A Reader's Guide to Books and Reviews

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré
(Illustrator)

Genre:
Fantasy, Middle School, Witches and Wizards, Adventure, Kindle Unlimited, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Book Series, Magic, Wolves, Werewolves, British Literature, Contemporary, Dark, Harry Potter Universe

Publication Date:
June 21, 2003

Page Numbers:
912

Read/Finished Date:
April 15th, 2025 - April 17th, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

Harry Potter is about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unlike most schoolboys, Harry never enjoys his summer holidays, but this summer is even worse than usual. The Dursleys, of course, are making his life a misery, but even his best friends, Ron and Hermione, seem to be neglecting him.

Harry has had enough. He is beginning to think he must do something, anything, to change his situation, when the summer holidays come to an end in a very dramatic fashion. What Harry is about to discover in his new year at Hogwarts will turn his world upside down...

Review:

This is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series and is set shortly after the events of the fourth book. The Wizarding World is in denial about Voldemort's return to power. Instead of addressing the threat he poses to the Wizarding World, the Ministry of Magic appoints Dolores Umbridge as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

While Umbridge exerts her authority over the school of magic, Harry, along with Hermione and Ron, recognizes the danger Voldemort's return brings and forms a secret group called "Dumbledore's Army" to learn and practice defensive spells.

In Order of the Phoenix, you see a large jump in Harry's character growth. He has taken charge and started a secret group with the hopes of teaching those who are willing to learn to protect themselves from the danger Voldemort and his Death Eaters pose, not only to the Wizarding World but also to the school.

I am not going to lie; this book is thick and I mean it is one of three thick books in the series. The first time I read this book, it took me a full night to get through it. Unfortunately, I don't have that leisure anymore.

This book gets dark and we learn of the prophecy told by Sybill Trelawney. While the prophecy does speak of a child born at the end of July who will defeat Voldemort, it does not specify that child is Harry. Also, we see one of the beloved characters, Sirius, die in this one. His character growth never really happens in this novel and who can blame him? He is immature, but wouldn't you be if you spent your entire life in Azkaban? I wish Rowling had given him a chance to grow, to know his godson more, and to be able to fully return House of Black to what it should have been without the blood purity to it.

But I also see the reason why she had to kill him off. Harry needed the push for his character to move forward and become what Sirius wanted from him - a great wizard.

Similar Books:

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré
(Illustrator)

Genre:
Fantasy, Middle School, Witches and Wizards, Adventure, Kindle Unlimited, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Book Series, Magic, Wolves, Werewolves, British Literature, Contemporary, Dark, Harry Potter Universe

Publication Date:
July 8, 2000

Page Numbers:
734

Read/Finished Date:
March 30th, 2025 - April 1st, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

It is the summer holidays and soon Harry Potter will be starting his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry is counting the days: there are new spells to be learnt, more Quidditch to be played, and Hogwarts castle to continue exploring. But Harry needs to be careful - there are unexpected dangers lurking...

Review:

Harry has returned for his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This year, Hogwarts is set to host the Triwizard Tournament, a magical competition between three schools - Hogwars, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute. The tournament has three challenges, each more dangerous than the last.

Despite the rule that no underage wizards are allowed in the tournament, Harry finds that he has been unexpectedly entered and his name has been drawn. Harry has to face the three challenges set up by the tournament, and he will have to stay alive, but a series of events reveals that the threat of Voldemort's return to power could be sooner than Harry wished.

This is the fourth book in the franchise and one of the first thicc books, and it is about to become much darker than the previous three books. While they were lighthearted and fun, this book is dark with more complex themes.

Harry's character is evolving and grappling with the expectations others have placed upon his shoulders and the rising threat of Voldemort and his death eaters. Harry didn't want to be part of the tournament. He is happy to stand off to the side for someone else to take the limelight, but his horror is realized when his name is announced. Someone had crossed the line and added his name. Others think he found a way around it, and they begin to treat him differently. Even Ron becomes jealous.

I love that the Harry Potter universe expands outside of Hogwarts, and we see other schools out there to interact with. New characters like Victor Krum, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory, and Winky. I also love that the book gets darker as we move further into the story. We see bits of Voldemort's influence in the way characters act. All of this is the perfect storm to bring forth his arrival.

It has been nice revisiting the world of Harry Potter and his friends, and I am looking forward to revisiting it in the next novel.

Similar Books:

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling, Mary GrandPré
(Illustrator)

Genre:
Fantasy, Middle School, Witches and Wizards, Adventure, Kindle Unlimited, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Book Series, Magic, Wolves, Werewolves, British Literature, Contemporary, Dark, Harry Potter Universe

Publication Date:
May 1, 2004 by Scholastic Inc.

Page Numbers:
435

Read/Finished Date:
March 26th, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school...

Review:

This is the third novel in the Harry Potter series and is considered to be the beginning of the novel's dark themes. Harry Potter is spending his summer once more in the presence of his aunt and uncle and what is worse is Aunt Marge has begun to make snide remarks about his family. That is until one night when Harry has gotten tired of Marge's relentless abuse and unfortunately blows her up (not in the BOOM sort, but much like a balloon without strings). Harry flees into the night believing that the Ministry of Magic will revoke his wizarding privilege and send him right back to his already furious aunt and uncle.

Fortunately, that is not the case and Harry learns that an escapee from Azkaban named Sirius Black is gunning for him. Because of this, the Ministry of Magic has increased security and used Dementors, "wraithlike creatures that drain happiness and hope from people, inducing despair and fear, and can even consume souls with "The Dementor's Kiss."*

Now, Harry and his friends must stay out of reach of the Dementors and Sirius Black all the while navigating his third year of Hogwarts.

Before I dare to begin, have I mentioned how I love how Hermione handled Draco Malfoy? He deserved that hit more than anything and I am glad she dished it to him.

We can see Harry's growth in both character and abilities to be stronger and more determined as he navigates his third year, dodging Dementors and Sirius Black.

And we cannot leave out his two friends - Ron and Hermione. While the former sticks closely to his friend, the latter seems to be more focused on her new classes as well as knowing Sirius Black is after her friend. Her feelings of worry are genuine, and I understand why she fears Sirius could harm Harry, but I think she does tend to go too far when it comes to protecting Harry.

Overall, I think this book was one of my favorites in the series.

Similar Books:

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan





Info taken from Dementors

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter) by J.K. Rowling, Jim Kay (Illustrator)

Genre:
Fantasy, Middle School, Witches and Wizards, Adventure, Kindle Unlimited, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction, Book Series, Magic, Wolves, Werewolves, British Literature, Contemporary, Harry Potter Universe

Publication Date:
January 1, 2019 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Page Numbers:
256

Read/Finished Date:
March 22nd, 2025

Rating:
5/5

Premise:

Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's really a wizard, just as his parents were. But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards, and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright. From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

Review:

I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited, and I really like the way the illustrations came to life. From the smoke of the train to the homes of Diagon Alley, it was really fun to see. Also, I loved the illustrations for this book. They were fun and had a much better vision of the characters than the ones I had in mind when I first picked up the books.

Harry Potter is famous, but he has no idea he is. He lives underneath the stairs of his aunt and uncle's home, where he is treated more like an outsider than anything. His aunt and uncle have made it their mission to wipe away any trace of Harry's wizarding parentry. That is, until one night while they were trying to get away from the mountains of mail for Harry, when Hagrid appeared ready to take Harry to Hogwarts. Harry learns his history from the death of his parents at the hands of Voldemort to the scar that graces his forehead. Now, he must navigate the halls of Hogwarts and the one who is targeting him and his friends.

I remember when I first came across the books. I did not understand the hype over the books, but my mom's friend challenged me to read them and see if my opinion changed. I have to admit that this book only took me a few short hours to finish. I had been unable to put it down. The characters were fleshed out, the world-building was fascinating, and the plot seemed quite different, setting apart from other wizarding and witchcraft middle grade books.

The books are a fun read and pull you into Harry's world from the first book and make you want to finish the entire set to the very end.

Similar Books:

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
Percy Jackson Universe by Rick Riordan