Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Published in 2003

Pages: 870

Genre: Fantasy, contemporary fantasy

“The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close and a drowsy silence lay over the large, square houses of Privet Drive.”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix brings new levels of danger and realization to Harry’s world. Before even beginning his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry is attacked by dementors and is sentenced to a disciplinary hearing due to his use of magic to repel them and save his cousin. Following this is a year fraught with change in the form of a terrible new teacher, Professor Umbridge (according to dictionary.com, the word umbrage means hostility, offense, and annoyance so nice word choice there, Rowling), mounds of homework in preparation of the O.W.L. exams that will determine their career paths, and haunting dreams about a dark corridor.

Though the entire series chronicles Harry’s coming of age in the formative years of his life, it is in the fifth book that the most drastic change takes place. Harry is at a crossroads as far as how others treat him and how he perceives himself. The age of fifteen is difficult, even for the magically inclined, and quite a few of the signposts of puberty rear their heads in The Order of the Phoenix. Continue reading “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Review” →