Harry Potter is back for the fifth installment in the best-selling phenomenon that’s swept the world, and this is his biggest, most dangerous adventure yet. Not only are all the old characters – Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid, Draco, and Snape – back, but they’re accompanied by new characters: the shapeshifting Tonks, the insidiously odious Delores Umbridge and befuddled Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. After the events of Goblet of Fire, the wizarding world is in an uproar. Voldemort is back, but the Ministry of Magic, aided by the popular Daily Prophet newspaper, refuses to admit or see the truth. It’s up to Albus Dumbledore and the secretive Order of the Phoenix to prepare for the eventual, unavoidable war that Voldemort’s sure to spark. But is anywhere safe, when dementors can attack Harry near Privet Drive?

Once back at school, things can get only worse, as Ministry meddling and heightened paranoia collide with the pressure of fifth year O.W.L. exams for Harry and his friends, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher proves to have an agenda that does no one but herself any good at all. In the end, it’ll all boil down to discovering what secrets lie in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic and in St. Mungo’s Hospital, and not everyone will escape intact. Harry, in particular, will be confronted with truths regarding his past, his present, and his future. Will he crack under the strain?
Building on the plotlines of the first four books, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix pretty much starts out on an eventful note, and doesn’t let up for quite some time. The readers, like the characters, are thrown into a siege mentality, and the pressure continues to grow as revelations mix with new questions. Faithful readers are rewarded for their loyalty with a number of answers, and with watching Harry continue to grow and mature. This is one series where the characters change and evolve as a result of the events they experience.

If you’re already a fan, there’s no reason not to read this book. Newcomers are highly encouraged to read the series in order; this book doesn’t work well as a standalone. Due to a darker atmosphere and some mature topics regarding dating, death, betrayal and teen angst, I recommend that teachers, parents, and librarians read this book before deciding if younger readers (11 and below, I’d say) are ready for this one. And while 870 pages is excessive, and there’s some fat that can be trimmed, in the end, it’s just good to have a new Harry Potter, and the wait for the next book will be a long, impatient one.