This book follows Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts.

The book opens as it always done on Harry spending the summer with his aunt and uncle in Little Whinging. Harry is depressed as he has heard nothing at all from the wizarding world over the school holidays; even Ron and Hermione have been tight-lipped.

A routine night-time stroll ends up with Harry and his cousin, Dudley, being attacked by Dementors. In order to save their lives, Harry casts the Patronus charm and earns himself a hearing at the Ministry of Magic for violating the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery.

At the hearing he meets Dolores Umbridge, the Undersecreatry to the Minister. She is named by the minister as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts, as unsurprisingly, Dumbledore had been unable to appoint someone to the post.

The Ministry refuse to believe that Voldemort has returned, and are smearing the reputations of both Harry and Dumbledore at every opportunity. This leads to tensions at Hogwarts, as there are those who choose to believe the Ministry and there are those who choose to believe in Harry and Dumbledore.

The Ministry starts interfering in the teaching curriculum at Hogwarts as the decision is taken to teach only defensive magical theory, without actually teaching the students how to use magic. As the reality of this dangerous situation sets in for Ron and Hermione, it quickly becomes apparent that they need to find someone to teach them how to use defensive magic, in direct violation of Ministry rules.

As the school year progresses the students find out just how sadistic Dolores Umbridge can be. Via the Minister, she accumulates more and more power at Hogwarts, until she eventually rivals Dumbledore in her influence and control.

Away from Hogwarts, the Order of the Phoenix have reformed. They are a group of witches and wizards determined to do whatever it takes to stop Voldemort. It has members such as Arthur and Molly Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody, Dumbledore, and a few Ministry of Magic employees who choose to follow Dumbledore.

Amid all of this, Hagrid is very conspicuous by his absence. Just what has he been up to all summer?

Anyone who enjoyed the series. Adults and teens alike.

How the story continues to mature and becomes more complicated just as Harry himself grows up. I also like how JK Rowling has developed as an author. She has improved on her scene descriptions, which were great in the first book, but she has now added a certain depth that could sometimes be lacking in previous books.

Jump straight in to the sixth book.

This instalment is very angsty and maudlin. Harry is in full flow of being a moody teenager, and he takes it out on everyone – even those closest to him.

J K Rowling OBE. She was born in Yate, Gloucestershire, England in 1965. She graduated from University of Exeter in 1986 with a BA in French and Classics.

Harry Potter has become the best-selling book series in history, and the films have become the highest-grossing film series ever.

From her initial concept of Harry Potter in 1990, until the publication of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone in 1997, JK had survived on state benefits. She is now the UK’s best-selling living author with sales in excess of £238 million. In 2008, she was the twelfth richest woman in the UK.

This is a brilliant offering by JK Rowling. While not my favourite of the series so far, it delivers in every way that it needs to.

This book would be rated as 18+ under WDC’s rating system owing to one instance of the phonetic spelling of a certain word that is expressly not permitted at 13+. Otherwise, this book would be rated 13+ (albeit towards the upper end of a 13+ ).

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Created Jan 31, 2015 at 6:15pm • Submit your own review...