by J. K. Rowling, 870 pages
Voldemort's back, but the Ministry of Magic is denying his return. The Daily Prophet (with a little nudging from the Ministry) is saying that Dumbledore is going senile and Harry is an attention-seeking delinquent. The Order of the Phoenix has vowed to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Harry has been trapped at the Dursley's all summer with no word of what's really going on in the wizarding world. Harry's first contact is not with friends, but with a couple of dementors who show up and attack him and his cousin, Dudley. Suddenly, Harry is facing expulsion from school and his arrival at Order headquarters isn't enough to squelch the anxious rage that's been building all summer.
I always dread the fifth book a bit when I hit this point in the series. Rowling does almost too good a job of creating a series of dreadful occurrences that make this, in my opinion, the darkest book of the series. Harry is angry and a little petulant as befits a fifteen-year-old. Fudge is frustrating, and Umbridge is absolutely revolting. I appreciate those moments of revolution and rebellious humor- the Weasley twins are my heroes in this one!
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