Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J. K. Rowling
★ Most-read book of 2003 · #1 on Best Books of 2003
After the Dementors attack his cousin Dudley, Harry knows he is about to become Voldemort's next target. While many deny the Dark Lord's return, a secret order gathers at Grimmauld Place to fight the dark forces.
Best for: Harry Potter readers following the series.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is #1 on BookWard's Best Books of 2003, out of 52 2003 books that cleared our data bar.
What Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is about
In the fifth and longest Harry Potter novel, Harry returns to Hogwarts to find that much of the wizarding world would rather not believe him. The Ministry of Magic, under Cornelius Fudge, runs a smear campaign insisting that Harry and Dumbledore are lying about Voldemort's return. At school, Dolores Umbridge becomes Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and forbids students from practising defensive spells. So Harry, Ron and Hermione form Dumbledore's Army and meet in the Room of Requirement to learn for themselves. Meanwhile a secret group called the Order of the Phoenix, based at 12 Grimmauld Place, quietly prepares to fight Voldemort, and Snape is ordered to teach Harry Occlumency.
Darker and angrier than the books before it, it deals with authority that denies the truth, resistance, friendship and loyalty, loss and grief, and the weight of prophecy. Published in June 2003, it sold five million copies in its first 24 hours. It is best read after the earlier books in the series.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Best Books of 2003
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix came out in 2003. Of the 52 books first published in 2003 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #1 on our Best Books of 2003 list.
Why it made the list: 4,622 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (320 ratings); 293 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Most-read of 2003 and being read right now.
Nearby on the 2003 list
- Into the Wild Erin Hunter, #2
- The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini, #3
See all Best Books of 2003 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2002 Best Books of 2004.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 3,634 want to read it, 293 are reading it now and 695 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.2 out of 5 from 320 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 100 | 55% |
| Reader love | 88 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 100 | 20% |
Questions about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
When was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix published?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling was first published in 2003.
Was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix one of the best books of 2003?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is #1 on BookWard's Best Books of 2003, out of 52 2003 books that cleared our data bar. 4,622 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (320 ratings); 293 are reading it right now.
Why is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the Best Books of 2003 list?
4,622 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.2 out of 5 (320 ratings); 293 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2003
- Into the Wild Erin Hunter, #2
- The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini, #3
- Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Mo Willems, #4
- A Short History of Nearly Everything Bill Bryson, #5
- The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown, #6
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon, #7
See the full Best Books of 2003, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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