Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Beginning during the summer after He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named again rises to power, Order of the Phoenix is darker and more serious than the previous four books. Fifteen-year-old Harry Potter starts his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after a surprisingly eventful summer. If you have not yet read the book, stop reading here or beware of spoilers.

As the story begins, Harry Potter is spending another miserable summer vacation with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. He is shocked by the lack of news of Lord Voldemort, who regrouped with his infamous Death Eaters after regaining his body and attempting to murder Harry in The Goblet of Fire. After a month of brief letters from his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and his godfather, Sirius Black, Harry is frustrated and on the verge of performing drastic magic. Through her excellent descriptions and selective lack of information, Rowling forces you to feel as annoyed and sheltered as Harry.

However, an almost fatal dementor attack forces the teenage wizard to perform the Patronus charm to protect his cousin Dudley and himself. Harry finds a storm of letters informing him of his expulsion and then Ministry court date when he drags the limp body of Dudley home. His aunt and uncle are about to throw their nephew out on the street when Petunia receives her own mysterious Howler. Rowling leaves you in speculation over the familiar voice booming at Aunt Petunia, which is not revealed until the end of the book.

Soon, Harry is rescued by the Order of the Phoenix and reunited with his friends at the childhood home of Sirius, which became the headquarters for the Order. Rowling delves into additional details about the first reign of terror of You-Know-Who and offers a tour of the Ministry of Magic. After the Misuse of Underage Magic committee clears Harry of all charges, he returns to Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione and makes some startling and horrific discoveries. Hagrid has not returned from his task for the Order. And Dumbledore hired a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; or rather, the ministry forced a toad-like woman upon the school when the headmaster could not find anyone willing to fill the position. Using her wonderful writing talent, Rowling makes you actually hate Dolores Umbridge with a burning passion. Not a single Harry Potter fan feels a smidgen of sympathy when her fate is revealed.

Similar to his ability to read strong emotions Voldemort feels, Harry discovers a new and deeper connection. Harry can read the mind of the Dark Lord and continuously find his dream self wandering down a dark corridor towards a single door. Although Dumbledore tried to help Harry learn to close his mind from others, Harry soon finds himself in the Department of Mysteries after seeing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named torture Sirius. Once again, Harry must battle for his life in a dramatic and riveting scene between good and bad.

Along with fighting Evil with a capital "E," Harry must also face evil with a little "e." And by evil, I mean girls. In The Goblet of Fire, the teenage wizard develops a crush on the Ravenclaw seeker. As he pursues Cho Chang, sometimes successfully and other times miserably, I just want to take Harry in my arms and give him a big hug. Rowling makes you understand what being a teenager in love feels like. The new subplot of romantic relationships also adds to the fact that Harry and his friends are growing up.

In the final chapters of the book, Rowling reveals why You-Know-Who tried to kill Harry as a baby. The owner of the voice in the Howler sent to Aunt Petunia is identified and recognized as a crucial detail in the story. As the story ends on Platform 9 3/4, your heart aches as you understand the suffering and pain Harry is feeling.

As the fifth book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix further delves into the Harry Potter story. Rowling introduces new characters from the wizarding world and continues the war between good and evil. Secrets are revealed throughout the tale of Harry Potter as he enters his fifth year at Hogwarts. I recommend the darker and more serious Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to readers, young and old alike.