Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Reader reviewed by walkinonsunshine

This, in my opinion, is the best Harry Potter book. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but it just felt different (in a good, unique way) than the other books. Maybe it was because it was the first time we really learn anything about Harry's parents, or the ironic ending. I was riveted the entire book-- I couldn't put it down for days! Love, love, love this book!

Reader reviewed by tiff

this is a exciting book with the aperience of his godfather seres black. Rowling's third book opens with Harry Potter enduring another summer at the Dursleys', which is broken only by a news report about an escaped convict, Sirius Black, and a visit from Vernon's sister, Marge. When Marge viciously insults Harry's family, he loses his temper and inflates her, causing her to float away. Furious and distressed, Harry decides to run away. After a bad scare, when Harry believes he sees a black dog staring at him from a clump of bushes, the Knight Bus appears and takes him to the Leaky Cauldron. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge is waiting for Harry at the door of the Leaky Cauldron, much to everyone's surprise. Harry is certain Fudge will expel him from Hogwarts for using under-age magic, but, surprisingly, the matter is dropped. While staying at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry overhears Mr and Mrs Weasley arguing over whether he should or should not be warned about Black, because they believe that Black escaped from prison with the intent to kill Harry.

Black is still at large, and so Dementors patrol the school. Dementors drain happiness from anyone nearby, and Harry is particularly affected; he faints during a Quidditch match when they approach him and falls from his broomstick, which flies into the Whomping Willow's reach. Professor Lupin teaches him the Patronus charm to repel Dementors, should they attack him again.

Tension grows between Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley because Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, continually torments Ron's rat, Scabbers. At Christmas, Harry receives a superb Firebolt broomstick, and Hermione suspects Black is the anonymous donor. She reports it to Professor Minerva McGonagall, who confiscates the broom for testing. Harry and Ron are infuriated with Hermione at such a marvellous broom being stripped down. When the broom is returned some weeks later, the two boys try to make up with Hermione, but it goes wrong when Ron discovers Scabbers is missing; Ron blames Crookshanks. Hermione's heavy workload, meanwhile, begins to take its toll on her; she accidentally misses a Charms class and drops out of the Divination class altogether.
The US cover for the book.

After Harry completes his Divination Exam, Professor Trelawney enters a trance and predicts that the Dark Lord's servant will return to him that night. Harry and Ron finally make peace with Hermione, but the trio soon learn that Buckbeak will be executed. When they visit Hagrid to console him, Scabbers appears, bites Ron, and Ron chases him to the Whomping Willow. A large dog attacks Ron and drags him and Scabbers into a hole at the tree's base. Harry and Hermione follow, finding a tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. Inside, Harry confronts Sirius Black, who- as an unregistered, and therefore illegal- Animagus, can transform into an animal at will. Lupin, who spotted the group on the Marauder's Map, suddenly bursts in and embraces his old friend Black. Confronted by Hermione, Lupin admits to being a werewolf and the Map's creator, along with Black, Pettigrew, and James Potter, the latter two also being illegal Animagi (a rat and a stag, respectively). Lupin and Black explain that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form. He is Voldemort's servant, and he betrayed the Potters, framing Black for the crimes. He was the man that Black was sent to jail for murdering. Harry is sceptical until Black and Lupin force Pettigrew back into his human form. Black explains he discovered that Pettigrew was still alive and escaped Azkaban to seek revenge. Harry stops Black and Lupin from murdering Pettigrew, believing that his father, James, would not have wanted his two best friends to become killers. Snape then enters and tries to capture Black but is blasted into unconsiousness by three simultainious disarming charms from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Lupin explains that Black was not the Secret Keeper. The Secret Keeper was actually Pettigrew who was able to convince people that Black was the traitor. It is also explained that the four friends, James, Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew, developed the Marauder's Map as a way to sneak out of the castle on nights when there was a full moon. They each transformed into an animal as a way to be with Lupin while he was a werewolf and would spend their time in the Whomping Willow/Shrieking Shack, thus also explaining the Shack's reputation.

Hermione reveals to Harry that she was entrusted with a time-travelling device called a Time-Turner, which is how she was able to attend simultaneous classes. Prompted by Dumbledore, she and Harry travel three hours into the past, watching themselves go through the night's previous events. They set Buckbeak free and return to the Whomping Willow. As the Dementors are about to attack the "other" Harry and Black, Harry realizes that the mysterious figure he saw earlier was actually himself. Armed with the new memory of his talk with Black, he casts the powerful Patronus that repels the Dementors. Harry and Hermione free Black, who escapes on Buckbeak as the two return to Dumbledore and resume their normal timeline.

Remus Lupin resigns as an angry Severus Snape, who has a childhood grudge against the Marauders, tells the whole of Slytherin House that Lupin is a werewolf. After Harry says good-bye to Lupin, Dumbledore tells Harry that Pettigrew is now in his debt, a fact for which he may one day be grateful. He also tells Harry that "all four Marauders were on school grounds tonight" and says that James Potter lives in Harry.

Pre-release history

Of the first three books in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban took the shortest amount of time to write - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone took five years to complete and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets needed two years, while Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was written in one year. Rowling's favourite aspect of this book was introducing the character Remus Lupin.

Reader reviewed by 3holidaybabies

Voldie dosen't bother Harry in his 3rd year...but that dosen't mean Harry's safe! There is an escape from the wizard prison & for some reason the escaped prisoner seems to be bent on getting Harry! The adventure continues in this 3rd installment. You won't be bored or disappointed!

Reader reviewed by Matt Hill

Watch out London, Here he comes! Harry and his friends are on their way back to Hogwarts for their third year, heavy with the news that Sirius Black is on the loose. Not only that, but he escaped with only one thought in his mind, to find Harry Potter! In this daring novel, you will find dark secrets of Harry's past, secrets of Hogwarts castle, and a struggle for life and death far greater than just Black's doing. Rowling's third installment of the Harry Potter series will keep you guessing right up until the very end!

Reader reviewed by Sinera

harry finds out about a dark wizard (sirius black)who has escaped from askaban and is after Harry and the dementors are searching for sirius black but as harry soon learns that sirius was his fathers best friend and so was peter pettigrew harry also learns that sirius turned his father to lord voldermort. Soon an attack happens and everybody learns it is sirius from ron since he saw this.the dementors also get a bit annoying harry runs twice into a dementor the third time he meets sirius black and figures out that peter pettigrew turned harrys parents to voldermort and sirius was framed. sirius tells harry that he was very close to his father and was assigned to be his god father harry tries to save his god father but the dementors are still after him
i like this book because it makes you feel as if your harry and you are always worryying that sirius is going to kill you any time.

Reader reviewed by Maggie

I think the reason I did not like this book that much was because it was mostly about Harry encountering dementors. The two books before it had suspense between Harry and Lord Voldemort, and this one is all about how he has troubles with dementors. It didn't hold my attention that well. But if you want to read through the whole series you can't skip this book.

Reader reviewed by clarice

In this instalment of the Harry potter series, he finds out that his godfather is a prisoner who has escaped from azkaban. He learns more about his family and his father's past. He finds out who betrayed his father to voldemort and learns that his godfather was wrongly accused.

Reader reviewed by Jen

It's always a pleasure reading a Harry Potter novel and this book was nothing short of that. Action-packed and full of emotion this book is the perfect 3rd installment of J.K. Rownling's Harry Potter series. If you liked the movie, read this novel and realize how much better it is than that film. You'll feel like you're a VIP rather than a regular.

Reader reviewed by Zac

In this chapter of Harry Potter's school days, there are many new adventures to be ventured. Time seems to twist and conform to the schedules of certain students. And there are many new, shocking things to be learned of the past and what it will bring to the future.

This is a thrilling book that is just as good as the first two!

Reader reviewed by zAcH BuTlEr

I love how this book is made with such a good plot. She really knows how to make these books so real and so good. I was amazed when it turned out that Sirius was acctually the good guy all along. It must feel good to Harry that his pass to hgogsmead is signed.