Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By J.K. Rowling

The fifth Harry Potter book picks up only four weeks after Harry’s bitter-sweet triumph over Voldemort in The Goblet of Fire. It is a must-read for any fan but for some reason I thought the storyline was weaker than in the previous four books, with the fourth being my favourite to date. Somehow I just could not get totally engrossed in the story, there was something missing. Maybe it has been to long since I read the fourth book, and the Harry Potter fascination has died down since then…?

In this book the youngsters begin to piece together the purpose of The Order of the Phoenix. It is a story about the struggle between good and evil as well as the story of Harry's coming of age - with many twists and turns unexpected to the reader. In between magical missions and battles, Harry spends his school days learning to relate to a girlfriend, handling his own pride when Ron begins to gain special honours, and finding out who he is apart from Quidditch, his parents and the professors who have guided him all his wizarding life.

The story ends with a stunning, full revelation of a heretofore half-expressed prophecy. And Harry returns to Privet Drive with assurances that The Order of the Phoenix will be watching over him during holiday.