Author: J.K. Rowling
Publisher: Pottermore
Narrator: Jim Dale
Publication Date: December 2015
Genre: Children’s Literature / Fantasy / Teen-Young Adult
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school...
My Thoughts: The third installment of the much beloved Harry Potter series has been my favorite from the beginning and continues to be. With the Prisoner of Azkaban, the reader is given a glimpse of the dark direction this series will take, but this book still manages to be a lot of fun. From Harry’s reckless lashing out at Aunt Marge to his crazy ride on the Knight Bus, from Harry’s first encounter with the dementors on the Hogwarts Express (not fun at all) to obtaining the Marauders Map, from meeting Buckbeak, or battling boggarts that look like Professor Snape to conjuring a Patronus charm to ward off dementors and finally learning that everything is not as it seems may make your average thirteen-year-old more confused than ever, but not Harry. I love how Harry, Ron and Hermione seem to take it all in stride and just get on with it.
Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are two of my favorite characters in this series. Finally, Harry meets people who actually knew and were friends of his parents. I don’t count Dumbledore, I guess because he’s a given and he’s not of their generation. Professor Snape knew Harry’s parents and his revulsion towards Harry and James Potter are all too apparent so meeting Professor Lupin and Sirius Black and learning of their connection to James and Lily make it all the better.
I very much enjoyed the brewing conflict between Ron and Hermione regarding Crookshanks and Scabbers. Hermione has bitten off more than she can chew, it seems, with her extra full class load and seems to be barely managing it so she isn’t her usual analytical self. Of course, knowing already how these two end up by the end of the series doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of watching these characters grow and develop.
My Final Verdict: Overall, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban provides countless hours of reading entertainment. Numerous intense and suspenseful scenes where long hidden secrets and truths are revealed to the amazement of the reader. When the story comes full circle and the last page is turned, I was left with a feeling of euphoria and a rush of adrenaline, akin to an exciting ride on a fast-moving roller coaster. I wish I could pick one favorite moment from the book, but I fear I would do the story a great injustice if I tried. Due to the brilliant narration by Jim Dale in this audio version, I was pulled into this story immediately, my sense of excitement and anticipation growing as I listened. I love each story in this series, but this one holds a very special place in my heart.
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