Harry Potter and Order of the Pheonix by J. K. Rowling

The plot has thickened, and Harry has a ton more responsibility in and at the end of this book. I liked that we got to see Ron get some special treatment (thought I wish he would have used his power a little more), and Hermione grew a bit too. I also appreciated the new dimension and growth given to some of the supporting characters.

But, parts of Harry bugs me. Sure, he is only 15, and sure he has some right to be upset, but it seems to me he overreacts quite a bit. Maybe its because I'm so much older than he is (okay, less than 5 years older, but still. Thats a lot of time), and things that are a big deal to him aren't a big deal to me. Maybe its because I've never experienced anything like what he went through in this book that I don't understand. Either way, Harry seems to have some anger management issues.

Also. Some of the characters discussed a bit about how he likes to be the hero. At first, I didn't agree with them. I thought it was a good quality  to want to save endangered lives. And its not like he looked for these opportunities. But although I disagree with them about that, I see a different flaw. I don't think its bad that he wants to keep what is left of his family and friends, but he keeps trying to do it alone or nearly alone. He doesn't do this solely because he thinks they wont really be any help, but because he doesn't think he needs the extra help. And thats a problem. He gets so cuaght up in wantig to save lives, he doesn't stop to consider his plans, or anything for that matter. He just rushes into things feet and wand first, mind last.

And its never good to leave your mind behind.

In the next few books, I hope for some growth. I hope Harry learns to control his emotions, and think before he acts. I hope Hermione figures out how to use her knowledge and recall abilities to fight Lord V. , and how to properly use her influence. And I hope Ron learns to stand up, make his oppinion known, and to stand up for it.

As a side note, I'd love to hear what you, my readers, think about the treatment of house elves to this point.