The Seven Harry Potter Novels Ranked
Note: I have ranked the books in a similar order to how they come in the series, so it may seem like I am simply ordering the books chronologically. However, the number before the book title indicates the place the book holds (the lower the number, the better the book). Also, even though the images are all from the films, the material in the books are being ranked.
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Originally published in 2003, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth novel of the magical Harry Potter series and was written by J.K. Rowling. This novel centers around Harry, Ron and Hermione’s fifth year of school at Hogwarts. It begins when Harry and his cousin Dudley are attacked by dementors in the Muggle town of Little Whinging and Harry must use magic to fend them off, so Harry attends his hearing so as to not be expelled from Hogwarts. Later, Harry is taken to 12 Grimmauld Place, his godfather Sirius Black’s house and headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization led by Dumbledore to fight Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The trio, along with Ginny, Fred and George Weasley, learn that Voldemort is looking for something he did not have before. Afterward, since Dumbledore speaks at Harry’s hearing, he is allowed to return to Hogwarts.
At Hogwarts, ministry employee Dolores Umbridge, who refuses to teach the children what they should know in order to defend themselves, becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and punishes Harry for questioning her teaching. This prompts the trio to form their own defense group along with other students called Dumbledore’s Army in which Harry teaches them defensive spells to be used against the Dark Arts (specifically Voldemort and the Death Eaters). Additionally, Harry begins Occlumency lessons with Snape to stop Voldemort from invading his mind (Legilimency), but he is not able to learn much. Umbridge is told by a student about Dumbledore’s Army, but Dumbledore takes responsibility for it to prevent Harry from being expelled, claiming that he had asked the students to form the group, and leaves Hogwarts. As a result, Umbridge becomes headmistress and takes control of the school. On his last Ordinary Wizarding Level exam, Harry has a vision of Sirius being tortured by Voldemort in the Ministry’s Department of Mysteries. After misleading Umbridge, who caught Harry sneaking away, the trio, along with Luna, Neville and Ginny travel to the Department of Mysteries to rescue him, despite Hermione believing it was a trap. Once they arrive, the children are surrounded by Death Eaters. Will Harry and his friends be able to defeat the Death Eaters and rescue Sirius, or was it just a trap all along?
This exciting, suspenseful novel makes a sensational fifth book to the series, though it does not have as much adventure of mystery as the books that came before it, though there is a lot of character development. It is also the longest book in the series, and is much slower and denser than the previous novels. However, it still has some action-packed parts, especially the electrifying battle between the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the seventh novel of the praiseworthy Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling. It centers mainly around the war against Lord Voldemort, though Harry, Hermione and Ron do not come to Hogwarts for a large part of the book. It begins as the Order of the Phoenix (by using the Polyjuice Potion and pretending to be Harry) takes Harry to the Burrow, but the group is ambushed by Death Eaters just as they had feared, which results in the deaths of Hedwig and Alastor Moody. As the trio continues to hunt down the four Horcruxes, they each receive gifts from Dumbledore (Hermione gets a book called The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Ron receives a Deluminator and Harry receives the sword of Gryffindor, though the Ministry prevents him from having it, and the first Golden Snitch he caught).
Afterward, they are invited to Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour’s wedding, but the guests are attacked by Death Eaters, so Harry, Ron and Hermione Apparate away and flee to 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry realizes Regulus Arcturus Black (Sirius’s brother) had stolen the locket Horcrux, so the trio retrieves it from Dolores Umbridge in the Ministry, though Ron is injured and they have to Apparate to the wilderness. They take turns wearing the locket, however, one day, Ron wears it for too long, which makes him incredibly upset, since the locket has a negative influence on those who wear it. Ron, after arguing with the two, leaves. Harry and Hermione travel to Godric’s Hollow to find a Horcrux, but while visiting Bathilda Bagshot, who they realize is Nagini, Harry’s wand breaks. Later, a doe Patronus guides Harry to a river which contains the Sword of Gryffindor, so Harry retrieves it. Ron, who had returned and cast the Patronus, destroys the locket with the sword and explains he had found his way back with the Deluminator, and felt bad for leaving. Hermione, however, becomes incredibly upset since she has not forgiven him, though the two eventually become friends again.
The trio visits Xenophilius Lovegood, on whom they had seen a symbol that was written in The Tales of Beedle the Bard; he informs them that the stick on the inside of the symbol is the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand there is, the circle surrounding it is the Resurrection Stone used for bringing people back to life, and the triangle on the outside is the Invisibility Cloak, and these symbols are a part of a story called ‘The Tale of Three Brothers’ in the book. The trio soon realizes that Luna has been kidnapped and will only be given back to Xenophilius when he gives the Death Eaters Harry. The three escape as Harry realizes Voldemort is looking for the Elder Wand, but are later kidnapped and taken to Malfoy Manor, where Hermione is tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange, though they escape. Afterward, the trio breaks into Bellatrix’s vault in search of another Horcrux, but Griphook, the goblin who they are taking help from, steals the Sword of Gryffindor. The trio goes to Hogwarts, entering the school with Aberforth Dumbledore’s assistance. Voldemort becomes aware of where Harry is, and attacks Hogwarts, but the teachers and students defend the school. As the Battle of Hogwarts is approaching, Harry, Ron and Hermione must find and destroy the rest of the Horcruxes in order to kill Voldemort before it’s too late, but will Harry survive in the battle against him?
This fast-paced, exhilarating novel with a marvelous plot makes a great end to the series. It does a brilliant job tying up the series’ loose ends, and giving most characters the proper ending that they deserve. However, some parts in the beginning of the book may be too dry and uneventful for younger readers, as in earlier stages of the book, when the trio is hunting for the first few Horcruxes, the book does not move quickly. Despite this, the other parts of the book, especially the electrifying ending are exactly the opposite. All in all, this novel has a satisfactory combination of suspense, drama, humor and action, and is sure to please fans of the series.
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Originally published in the year 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book of the commendable Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling, which centers around Harry’s fourth year of school. The novel begins as Harry and Hermione are asked to go to the Quidditch World Cup (Ireland versus Bulgaria) with the Weasley family, in which Ireland wins, even though Ron and the Weasleys believe that Bulgaria’s seeker Viktor Krum is the world’s best Seeker. After the match, Arthur Weasley informs them that they had to leave immediately, as Death Eaters had arrived and cast the Dark Mark over the campsite. Later, once Harry, Ron and Hermione are at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore announces that the Triwizard Tournament (a dangerous, often deadly competition in which one champion is selected from three schools to participate in a series of challenges) will take place at Hogwarts that year, but only students seventeen and older may participate due to its extreme danger.
Along with Hogwarts, champions from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be participating. Those who wished to participate placed their names in the Goblet of Fire (a magical goblet that selected three champions) and on Halloween, it selects Cedric Diggory (Hogwarts), Fleur Delacour (Beauxbatons) and Viktor Krum (Durmstrang). However, afterward, it selects a fourth name: Harry’s, much to everyone’s surprise, as he did not place his name there. After deliberating, the teachers of the schools decide that Harry, despite being underage and a fourth champion, must participate as he was chosen by the goblet. However, many of Harry’s classmates, including Ron, do not believe that he did not put his name in the goblet.
Later, Hagrid shows Harry that the first task is dragons, and Alastor Moody, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, tells him he should use his broomstick to get past the dragon. During the challenge, he succeeds in using a Summoning Charm to get his broomstick and soar past the dragon to retrieve a golden egg, though the task was incredibly dangerous, as the dragon breathed fire. This makes Ron believe Harry would not put his name in the goblet, once realizes it was dangerous. Harry also succeeds with second place in the second task because of Neville Longbottom, who suggests he uses gillyweed which places him at a high position among the four champions. The final task is a maze, and at the center is the Triwizard Cup. He starts the maze, and, after facing many impediments, he catches sight of the cup. However, Cedric is also nearby, so the two decide to touch it together. However, it is a Portkey, and they are taken to Death Eaters who are reviving Lord Voldemort, and Cedric is immediately killed. Harry must face a newly revived Voldemort and defeat him, escape, and use the Portkey if he wants to make it back to Hogwarts alive.
This exciting, magical novel with a startling plot makes a sensational fourth book to the series, though there is not as much adventure for the main trio as in the books that came before it. In addition, the novel follows a slightly different plot and has different content as characters grow older, the story progresses, and Lord Voldemort returns. Despite this, the novel is enthralling and filled with dragons of all shapes and sizes.
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the sixth installment of the renowned Harry Potter series and was originally published in 2005. In this novel, Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their sixth year of school. After their O.W.L. exams, they begin N.E.W.T. courses, which are much more advanced. Because Dumbledore had finally let Snape become Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Horace Slughorn, a former teacher at Hogwarts, is asked to teach Potions. As Harry and Ron originally were not aware they could take the N.E.W.T. Potions course, once they arrive, Slughorn asks them to take used books from the cupboard, and Harry receives one which belongs to the Half-Blood Prince, which is filled with helpful tips and notes. This makes Harry excel in Potions and Slughorn becomes fond of him, and in the first lesson, as a reward for brewing the best Draught of Living Death, Harry receives a potion called Felix Felicis (“liquid luck”).
Harry begins to believe that Draco Malfoy, his Slytherin classmate, is a Death Eater. Dumbledore starts private lessons with Harry in which they try to explore Tom Riddle’s youth and how he grew to be Lord Voldemort by examining memories, and, from one of Professor Slughorn’s memories, they try to learn about Horcruxes (parts of a person’s soul, which if, destroyed, make the person mortal). Near the end of the year, Dumbledore and Harry journey to a cave to retrieve Slytherin’s locket, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes, which they find in a basin filled with a potion. Dumbledore attempts to drink the Potion in order to find the Horcrux, but it weakens him. Dumbledore and Harry go back to Hogwarts, but Draco Malfoy finds them and tells them that his mission was to kill Dumbledore, and that he has let Death Eaters inside the school with the Vanishing Cabinet, confirming Harry’s suspicions. Snape arrives, and much to Harry’s surprise, kills Dumbledore. Harry goes after Snape and the Death Eaters, and in the process, the identity of the Half-Blood Prince is revealed to him. Later, Harry realizes to save the Wizarding World, he must find and destroy all of the Horcruxes before he can defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all.
Despite being much more complicated than most books in the series, this novel centers around a mysterious adventure for Harry to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s past and ultimately, find the only way to destroy him. As the characters are getting older, the novel also contains some different content than the earlier installments, though it definitely builds up reader’s excitement for the seventh and final novel of the series.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third novel of the esteemed Harry Potter series written by J.K. Rowling, originally published in the year 1999. This novel is about Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from the wizard prison Azkaban who is rumored to be out to find Harry Potter and kill him. He is also rumored to have assisted Lord Voldemort in killing Harry’s parents. Harry is warned by multiple people to not try to go after Black, but Harry is initially confused as to why he would go after someone who was trying to kill him. Harry, Ron and Hermione begin their third year at Hogwarts, although dementors (creatures who protect Azkaban) are sent to protect the school from Sirius Black.
Additionally, third-years are also allowed to visit the magical village, Hogsmeade, but Harry must use the magical Marauder’s Map and the Invisibility Cloak to sneak in as he does not have a permission slip signed. Once, when concealed behind the cloak in Hogsmeade, Harry overhears Professor McGonagall say that Black, who was actually James Potter’s (Harry’s father) best friend and is Harry’s godfather. When visiting the groundskeeper Hagrid’s hut, the trio find Ron’s missing rat Scabbers, but when Ron attempts to get him back, he scurries away. This leads to a chase as Ron tries to catch his pet, but then a large black dog that Harry had seen earlier in the year drags Ron by the leg, and they realize the dog is Sirius Black in animal form.
Enraged about what he thinks is true, Harry attempts to kill Black, but fails. The three soon find that Sirius Black and Professor Lupin (the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher) are friends, and explain that it was Peter Pettigrew (James, Lupin, and Black’s friend) who betrayed the Potters, not Black himself. While trying to rescue Black and catch Pettigrew, Harry and Hermione are attacked by dementors at a lake, but are saved by a Patronus charm on the opposite side. Once they are awoken in the hospital wing, they realize that Black has been caught and will have his soul sucked out by the dementors. Dumbledore, who is the only person who believes Harry and Hermione then give them an indication of what to do. Hermione soon realizes Dumbledore wants them to go back in time with Hermione’s Time-Turner which she secretly used, unbeknownst to all other students, to attend more classes. Soon, Harry and Hermione must go back in time, retrace their steps, discover who casted the Patronus Charm, and save Harry’s godfather.
Though slightly darker and more complex than the books that came before it, this novel provides a thrilling adventure for Harry, Ron and Hermione and also provides a chance to understand more about what happened the night Harry’s parents were killed. As it is filled with shocking and exciting moments, this book definitely lives up to reader’s expectations for the third installment of the Harry Potter series.
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second installment of the beloved Harry Potter book series written by J.K. Rowling and was published in 1998. In this novel, a twelve-year-old Harry Potter is told not to return to Hogwarts by a house elf named Dobby for if he does, he will be in great danger. However, Harry defies this and returns to Hogwarts anyway. Soon, he realizes that Dobby’s speculations were in fact correct, because soon all of the Muggle-born students (born from non-magical parents) are Petrified and threatening messages from the Heir of Slytherin are written in blood on the walls. Harry’s classmates soon realize he can speak to snakes, which make them start to believe that he is the Heir of Slytherin, and is opening the Chamber of Secrets, rumored to be an underground chamber in Hogwarts which Salazar Slytherin (a founder of Hogwarts) created. Harry, Ron and Hermione try to find out more about the Chamber of Secrets and create theories about the possible identities of the Heir of Slytherin, however, before long, Hermione is found Petrified in the library. So, it’s up to Harry and Ron to find the Chamber of Secrets, uncover the Heir of Slytherin, destroy the beast that is kept within it, and save Ginny Weasley, a student who is said to have been dragged into the chamber itself.
This brilliant, rich, promising installment of the series makes a great second year for Harry Potter and his friends. Filled with plenty of twists and turns and suspenseful moments, this book will surprise and excite fans more than most other books of the series.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, published in 1997, is the first book of the prominent Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling, in which an eleven-year-old Harry Potter discovers he is a wizard. The story centers around Harry’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry meets and becomes friends with Ronald Weasley and eventually Hermione Granger. He then discovers a three-headed dog on the third-floor corridor, and finds out that the sorcerer’s stone was hidden by the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, under a trapdoor. Harry, Hermione, and Ron attempt to find out more about the stone, until they deduce that Professor Snape is after it because it contained the elixir of life which he could then use to revive Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who killed Harry’s parents. However, Voldemort’s body was destroyed because his curse rebounded off on him when he tried to kill Harry himself, which left Harry with only a scar. Because Harry, Hermione and Ron believed that Professor Snape wanted the stone, they then try to stop him by going back to the third-floor corridor to save it, but first they have to pass a series of difficult obstacles, including an enchanted chess board and a magical plant called the Devil’s Snare, and ultimately, Harry must face Lord Voldemort himself.
In this novel, scores of wonderful characters are introduced, and there is plenty of humor as well as exciting parts of the book for intent readers. It is also much easier to understand for readers who read the series when they were much younger. This part of the series is incredibly action-packed and adventurous with a simpler yet engaging plot compared to other books, and it makes a marvelous start to the prosperous series.
