In the richest installment yet of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story, Harry Potter confronts the unreliability of the very government of the magical world, and the impotence of the authorities at Hogwarts. Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Harry finds depth and strength in his friends, beyond what even he knew; boundless loyalty and unbearable sacrifice. Though thick runs the plot (as well as the spine), readers will race through these pages, and leave Hogwarts, like Harry, wishing only for the next train back. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Year five at Hogwarts is no fun for Harry. Rowling may be relying upon readers to have solidified their liking for her hero in the first four books, because the 15-year-old Harry Potter they meet here is quite dour after a summer at the Dursleys' house on Privet Drive, with no word from pals Hermione or Ron. When he reunites with them at last, he learns that The Daily Prophet has launched a smear campaign to discredit Harry's and Dumbledore's report of Voldemort's reappearance at the end of book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Aside from an early skirmish with a pair of dementors, in which Harry finds himself in the position of defending not only himself but his dreaded cousin, Dudley, there is little action until the end of these nearly 900 pages. A hateful woman from the Ministry of Magic, Dolores Umbridge (who, along with minister Cornelius Fudge nearly succeeds in expelling Harry from Hogwarts before the start of the school year) overtakes Hogwarts-GrandPrE's toadlike portrait of her is priceless-and makes life even more miserable for him. She bans him from the Quidditch team (resulting in minimal action on the pitch) and keeps a tight watch on him. And Harry's romance when his crush from the last book, Cho Chang, turns out to be a major waterworks (she cries when she's happy, she cries shen she's sad). Readers get to discover the purpose behind the Order of the Phoenix and more is revealed of the connection between Harry and You-Know-Who. But the showdown between Harry and Voldemort feels curiously anticlimactic after the stunning clash at the close of book four. Rowling favors psychological development over plot development here, skillfully exploring the effects of Harry's fall from popularity and the often isolating feelings of adolescence. Harry suffers a loss and learns some unpleasant truths about his father, which result in his compassion for some unlikely characters. (The author also draws some insightful parallels between the Ministry's exercise of power and the current political climate.) As hope blooms at story's end, those who have followed Harry thus far will be every bit as eager to discover what happens to him in his sixth and seventh years. Ages 9-12. (June) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 4 Up-J. K. Rowling's fifth book (Scholastic, 2003) is not only bigger than the previous titles, it's better. Harry is now a feisty, sometimes frustrated 15-year-old with his usual loyal friends and a new nemesis from the Ministry of Magic. Award-winning narrator Jim Daley does a superb job of making both the romping humor and the riveting danger feel three-dimensional. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

No, you can't put it down, but believe me, you'll wish you could. This is not an easy book to lug around. Its worldwide hype aside, the fifth installment in Harry Potter's saga should be judged on the usual factors: plot, characters, and the quality of the writing. So how does it fare? One thing emerges quickly: Rowling has not lost her flair as a storyteller or her ability to keep coming up with new gimcracks to astound her readers. But her true skills lie in the way she ages Harry, successfully evolving him from the once downtrodden yet hopeful young boy to this new, gangly teenager showing all the symptoms of adolescence--he is sullen, rude, and contemptuous of adult behavior, especially hypocrisy. This last symptom of the maturing Harry fits especially well into the plot, which finds almost all of the grown-ups in the young wizard's life saying one thing and doing another, especially those at the Ministry of Magic, who discredit Harry in the media to convince the citizenry that Voldemort is not alive. Rowling effectively uses this plot strand as a way of introducing a kind of subtext in which she takes on such issues as governmental lying and the politics of personal destruction, but she makes her points in ways that will be clearly understood by young readers. To fight for truth and justice--and to protect Harry--the Order of the Phoenix has been reconstituted, but young Potter finds squabbling and hypocrisy among even this august group. And in a stunning and bold move, Rowling also allows Harry (and readers) to view an incident from the life of a teenage James Potter that shows him to be an insensitive bully, smashing the iconic view Harry has always had of his father. Are there problems with the book? Sure. Even though children, especially, won't protest, it could be shorter, particularly since Rowling is repetitious with descriptions (Harry is always angry ; ultimate bureaucrat Doris Umbridge always looks like a toad). But these are quibbles about a rich, worthy effort that meets the very high expectations of a world of readers. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2003 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

1 Dudley Demented	p. 1
2 A Peck of Owls	p. 20
3 The Advance Guard	p. 42
4 Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place	p. 59
5 The Order of the Phoenix	p. 79
6 The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black	p. 98
7 The Ministry of Magic	p. 121
8 The Hearing	p. 137
9 The Woes of Mrs. Weasley	p. 152
10 Luna Lovegood	p. 179
11 The Sorting Hat's New Song	p. 200
12 Professor Umbridge	p. 221
13 Detention with Dolores	p. 250
14 Percy and Padfoot	p. 279
15 The Hogwarts High Inquisitor	p. 306
16 In the Hog's Head	p. 330
17 Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four	p. 350
18 Dumbledore's Army	p. 374
19 The Lion and the Serpent	p. 397
20 Hagrid's Tale	p. 420
21 The Eye of the Snake	p. 441
22 St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries	p. 466
23 Christmas on the Closed Ward	p. 492
24 Occlumency	p. 516
25 The Beetle at Bay	p. 543
26 Seen and Unforeseen	p. 570
27 The Centaur and the Sneak	p. 599
28 Snape's Worst Memory	p. 624
29 Career Advice	p. 651
30 Grawp	p. 676
31 O.W.L.s	p. 703
32 Out of the Fire	p. 729
33 Fight and Flight	p. 751
34 The Department of Mysteries	p. 764
35 Beyond the Veil	p. 781
36 The Only One He Ever Feared	p. 807
37 The Lost Prophecy	p. 820
38 The Second War Begins	p. 845

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.