Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
It is summer and Harry Potter can’t wait till the break is over, so he can be back where he belongs – at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. During the holidays, Harry is stuck with his awful relations who do everything in their power to make his life miserable. This is only made worse by the fact that his friends are being very distant with their correspondence and will not tell him much about where they are or what they’re doing. The unpredictable happens and Harry is forced to use magic to get him out of a life-threatening situation. He is then faced with possible expulsion from school, which doesn’t really make his dismal mood any better. Things are finally explained when Harry catches up with his friends. His worst fears are confirmed as he realises that Voldemort is back – and very much alive. Subsequently, a secret organisation is formed by people who wish to protect the wizarding world from danger. They plan to fight against Voldemort and anybody who sides with him. Back at school, trouble is brewing. Dumbledore is being labelled as a liar by The Daily Prophet for trying to convince the wizarding world that Voldemort has returned. In strong denial, The Ministry of Magic decides to send in an official to keep an eye on things. This official is Dolores Umbridge, a snivelling, power-hungry woman who has it in for Harry. During this time, Harry is becoming increasingly agitated by the number of rules being set down to prevent him from doing things he enjoys, as well as the puzzling way in which Dumbledore is treating him. Harry’s temper is short and he is prone to snapping at people for no particular reason. On top of this, Harry is confused about Cho Chang and where their relationship is going. The stress and workload of the OWLS is piling up, Harry has extra lessons and commitments to attend and he is having a strange recurring nightmare. When it all seems to be getting too much, disaster strikes and Harry finds himself facing yet another challenge that's even more dangerous than before... Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the thickest book of the five, at 766 pages. Though this is the longest book, it does not hold the most exciting content. The book took a while to get going and it wasn’t really until about chapter twelve that exciting things started to happen. I felt that J.K. Rowling could have quite happily left out a few of the first chapters and it wouldn’t have affected the book at all. Don’t let that put you off, though, because it is a great book, full of suspense that guarantees to keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next.
