novel I've ever read - even on multiple readings...." Read more
"...Rowling's writing style is still ever-present in this book, vivid and wondrous as it had been in the previous four books...." Read more
Customers find the book sophisticated, easy to understand, and complex. They also say J.K. Rowling is incredible in her imagination and writing style, and the book is hard to put down. Readers also mention that the spells play an important role, and that the book does a tremendous job of pulling them inside the head of the characters.
"...Spells play an important role, of course, and their magic words never fail to amuse. Please note: This is not a novel for 6 year olds...." Read more
"...World-Class author, kudos Ms. Rowling! How could I ever have been skeptical of these books??? They are now amongst my ALL-TIME favorites!..." Read more
"...J.K. Rowling's writing style is still ever-present in this book, vivid and wondrous as it had been in the previous four books...." Read more
"...in itself, his motives and actions are very straight forward and easy to understand...." Read more
Customers find the plot intricate, filled with surprises, and tragic and comic scenes. They say the book gives depth, complexity, interest, emotion, heart, and flesh. Readers also say the action strikes right at the beginning and the twists and turns keep their stomach churning. Overall, they say it's a fantastic transition to the next phase.
"...The Order of the Phoenix his one has significant plot twists where they should be, as well as where you least expect them...." Read more
"...Started slow but built to an exciting conclusion. Can't wait to read the next one." Read more
"...There are many surprises in the book (like Ron getting to be prefect while Harry doesn't), but I also think that a lot of the details in the book..." Read more
"Amazing story line, the best book I’ve ever read in my entire life. Such an attention speaker too. Just awesome" Read more
Customers find the Harry Potter series good, incredible, and a huge part of the series. They also say the magic is marvelous and the spells are spectacular. Customers also say that the series only gets better with time, and that the audio book is the best of the Harry potter series.
"Another good entry in the Harry Potter series. Started slow but built to an exciting conclusion. Can't wait to read the next one." Read more
"...The fifth installment of the Harry Potter series is definitely good, but not my favorite (that prize still goes to Book #4)...." Read more
"...This one is the most grown-up of the series so far, very dark from the beginning...." Read more
"Long book, good read classic Harry Potter book but way different than the others. Thing start to come together nicely now...." Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book brisk, quick, and imaginative. They also appreciate the ease of flow.
"...It may be well over 800 pages, but it's still a quick read. I'm betting most fans read this book in two days or less - you just can't put it down...." Read more
"...It is brilliantly written, perfectly paced, and invites us to a world that is so close to our own and yet so far away...." Read more
"...The style of the book is much like the others. It takes longer to read than the first three novels only because it is over twice as long as those..." Read more
"...protagonist who acts more like an adult than a child, and it's much more evenly paced than Goblet of Fire...." Read more
Customers find the emotional tone of the book heartbreaking, astounding, depressing, and frightening. They also appreciate the subtle wisdom this book shares through Harry's experience, strength, and hope.
"...This book is wonderful, heart-breaking, astounding, depressing, and truly amazing all at the same time. World-Class author, kudos Ms. Rowling!..." Read more
"...this book Harry & his friends go through many things, there are many tense moments, that sometimes turn out great, and sometimes don't...." Read more
"...Even though it is slightly depressing at times, it's still an excellent read...." Read more
"...is definitely one of my favorites of the series and honestly the most heartbreaking...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the length of the book. Some mention that it's quite lengthy, while others feel it'd be better if it was shorter.
"...One of my complaints about the book was the length. This installment of the Harry Potter series is the longest at 870 pages...." Read more
"...This is again another very long book (840 pages) and because it was not (unlike Deathly Hallows) split into two movies, there is a lot in the book..." Read more
"...It was overkill.This book was a bit too long. It's not until 200 pages into the book that the students even arrive at Hogwarts...." Read more
"...book was entertaining but I didn't like the fact that it was longer than the last one." Read more
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With each passing novel from JKR, I become more apprehensive that she will have lost her touch, that the shine will be gone. Rest assured, dear readers, that this novel has all the magic, all the excitement, all the adventure that we have come to expect--and more.
The appearance of darker themes (death, consequences, truly evil villains who have an agenda that is definitely not wholesome) that marked the end of novel four were an unexpected twist for me. I had heard that this was not a fluke, that she was taking the septology into a serious examination of what happens when someone truly evil rises to power; this is indeed what she appears to be doing. Serious themes such as these form the backbone of the novel, and are apparent from the first pages. This disconcerted me a bit, as I was expecting the usual romp through Privet drive, a la Dobby; instead, I got a much different thing. The New York Times calls this section somewhat "ponderous", but I think that that is a specious view. In reality, it was important to change the tone of the world, and she wanted to make sure that we understood that all was not mandarin oranges and ice cream here.
As JKR has admitted in interviews, Harry is much more angry in this novel. I felt that she handled this reasonably well--she does an excellent job portraying adolescent confusion. It feels like Harry spends a lot of time being very distressed, but when you imagine yourself, at 15, in his situation, he is not necessarily unrealistic. Teenage angst has been done better, but seeing this side of Harry is important in understanding how he is growing.
The plot is where Ms. Rowling really shines. The Order of the Phoenix his one has significant plot twists where they should be, as well as where you least expect them. Ron and Hermione are there in spades, and there is significant character development for all the major characters as well as a few minor characters. We see new sides of McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Black, and Neville. I was thrilled to see threads from novels 1-4 that seemed unimportant at the time be picked up and woven skillfully into the narrative. Her grasp of the overall plan for her septology is admirable, and I am pleased that she even more careful a writer than any of us had anticipated. This is a united whole, a well planned world. This 7 book series has a definite beginning, middle, and an end, and we are in the thick of things now.
All the old charm is back as well. Rowling's wit seems mostly absent for the first 100 pages, but don't give up hope. She was not not attempting to make the first hundred pages funny--she wants us to know she is in deadly earnest. The wit is always bubbling under the surface, however, and later in the novel, there are a number of laugh out loud funny passages.
Descriptions, as always, are excellent. I needn't add that the names of her characters are always interesting, funny, and often revealing. Spells play an important role, of course, and their magic words never fail to amuse.
Please note: This is not a novel for 6 year olds. They won't understand the adolescent issues. The plot is not as scary as the end of the fourth novel, but the overall tone is dark, as has been much discussed. Her literary style is much the same as the previous novels, but her vocabulary is becoming more advanced as Harry ages. This is an excellent novel for the precocious 10 year old; I'm not sure I would let 7-8 year olds read it unless they are exceptionally mature. No sex, but there is some violence, and as above, the dark themes.
Overall, I would say that this is--hands down--her best novel yet. The climax left me literally breathless, turning pages as fast as I could, unable to believe what I was reading. I look forward to her 6th installment in this series.
Well done, Ms. Rowling. Keep up the amazing work. Take your time on the next one--it will be well worth it when you do. And whenever it comes, we'll still be here.
Granted, the readers receive a far deeper exploration of Holden Caulfield's psychological makeup than Twain or Dickens ever offered a reader, but we have paid a terrible price for this exploration. Authors and critics stepped forward to claim that solipsistic self-exploration was "what it's about," and few seemed ready to say, "Yes, this is what adolescence is like, but you've got to step out and take on the world even though the entirety of William James's 'blooming buzzing confusion' seems to be doing its blooming and its buzzing within the confines of your emotions."
Can one experience the confusion of Holden Caulfield and yet set forth boldly as Huck Finn? Harry Potter tries, as the many of us who have not grown up to be self-indulgent agoraphobics have done exactly that. We've sorted through the world, discovered the faults and flaws of the outside world, come to terms with our own weaknesses, and occasionally saved the world (or some tiny little piece of it) in the process.
Harry Potter is a real adolescent, writ large. He is a wizard; he has a Destiny; he is the hero of childhood fantasy. He is confused, impulsive, traumatized, and full of both anger at the world and self-doubt. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry suffers all the deep pangs that are the fodder of modern literature yet manages to stand true to himself at the end. Harry has heart, and, as Dumbledore notes, that is what matters.
In the Harry Potter books, Harry tends to create or force the final confrontations. Harry unintentionally cooperates with Voldemort again in this piece, propelled, as always by selflessness rather than malice. Harry may need Voldemort in order to discover what is within himself; Harry also feeds Voldemort as he presses ever greater challenges onto himself, leaving us to ask: is Harry responsible for Voldemort's increasing power and the consequences of these ever more violent confrontations? It is dangerous to act in a world where we posses only incomplete knowledge, but part of Harry�s appeal is that he does act, rather than retreating Hamlet-like into indecision.
Harry also must discover that his finest role models are not perfect; this is another element of the adolescent rite of passage. Harry, always the underdog in the Muggle world and always the defender of the underdog in the world of wizardry, discovers something unsettling in the form of one of Snape's memories. The revelation explains much of Snape's animosity toward the Potters and Black, and offers Rowling's readers an uncomfortable window into the adolescent world. The more rambunctious behavior of Harry and his friends, throughout the books, has consistently appeared as either benign or justified. In our real world, the behavior of "good kids" is all too often neither. Rowling reminds us of the adolescent play that is scarring to all involved: victims, victimizers, and even those who would object but were powerless to do so. And she leaves Harry with the choices of justifying (improperly) his heroes' actions, rejecting his heroes, or accepting that even the best wizards have flaws.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher epitomizes the Dark Art of the Twentieth Century. Those of us who have lived through 1984 may see her as a figure of ultimate evil, one far more depraved than the merely malicious Voldemort. She is the bureaucrat, the agent of societal convenience and unquestioning obedience to authority. All who would argue with her are not merely wrong, they are misguided or deceitful obstacles to the Truth. Order is all, and Order derives only from unquestioned obedience to the rules as delineated by the State. Her methods of punishment are Kafkaesque; her aims include the destruction of independent thought. Question Nothing! It is basic nature for an adolescent to rebel against such a figure; what is difficult is efficacious rebellion, rather than pointless or self-destructive opposition. Can an adolescent learn when to fight and when to pretend acquiescence?
Yes, this book is dark in tone, raw with the emotions of adolescence and with its external actions a perfect mirror to Harry's confused, angry young mind. In the world of childhood, tomorrow always dawns fresh and new; for an adult, tomorrow's dawn carries the consequences, for good or bad, of the night before. For an adolescent, the dawn is always painful as consequences are a fresh addition to the world, and last night's experiments in living were sure to have produced at least some undesired results. The lessons are intense, the learning rapid, but understanding may be long years away. The brightest thought, and Rowling lets us end with this thought, is that there are others who have felt the pain of adolescence, who have confronted the great human questions, and who have not only survived but have grown into strong, effective adults.
Harry Potter may be letting a generation of kids know that one's life matters, even in its harshest, most confused periods. It should be letting a generation of critics know that there is more to adolescent self-discovery than simpering self-indulgence. This book suggests that Huck Finn can feel like Holden Caulfield on the inside, yet still behave as Huck Finn. It also suggests that there is no excuse for behaving like Holden Caulfield -- and I like that suggestion.
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