>>Go back a page
Books : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
Rating: 
- Witches and Wizards and Goblins, Oh My!
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to wander the halls of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, you experience that feeling and much more. This book is the fifth out of seven in the acclaimed fiction series about Harry Potter.
This book is all about the evil Lord Voldemort's return to power and the Order of the Phoenix's attempt to stop him. What the Order does not know, is that Voldemort is giving Harry visions while he is sleeping. These visions could be what cost Harry and his friends their lives. Will Harry and his friends survive through Voldemort's plans? Read the book to find out.
After I finished this book it left me begging for more. I think that the Harry Potter series is great but this book is, hands down, the best one. I believe this because the book is filled with action when Harry meets Voldemort, and there is lots of suspense throughout the book, especially when Harry is having his visions. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a challenge, but it may be difficult for children under the age of ten to read. I give this book five out of five stars!
Rating: - Simple Need
I wanted a hard back copy of this book, as I have hard backs of all the other Harry Potter books. Somehow this got missed. I got exactly what I wanted for a very reasonable price.
Rating:
- Harry and the Bureaucratic Nightmare
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is darker than previous installments in JK Rowling's beloved series. Harry is struggling with the scar he received from Voldemort as an infant. He finds himself in the bureaucratic nightmare of the Ministry of Magic,and deals with Dolores Umbridge,one of JK Rowling's more colorful and insidiously wicked villains. Umbridge seems innocuous with her pink clothes and sappily sweet smile...but she turns Hogwarts into an oppressive nightmare. Harry starts "Dumbledore's Army" as a form of revolt,as preparations for battle with Voldemort.
At the same time,Harry has become paranoid and easily angered. He pushes away his friends-Ron and Hermione.He is less sympathetic in this book than others. In "Order of the Phoenix",Harry finally dates Cho Chang,with whom he's been enamored since "Prisoner of Azkaban." Their relationship problems are realistically shown. Harry finds Cho too emotionally dependent,shoving her away despite her pain;Cho is still carrying a torch for her dead Cedric.
"Order of the Phoenix" isn't exactly a children's book. JK Rowling uses the Ministry of Magic to criticize bureaucracy. The story is more cerebral than action-oriented. Rowling doesn't seem to know if she's writing for children or teens...or adults. It's darker and moodier,and moves a great deal slower. There are times when it's almost stagnant. In the end,Harry learns from Dumbledore that Voldemort possessed him-a rather disturbing and heavy concept for youngsters. There's also a disappointing character death that either (a)should've been handled better or (b)cut completely. JK Rowling has begun killing off characters simply to be shocking,and not really forwarding the plot. Due to the looong gap between "Goblet of Fire" and "Order of the Phoenix",one can see that JK Rowling wasn't all that uncomfortable returning to it. She's more contractually obliged than engaged with her story. Can this series be saved?
Rating: - Easily the most complex, and in some ways most satisfying, of all the Potter novels
ORDER OF THE PHOENIX could well be my favorite book of them all, if Azkaban and Deathly Hallows weren't as good as they were. For all the talk about GOBLET being the one where Rowling really hikes up the intensity and the complexity in the series, it is here, in PHOENIX, she gives us Potter's darkest, and most complex, adventure of all.
The second most complex novel in the entire Potter sequence (the first being Book 7), this book is probably the second best one, though I still like Azkaban better. This novel introduces the Order of the Phoenix, a whole litany of new characters and a more indepth look at the Ministry For Magic.
Potter has been having bad dreams about a locked door. So he must find out what to do about that. While at home with the Dursleys, he and Dudley are attacked by dementors, and so he stands trial before the Ministry for the inappropriate use of underage magic. He ultimately must appear before the Ministry, and it is only by Dumbledore's appearance he is saved.
But the Ministry is not finished yet. Still under staunch denial that Voldemort is back, Cornelius Fudge sends a new teacher, Dolores Umbridge, to bring Hogwarts under the Ministry's control. Much of the storyline revolves around Umbridge as she takes over Hogwarts, eventually ousting Dumbledore, who goes on the run. Her end is very well justified.
I remember when I read the book back in 2003 when it initially came out being rather disappointed. I wasn't a big fan of GOBLET, and I couldn't way to spend more time in Harry's universe, being back at Hogwarts with characters I know and love. But when I read PHOENIX, though, I felt even more lost and rather alienated. Hogwarts was being taken over. Hagrid was missing for half the book. Dumbledore is extremely distant (for reasons explained at the end of the novel). The Ministry is taken over, and it's run by a man who doesn't know what the hell is going on. There was a lot going on in this novel, and it was all rather depressing. Harry became angry and had severe mood swings, and was always snapping at the people around him. On the positive note he did get some romance,but ultimately even that frizzled out. Harry even had to take "Defense Against the Dark Arts" underground, as Umbridge refuses to even acknowledge Voldemort at all, as per Ministry order.
When I reread it in 2007 in prepration for DEATHLY HALLOWS, my stocks in this book absolutely soared. This is a dark, dark book, and while I still felt rather alienated and cut off from Rowling's magical world and the Ministry Interference, this time around I realised how masterfully crafted this novel truly is.
ORDER, as far as I'm concerned, is where Rowling truly stopped writing children's fiction, but crafting a dark, bitter book about dark, bitter times in her character's lives. Reading ORDER, and especially about Umbridge, keeps reminding one of Orwell and his horrific visions in 1984 and ANIMAL FARM.
Umbridge is easily one of her best characters she ever wrote, and one of the most despicable characters in all of fiction. It is people like Umbridge that brought Hitler to power in the early 1930s, and who would enable him to commit the many atrocities that he did during WWII (and I thought that for a long time before HALLOWS came out, in which Umbridge has turned into a type of Nazi who fully subscribes to Voldemort's racial genocide).
It is here, with ORDER, in which Rowling shows us the evil of bureaucracy, of how Voldemort isn't the only person in which massive evil lurks.
I also love how Rowling greatly expands her environment from the previous novels. We see for the first time St. Mungo's (and have a rather morose encounter with Gilderoy Lockheart from Book 2). We get to go inside the Ministry For Magic, and a very impressive place it is. Grimmauld Place, along with Sirius, is also very entertaining.
And we get some great new characters. Thestrals. The beautifully bizaare Luna Lovegood. Gwarp. Kingsley Shacklebolt. And a personal favorite, Nymphadora Tonks.
The series also has one of my favorite scenes in all of literature: when Dumbledore brings Firenze on during the rainstorm as the new divination teacher (a scene I was so disappointed they cut on the movie. The seeds were they but they cut it damn it.).
The climax of the book is great, with Dumbledore's Army truly coming into their own as they fight against the Death Eaters, who are trying to take the Prophecy from the Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry For Magic. I love that whole end sequence. And the death Rowling includes is just brutal, not really how she kills off the character but the fact she killed him off at all. Interestingly enough, Arthur Weasly, who survives an attack in this novel, was originally slated to die, but Rowling could not bear to kill him off. He was also supposed to die in Book 7, but she couldn't kill him then either, and he was the only real normal fatherfigure in the series, and a good father at that.
And naturally, we get to learn some vastly important information about Neville Longbottom. Following the trend of other installments in the series in regards to introducing apparently non-essential characters and information,, he turns out to much more important than you would suppose. We also begin to learn Dumbledore isn't as flawless as you would like to think.
Another thing I really like about the book is you really do feel like the stakes are really high, which you should as we're only two books away from the end. In fact, HALF-BLOOD PRINCE seemed almost a step back in terms of complexity and highs takes atmosphere from this one.
One thing that should be noted is this is a real doorstop of a book. At a quarter of a million worlds (half as long as Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS), this is easily one of the longest children's books ever published. Rowling has even said she wish she could go back and edit this book down, as she feels it is too long. But what would she cut? Great stuff, but very long for kids. Speaks to the amazing appeal these books have that children have read something as long as this.
Overall, one of my favorite Potter books. I think it's even better than AZKABAN on a literary level, but I still prefer Azkaban to this as a personal preference. Still, this is one of Potter's best. Don't go in thinking you'll have as much fun at Hogwarts. These are dark times, and the war really is beginning.
We can only hope Potter and his friends will pull through.
Rating: - Great book Fast delivery
this was a great book to read the series is starting to get good and this person delivered faster then my other book
- Witches and Wizards and Goblins, Oh My!Have you ever thought about what it would be like to wander the halls of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry? In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, you experience that feeling and much more. This book is the fifth out of seven in the acclaimed fiction series about Harry Potter.
This book is all about the evil Lord Voldemort's return to power and the Order of the Phoenix's attempt to stop him. What the Order does not know, is that Voldemort is giving Harry visions while he is sleeping. These visions could be what cost Harry and his friends their lives. Will Harry and his friends survive through Voldemort's plans? Read the book to find out.
After I finished this book it left me begging for more. I think that the Harry Potter series is great but this book is, hands down, the best one. I believe this because the book is filled with action when Harry meets Voldemort, and there is lots of suspense throughout the book, especially when Harry is having his visions. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a challenge, but it may be difficult for children under the age of ten to read. I give this book five out of five stars!
Rating:
- Simple NeedI wanted a hard back copy of this book, as I have hard backs of all the other Harry Potter books. Somehow this got missed. I got exactly what I wanted for a very reasonable price.
Rating:
- Harry and the Bureaucratic Nightmare"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is darker than previous installments in JK Rowling's beloved series. Harry is struggling with the scar he received from Voldemort as an infant. He finds himself in the bureaucratic nightmare of the Ministry of Magic,and deals with Dolores Umbridge,one of JK Rowling's more colorful and insidiously wicked villains. Umbridge seems innocuous with her pink clothes and sappily sweet smile...but she turns Hogwarts into an oppressive nightmare. Harry starts "Dumbledore's Army" as a form of revolt,as preparations for battle with Voldemort.
At the same time,Harry has become paranoid and easily angered. He pushes away his friends-Ron and Hermione.He is less sympathetic in this book than others. In "Order of the Phoenix",Harry finally dates Cho Chang,with whom he's been enamored since "Prisoner of Azkaban." Their relationship problems are realistically shown. Harry finds Cho too emotionally dependent,shoving her away despite her pain;Cho is still carrying a torch for her dead Cedric.
"Order of the Phoenix" isn't exactly a children's book. JK Rowling uses the Ministry of Magic to criticize bureaucracy. The story is more cerebral than action-oriented. Rowling doesn't seem to know if she's writing for children or teens...or adults. It's darker and moodier,and moves a great deal slower. There are times when it's almost stagnant. In the end,Harry learns from Dumbledore that Voldemort possessed him-a rather disturbing and heavy concept for youngsters. There's also a disappointing character death that either (a)should've been handled better or (b)cut completely. JK Rowling has begun killing off characters simply to be shocking,and not really forwarding the plot. Due to the looong gap between "Goblet of Fire" and "Order of the Phoenix",one can see that JK Rowling wasn't all that uncomfortable returning to it. She's more contractually obliged than engaged with her story. Can this series be saved?
Rating:
- Easily the most complex, and in some ways most satisfying, of all the Potter novelsORDER OF THE PHOENIX could well be my favorite book of them all, if Azkaban and Deathly Hallows weren't as good as they were. For all the talk about GOBLET being the one where Rowling really hikes up the intensity and the complexity in the series, it is here, in PHOENIX, she gives us Potter's darkest, and most complex, adventure of all.
The second most complex novel in the entire Potter sequence (the first being Book 7), this book is probably the second best one, though I still like Azkaban better. This novel introduces the Order of the Phoenix, a whole litany of new characters and a more indepth look at the Ministry For Magic.
Potter has been having bad dreams about a locked door. So he must find out what to do about that. While at home with the Dursleys, he and Dudley are attacked by dementors, and so he stands trial before the Ministry for the inappropriate use of underage magic. He ultimately must appear before the Ministry, and it is only by Dumbledore's appearance he is saved.
But the Ministry is not finished yet. Still under staunch denial that Voldemort is back, Cornelius Fudge sends a new teacher, Dolores Umbridge, to bring Hogwarts under the Ministry's control. Much of the storyline revolves around Umbridge as she takes over Hogwarts, eventually ousting Dumbledore, who goes on the run. Her end is very well justified.
I remember when I read the book back in 2003 when it initially came out being rather disappointed. I wasn't a big fan of GOBLET, and I couldn't way to spend more time in Harry's universe, being back at Hogwarts with characters I know and love. But when I read PHOENIX, though, I felt even more lost and rather alienated. Hogwarts was being taken over. Hagrid was missing for half the book. Dumbledore is extremely distant (for reasons explained at the end of the novel). The Ministry is taken over, and it's run by a man who doesn't know what the hell is going on. There was a lot going on in this novel, and it was all rather depressing. Harry became angry and had severe mood swings, and was always snapping at the people around him. On the positive note he did get some romance,but ultimately even that frizzled out. Harry even had to take "Defense Against the Dark Arts" underground, as Umbridge refuses to even acknowledge Voldemort at all, as per Ministry order.
When I reread it in 2007 in prepration for DEATHLY HALLOWS, my stocks in this book absolutely soared. This is a dark, dark book, and while I still felt rather alienated and cut off from Rowling's magical world and the Ministry Interference, this time around I realised how masterfully crafted this novel truly is.
ORDER, as far as I'm concerned, is where Rowling truly stopped writing children's fiction, but crafting a dark, bitter book about dark, bitter times in her character's lives. Reading ORDER, and especially about Umbridge, keeps reminding one of Orwell and his horrific visions in 1984 and ANIMAL FARM.
Umbridge is easily one of her best characters she ever wrote, and one of the most despicable characters in all of fiction. It is people like Umbridge that brought Hitler to power in the early 1930s, and who would enable him to commit the many atrocities that he did during WWII (and I thought that for a long time before HALLOWS came out, in which Umbridge has turned into a type of Nazi who fully subscribes to Voldemort's racial genocide).
It is here, with ORDER, in which Rowling shows us the evil of bureaucracy, of how Voldemort isn't the only person in which massive evil lurks.
I also love how Rowling greatly expands her environment from the previous novels. We see for the first time St. Mungo's (and have a rather morose encounter with Gilderoy Lockheart from Book 2). We get to go inside the Ministry For Magic, and a very impressive place it is. Grimmauld Place, along with Sirius, is also very entertaining.
And we get some great new characters. Thestrals. The beautifully bizaare Luna Lovegood. Gwarp. Kingsley Shacklebolt. And a personal favorite, Nymphadora Tonks.
The series also has one of my favorite scenes in all of literature: when Dumbledore brings Firenze on during the rainstorm as the new divination teacher (a scene I was so disappointed they cut on the movie. The seeds were they but they cut it damn it.).
The climax of the book is great, with Dumbledore's Army truly coming into their own as they fight against the Death Eaters, who are trying to take the Prophecy from the Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry For Magic. I love that whole end sequence. And the death Rowling includes is just brutal, not really how she kills off the character but the fact she killed him off at all. Interestingly enough, Arthur Weasly, who survives an attack in this novel, was originally slated to die, but Rowling could not bear to kill him off. He was also supposed to die in Book 7, but she couldn't kill him then either, and he was the only real normal fatherfigure in the series, and a good father at that.
And naturally, we get to learn some vastly important information about Neville Longbottom. Following the trend of other installments in the series in regards to introducing apparently non-essential characters and information,, he turns out to much more important than you would suppose. We also begin to learn Dumbledore isn't as flawless as you would like to think.
Another thing I really like about the book is you really do feel like the stakes are really high, which you should as we're only two books away from the end. In fact, HALF-BLOOD PRINCE seemed almost a step back in terms of complexity and highs takes atmosphere from this one.
One thing that should be noted is this is a real doorstop of a book. At a quarter of a million worlds (half as long as Tolkien's LORD OF THE RINGS), this is easily one of the longest children's books ever published. Rowling has even said she wish she could go back and edit this book down, as she feels it is too long. But what would she cut? Great stuff, but very long for kids. Speaks to the amazing appeal these books have that children have read something as long as this.
Overall, one of my favorite Potter books. I think it's even better than AZKABAN on a literary level, but I still prefer Azkaban to this as a personal preference. Still, this is one of Potter's best. Don't go in thinking you'll have as much fun at Hogwarts. These are dark times, and the war really is beginning.
We can only hope Potter and his friends will pull through.
Rating:
- Great book Fast deliverythis was a great book to read the series is starting to get good and this person delivered faster then my other book
welcome to the Childrens Bookshop, here you will find a great resource for Books for the whole family. Children love Books and there is no better time to introduce Books than from a few days old. We have one of the largest selections of quality children's Books, and a wide range of educational toys, puzzles, games, music and audio books. We can help select Books specifically for your baby, children or even your school or library. We offer New and Used Books giving you great savings on High Street Stores. We pack and post to the UK, France, USA & Germany.. We have also partnered with Amazon and are able to provide a very wide selection of New and Used items. Please browse our extensive collection and take advantage of our great discounts and savings offered.