Original Fiction
The Harry Potter Review
By Rita Skeeter
22, Jun 2003 - 17:01

They waited, they queued, and they read and read and read……

Another wave of Potter mania has hit the world with the release of the fifth Harry Potter book, "The order of the Phoenix". Parks and playgrounds were much quieter than usual, children (and some adults) were seen enthralled in the massive book and older people were happy that for once the golden rule that children should be seen and not heard was obeyed. After finishing all 766 pages in the early hours of the morning I was tired but certainly not disappointed. J.K. Rowling once again has mesmerized us with the latest addition to the Harry Potter story.

 

Happy Fans

"The Order of the Phoenix" is possibly the darkest, most intense and emotional book of the series so far. Rowling’s determination that she will not write down to children is also evident. She has not dumbed down the anger or frustration that features throughout the book as an ongoing theme. Although the sinister plots of Lord Voldemort loom over the characters, hope lives and the hilarious inputs of Fred and George Weasley lighten the mood enormously with explosions and inventions of all sorts. Our eyes are also opened to much more of the wizarding world. We see the inside of the ministry of magic and we learn that there are some similarities between the magic and muggle worlds; wizard hospitals still smell funny and strangely enough wizard doctors (healers) also wear green! Lots of new characters are introduced also, including the lively metamorphmagus witch, Tonks, loony Luna Lovegood and several more. A few months ago the words from the fifth book "Ron ... broom ... sacked ... house-elf ... new ... teacher ... dies ... sorry" were auctioned off by J.K Rowling for charity. It turns out that these words all have significance to the plot and were all carefully chosen so if you haven’t read it yet, try to work out how they could work in to the plot before you start. And, well as for who dies, it broke my heart to see such an important character die, but you’re going to have to read it to find out who it is.

 

A quick trick book stack in Castle Books

Remember the last time we reviewed a Harry Potter Book - HP and the Goblet of Fire?

Don't forget Peter Jordan's photos from outside and inside Castle Books as the fans queued up to purchase HP-OOTP on Friday night Saturday Morning last!