"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling
It's been another long, hot summer at the Dursleys' for Harry Potter. Having spent most of it in an adolescent "funk" of depression and bitterness over his friends' lack of informative letters about Voldemort's return, he's suddenly jolted out of his bad mood when two Dementors show up in Little Whinging and attack him and his cousin, Dudley. When Harry uses magic to drive them off, however, he quickly receives a succession of owls from the Ministry, requiring him to attend a disciplinary hearing. His heart sinks when he reads that his expulsion from Hogwarts will be decided then.
When Harry finally manages to make it back to school, he finds his long awaited return jarringly different than usual. Hagrid's missing, there are now skeletal horses pulling the school carriages that only he can see, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is none other than toad like, repulsive Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry Representative whom Harry is all too familiar with.
Even worse is the constant mutterings of the other students. Having spent all summer discrediting both Harry and Dumbledore, the Ministry has succeeded into convincing everyone they're both crazy and that Voldemort's return is nothing but a figment of their imagination.
With only Ron and Hermione standing by his side, Harry is hard-pressed to stay in a good mood and often lashes out at the ones he is closest to. His defiant behavior lands him in detention for weeks at a time with Umbridge, who soon rises to the status of Hogwarts High Inquisitor and revels in sacking teachers and keeping the entire school under the control of her stubby, ugly-ringed fingers.
As the school year progresses Harry and Umbridge frequently lock horns, and she retaliates by taking away everything he cares about: Quidditch, letters from Sirius, and visits with Hagrid. So Harry fights back the only way he can, by forming a secret Defense group and teaching his friends how to fight properly.
In spite of the frantic workload of O.W.L. year, the tyranny of Umbridge, and an unbearable crush on Ravenclaw Seeker Cho Chang, Harry keeps having tantalizing dreams of dark corridors and locked doors that are distracting at best. His scar prickles constantly and he soon finds he's turned into a tiny antenna for Voldemort's mood swings, which certainly doesn't help his own temper.
Things take a disastrous turn when Dolores Umbridge finds out about Harry's secret Defense group. Harry is thrown into a world of guilt when Dumbledore, protecting Harry, claims credit for the group and has to flee the school in order to escape arrest.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ends with an epic battle of good and evil, resulting in a devastating loss to Harry and the full revelation that his destiny lies intertwined with none other than Voldemort himself. He finds out what true loyalty is, and how to stand strong in the face of ultimate sacrifice.
Again, Harry Potter is a fantastic book series, and even though this book is long, it really is amazing.
=)
Ooh this is a really good contender and what I totally would have chosen... What other long books have we read? The only other one I can think of is Little Women, but I'm sure there was something else...?
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