Rowling, Rowling, Rowling, Keep those books a-rollin'

As Gorilla Girl mentioned below, the new Harry Potter book is a delight. So I thought I'd rank all 6 books from my own point of view. (WARNING: Spoiler alerts for books 1-5; I won't give anything away for book 6.)

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4). My all-time favorite HP book, I think GoF really showed a leap forward. The kids are 14 years old, so they're starting to act like any teenager would. We get to meet fellow students from other wizarding schools. And the tasks of the Triwizard Tournament give us non-stop action. Throw in the return of Voldemort and Harry facing him once more, plus Harry having to deal with the death of Cedric, and the book really has a powerful punch. And oh yeah -- is there anything more cool than the Quidditch World Cup?
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6). The latest installment is a close 2nd to GoF. HBP really pushes along the story, and makes it main purpose to set up the final installment in Book 7. But what a set up it gives us. Plus, plenty of snogging going on in this one.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3). The best part of PoA, I think, is that Harry finally learns a lot about his parents and his family. But it also has the great mystery of where is Sirius Black (and what is he up to), as well as an ingenious time-travel plot device that really ticks along. I also like the fact that Harry doesn't have to face Voldemort for once, which is a nice break.
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1). The first foray into the world of HP, where everything is new and fresh, and seeing the wizarding world thru Harry's eyes opens ours to amazing things. The first tome is too short to be ranked higher, plus it truly is a children's book, so it reads a bit simple at times. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5). I was actually a bit disappointed with OotP, mostly because I had such high expectations. Harry is a real prat in this book, as I guess many 15 year olds would be, as many don't believe his story about Voldemort coming back. Harry's bitterness made me bitter, as there wasn't much happiness in this book at all, all the way to the final fight where Sirius, the only "family" Harry has left that he likes, dies. I know it's dark days in the wizarding world, but a little light-heartedness never hurt anyone!
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2). While I have this one last, it doesn't mean I didn't love this book. I did, but it just doesn't live up to the rest of the oeuvre. (And yes, I had to spell check to make sure I got that word right.) The beginning of CoS feels like it's too much of the same formula as SS, and the plot device of Tom Riddle's diary really doesn't feel like it's there for any reason at all. (That is, until you read HBP. But I digress.)

For any of you Potter Buffs out there, the absolute BEST resource for all things HP is The Leaky Cauldron. Check out the link to the HP Lexicon, which has details on all characters, places, spells, etc. from not only ALL the HP books, but also any periphial books about HP (such as Quidditch Through the Ages), AND all the Wizard Cards that have been distributed. From Severus Snape to Phyllida Spore, from Queerditch Marsh to Number 12 Grimmauld Place -- if it has a HP connection, it's in the Lexicon.