World just wild about Harry-new book, movie Harrier
by Tamara Collins, Reporter

   At 8.5 million copies, the latest Harry Potter installment, The Order of the Phoenix, boasts the largest first printing in publishing history.
   As well, it's estimated 900 pages makes it the longest children's book and the largest advance sales of all times.
   But wait; the movie is yet to come after the third book, Prisoner of Azkaban, hits theaters June 2004.
   J.K. Rowling is currently writing the next novel; no release date has been given.
   Who knows what publishing records Rowling will break next?
   After the fourth book, which left Harry in a dire situation with the return of Voldemort (The Dark Lord) and the death of his fellow classmate Cedric Diggory, Harry is now faced with not only puberty, but also with knowledge that Voldemort is alive and well.
   The Order of the Phoenix begins at Number Four Privet Drive, where Harry spends his summers with the Dursleys, his aunt and uncle.
   After his last year, he is desperate to find out about Voldemort's reappearance. When no news arrives, he is forced to wait for his term to begin to discover what has happened in the wizard world.
   Many new characters sprout up throughout the book. One, Professor Umbridge, has been sent by the Minister of Magic to keep tabs on the events at Hogwarts. A particularly nasty woman who "has the look of a toad" slowly starts to take over the school, making it the worst year Harry has been through to date.
   All of Harry's regular chums make an appearance, including Ron and Hermione, though times have become tough for the trio. Harry and his friends make wizarding life almost real to the readers. They are the glue that holds this series together.
   Dumbledore is not as visible in this installment as he has been in others, leaving Harry feeling forgotten and unloved by this most trusted adult. Harry is forced to deal with fractures in his relationships between his friends and as always, Snape and the Slytherians, Harry's archrivals.
   After the long wait for the fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix is just what the doctor ordered. Rowling provides a dream world for children and adults alike. Her writing is graphic and colorful, leaving the reader with a sense of longing for the next installment. Harry's world is full of unusual and sometimes evil characters.
   With an excellent message of unity, this book links the reader to the present hostile world environment. We must stand together-that is the mantra for this and most of Rowling's books. With a clever style and huge imagination, it is clear that Rowling has taken over the children's section of the library.