Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5 - Unabridged Audio CD Set - Adult Edition) - J.K. Rowling

===What Is It?===
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th book in the incredible Harry Potter series. I have all the books in Audio CD which I have gradually collected over the years. This best seller book has a staggering 766 pages but is only the biggest book in the series. This book comes in paperback, hardback, braille, larger print, in many different language and audio. This review is on the audio CD version on the book.
...your a big Harry Potter fan like me then you really HAVE to read it as you want to knew what happens next. However as I had read this before I was wanting to listen to it, just to see if it changes my perception on the books at all. If your not as serious as us fans then you may read the book just to see if you like the Potter series or not. But the reason a lot of people buy it is because there children want to read it but can I stress that this ... more

What Is It?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the 5th book in the incredible Harry Potter series. I have all the books in Audio CD which I have gradually collected over the years. This best seller book has a staggering 766 pages but is only the biggest book in the series. This book comes in paperback, hardback, braille, larger print, in many different language and audio. This review is on the audio CD version on the book.

Why Buy It?

If like me your a big Harry Potter fan like me then you really HAVE to read it as you want to knew what happens next. However as I had read this before I was wanting to listen to it, just to see if it changes my perception on the books at all. If your not as serious as us fans then you may read the book just to see if you like the Potter series or not. But the reason a lot of people buy it is because there children want to read it but can I stress that this is not actually that big of a childrens book.
A good example of another reason to buy is as because the books are getting longer, your child may love the movies but may not be able to read to that level. So listening to the book, can then lead to them reading the book. It would also be good for people who may don't like reading very much but enjoy the films, and want to get another perspective on the story.

Characters

• Harry Potter- The main character and the wizard we all love. In this book you see a rapid maturity which is quite amazing. He is having to take his big exams this year (OWLS) which are the equivelent of GSCEs and Standard Grades. He is faced with the fact that he might be killed by enemy Voldemort, but nothing changes there!
• Ron Weasley- Harry's loyal best friend. Has been with Harry since the beginning. Ron shows his loyality to Harry and encourages him with the rebel group "The DA" and helps Harry throughout the book.
• Hermione Granger- Harry's other best friend she shines in a new light in this book. Her brains gets Harry and Ron out of a lot of trouble. She also shows her true friendship in this book
• Sirius Black - Harry's godfather and his fathers best friend. They meet up in his parents old house which becomes their safe zone. Sirius's devotion and love for Harry is really shown and he really is the coolest godfather anyone could ever have!
• Ginny Weasley- She's fancied Harry since she was only 11 and helping Harry win the House cup.
• Neville Longbottom- Through out the books he has been put across as someone who is very shy and pretty useless. However readers see a completely different side of him as we find out more about Bellatrix and Nevilles history.
• Luna Lovegood - A new character however she has been at Hogwarts from the start of the books however. She is in Ravenclaw and proves to be a fantastic friend and supporter of Harry. She is considered 'odd' but she is simply a fantastic character.
• Lord Voldemort- His powers are growing and his plans to kill Harry are becoming stronger as his army gets bigger. Will his plan succeed and get Harry killed?
• Albus Dumbledore- Still as wise as ever. He seems to be ignoring Harry this year, but why is this?
• Bellatrix Lestrange - A new character to the series. She was the one who destroyed the lives and tortured Neville Longbottoms parents when he was younger. She considers herself to be the loyalist servant to Lord Voldemort, and is one of the most dangerous Death Eaters.
• Severus Snape- The potions master. He really does hate Harry however in this book, we see a more different side to him this year.

Whos The New DADAT?

DADAT means 'Defence Against the Dark Teacher'. Every book there has been a new one for one reason or another. Professor Quirrel started us off in book 1 but readers found out he had Voldemort stuck to his head (sorry did not mean to write that comically!) Book 2 was Professor Lockhart who absotlutely loved himself but got hit by his own memory charm and had no idea who he was. Book 3 saw my favourite teacher Professor Lupin who was Harry's dads best friend. He helped Harry learn skills which he needs for later books. He resigned however as people found out he was a werewolf. Then book 4 came along the Professor Moody who helped Harry with the Triwizard cup.
And in the 5th book is the worst, most annoying teacher ever Professor Umbridge. She was cruel and a muggle hater. She tries to control the school and take over it, while making all the students hate her. As a reader, you will hate her so much!!!

Front Cover

The front cover comes in two designs, the Childrens and the Adults. The children's is of a beautiful gold phoenix which is one of the scenes from the book. This is found on most of the Audio covers. The adult cover is of a statue of a phoenix. This one is rarer and I have only seen this once on an audio cover. Both of these audio books are exactly the same however and have exactly the same chapters etc. I like the idea of two different covers.

CD's

There are an incredible 24 CD's to listen to. This is a lot, but it does reflect the shear length of the book overall. They all have clearly listed numbers on them so you are not lost to find the next CD. They are all read by the AMAZING Stephen Fry, his reading is flawless throughout. I adore his voice and he even does the character voices. His iconic voice makes the book highly enjoyable and I adore listening to his crystal clear voice throughout.
If you do what I do you can download the CD's onto iTunes which actually added up to 213 'tracks' so basically where they stop and started recordings. This is an excellent feature and means you can put it then on your iPod and MP3 player, if you are wanting to take it to extreme portable.

Plot

The story follows Harry Potter, a famous yet troubled teenage wizard. This is his 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the last book JK Rowling left us with a terrible cliff hanger where Harry finds out Voldemort, his arch-enemy and the wizard who murdered his parents, is back when he was suspected to be dead. However no one believes Harry apart from some of his friends and the Order of The Phoenix. So Harry is portrayed as a liar and attention seeker by the newspapers that are controlled by Minister of Magic.
The book starts you on a low with Harry being ignored from the wizarding world as he is being portrayed so badly in it. However even in the first couple of chapters there is a high. Dudley (Harrys cousin who hates him) and Harry are walking home and are attacked by two Dementors. Harry is forced to use magic to protect them and it works. However it is forbidden for an under 17 to use magic and can lead to a suspension or expulsion from Hogwarts and the Wizarding world.
Now that Harry thinks he's been suspended and drags Dudley home. You see Harry's teenage spirit and anger as he is fed up with all the censorship and being ignored by his friends. That night he is told he must face a trial about the magic he performed on the dementors. With the whole of the wizarding world not liking him much, he is very nervous and angry about it. That night, Harry is rescued by the Order of the Phoenix from his horrible relatives. They eventually reach number 12 Grimmald Place, the secret hide out of the "Anti-Voldemort Group" the Order of the Phoenix. It is magically squeezed in between 2 houses 11 and 13 but it has been a street joke among muggles that there is no number 12. Or so they think. So number 12 magically appears.
Harry is re-united with his godfather Sirius, whom he has not seen in 2 around a year. Harry wants to join the Order of the Phoenix but is not allowed. Even though he wants to help. Harry is then faced with court hearing about his underage magic use. So Harry heads to London to the Ministry of Magic which is hidden deep underground. There is the minister of magic himself being the judge of Harry's trial and a full wizardry court, which is usually used in murder cases! So of course Harry is going to be a worried. Dumbledore comes to Harry's rescue and stops him from getting prosecuted but he won't talk to Harry. Harry is free from the ministry so far.
At last September arrives and Harry, Ron and Hermione head back to Hogwarts where they will be sitting their OWL (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) that is our equivalent to Standard Grades or GCSE's. They have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Dolores Umbridge (who was at Harry's hearing) and who is a ministry official. Hogwarts is starting to slowly change as Umbridge makes herself more powerful using the Minister of Magic and eventually becomes in of the staffing arrangements. She makes Harry's life hell as she hates him for saying the dark lord is back.
So Harry, Ron and Hermione make up "Dumbledore's Army" which is a group they have set up to try and learn DADA as Umbridge is just such a bad teacher. This goes down really well with everyone and they select friends to join. There they learn defensive spells and techniques, which they will need to fight Voldemort. Friendship and loyalty is shown excellently throughout the book and really creates a tone that they are growing up. Harry experiences also his first love, in all this termoil.
"The Rebellion begins."
You will have to read the book to find out what happens. You will not be disappointed.

Price/Where to get it

The RRP is £45.99 which is a lot of money. I bought this Amazon used for £36.19. You do get it in a nice box to keep all the CD's safely. It can also be downloaded of iTunes. This will cost you around £29 so is a lot cheaper if you want that alternative. But you can also BORROW it from the library for free (well in my local one anyway) but I'm pretty sure it will apply to a lot of people. It can be bought from Borders, Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith and many more shops. I would also recommend Ebay as there are lots of great deals there.

Whats Right With It?

This is such a thrilling, exciting book to read. I could not stop listening to it and had to because needed to sleep or go to school! Seriously once you finish a chapter you have to listening the next one as you need to know what is happening. The characters characterisation is outstanding in this book as you see each indivual grow up or get wiser. It has a sense of reality as well and you feel it is possible to do these things. Also as I personally am around the same age as Harry and his friends I really feel I can relate to them. The book reminds you a lot that Harry, Ron and Hermione are just teenagers and having to deal with all this must have been really tough. It is a truly fantastic listen, or if you get a chance, read.

What's Wrong With It?

The books are gradually getting darker and are starting to contain more 'adult' themes (a bit of an overstatement) but I mean it is basically no longer suitable for younger children. Also JK leaves so many unanswered questions which in someway is a good thing then again sometimes a bad thing. Also the fact that it is expensive as you could just go and buy the book for about £3.

Conclusion

I've actually found, using myself as an example that readers grow up with Harry. I was only 8 when Philosphers Stone came out and I read it and watched the movies when I was 10/11 and as now I am 16 I can actually relate to Harry a lot. This was the third audio book of Harry Potter I have and in comparison, I do prefer the book to audio, however only marginally. The audio allows you to relax more. If your not really familiar with Harry Potter but don't enjoy reading then this is for you (or just watch the films) but I can guarentee, content wise, the Books are so much better.
I loved this book and I would recommend it to everyone teenagers, parents, gran parents everyone! It is such a brilliant world to read about and you will enjoy listening to Stephen Fry and of the world of Harry Potter. It gets 5 stars from me!

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