HARRY POTTER and the ORDER of the PHOENIX (Harry Potter #5)(audiobook) by J.K. Rowling

 



Originally published in 2003.
Published by Pottermore Publishing.
Read by Jim Dale.
Duration: 26 hours, 29 minutes.
Unabridged.

Harry Potter has verified that the Lord Voldemort has returned - but the Ministry of Magic (the UK government for the Wizarding World) officially denies it. A team of wizards and witches have secretly formed a group called The Order of the Phoenix featuring a mixture of characters from the other books. Their purpose is to protect Harry Potter and try to figure out what Voldemort intends to do next. 

At Hogwarts, things are going poorly. The Ministry of Magic has created a new position (the High Inquisitor) and her job is to root out anyone who disagrees with the official Ministry of Magic position on Lord Voldemort (meaning that he has not returned) and end the independent nature of the Hogwarts teaching staff. 

The reader, Jim Dale

Jim Dale's reading is always a mixed bag for me because his characterization of Hermione Granger comes off as whiny and annoying. However, his reading of the most memorable and most hated character of the entire series for me, the High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge, was magnificent. Man, I wanted to smack that woman every time he read her lines, which is exactly what was intended when it was written.

Luna Lovegood was a welcome addition to Harry Potter's circle of friends and the scene with Neville Longbottom in the hospital is completely heartbreaking. 

This lengthy book could have been edited a bit (the night bus scene comes to mind), but this book was the best book in the series. Simply excellent. 

5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: HARRY POTTER and the ORDER of the PHOENIX (Harry Potter #5) by J.K. Rowling.

Note: this entire book series has been on banned book lists multiple times since it was originally published due to complaints from religious conservatives. Check out this website for more info.

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