Summary from GoodReads:

There is a door at the end of a silent corridor, and it’s haunting Harry Potter’s dreams. Why else would he be waking in the middle of the night, screaming in terror?

Here are just a few of the things on Harry’s mind:

• A Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a personality like poisoned honey
• A venomous, disgruntled house-elf
• Ron as Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team
• The looming terror of the end-of-term Ordinary Wizarding Level exams

. . . and of course, the growing threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

In the richest installment yet of J.K. Rowling’s seven-part story, Harry Potter is faced with 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), he 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.

Book & Movie Review:

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix things start to get a bit.. well.. hairy.  Dumbledore and Harry are being discredited, mocked and watched and things at Hogwarts are making those first few years, basilisks, creepy two-faced men and all look, well, downright cheerful.

And all of this, in due part, to the introduction of a woman named Dolores Umbridge.

First, before I talk about the oh-so-sweet-want-to-kill-her-Dolores, let me just talk about how well Rowling managed to get across the frustration of Harry.  Like Harry, while reading the opening of this book, we don’t know.. well, anything.  What has Lord Voldemort been doing? What are Ron and Hermione hiding? What is going on!?

And then there’s the notice of being expelled.  Argh!

So, Dolores Umbridge.  Honestly, I think this was one of the most well-cast parts in the movies.  The woman chosen to play Umbridge made the hairs on the back of my neck rise up and I have never felt the desire to wring someones neck that much.  While the movie cast her so well, however, it did a great injustice to the fantastic Weasley twins.  Because, frankly, they shine in the book beyond measure.  The swamp, the tricks, the shop idea, their backing up of Harry (and by the way, what’s with not even mentioning Quidditch or the teams disbanding.  After so many movies do they just think we’ve forgotten all about it?)  Fred and George are not given their credit in the movie, nor is (again) Dobby, the elf who found the Room of Requirement, not Neville (who I like, but still.. it was Dobby!)

I really love the book – but the movie is a bit mediocre to me.  Aside from Umbridge and the final battle scene, I find that it did an injustice to many of the more notable parts of the books (don’t even get me started on Tonks).  I hope that they do a better job when it comes to the second half of Book 7.