Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, Book 3) (3)

Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the original group of Harry Potter novels, thus it is set in the student's third year at Hogwarts. The book introduces several new characters, including the new defense against the dark arts professor, Professor Lupin, the titular prisoner of Azkaban (which is the wizard prison), Sirius Black, who is out to find Harry, and the Dementors, the guards at Azkaban who are trying to track down Black but also have a huge effect on Harry any time they come near him. This book is significantly longer than the first two, and as such, it has more content cut out for the movie adaptation than the first two books did. For example, the book has two additional Qiddich matches that were not shown in the movie, and there was more to the Buckbeak storyline than was shown in the movie. Also, some events played out differently in the book than they did in the movie, such as when Hermione decks Draco, Harry facing the Boggart for the first time, the circumstances of Harry getting his new broom, and the climax of the book when all is revealed has a lot more detail than was shown in the movie. And, some characters that were introduced in this book did not show up on film until the Goblet of Fire movie. Overall, the book is very well written, and done in a similar (yet a bit darker) tone than the first two. As most know, Rowling anticipated that kids reading the books would age as they were released so she made them darker and more "adult-like" as each book was released. So, there is a lot more talk of death in this one and we learn more details of the night that Harry's parents died than in the first two books. While it is technically a book for kids, in the 10-13-year-old range, adults can easily enjoy it. Even people like me who were older than the target reader group when the books were originally published. I had seen almost all the movies before I ever read the books for the first time and I think I enjoy the books more having already seen the movies. Even though the book is longer than the first two (435 pages), it is still a fairly quick read, depending, of course, how fast you read and how much time you have to read. If you are a fan of the movies or the first two books, it is definitely a must-read.

I’m slowly building my Harry Potter collection, and Prisoner of Azkaban is definitely one of my favorites so far. This edition is absolutely beautiful — I love how each book has its own colored page ends, and this one looks amazing on the shelf. I’m on book four now, and the series just keeps getting better, but Azkaban really stands out. The story is so good, the pacing is great, and it’s one of those books you can read over and over without getting bored. Between the quality of the book itself and the story inside, it’s an easy 5 stars.

Now thirteen, Harry Potter heads into his third year at Hogwarts. Third year is a big step for Harry and friends; they get to choose electives, learn harder magic, and best of all, get to go to Hogsmeade on field trip weekends. As usual though, Harry's horrible Muggle aunt and uncle won't sign his permission form or even acknowledge his wizarding background; they tell people he's been sent to a reform school for dangerous criminal boys. Ha--if they only knew Harry's real school will be more dangerous and exciting than ever this year! J.K. Rowling has, what can I say, outdone herself. Prisoner of Azkaban gets off to a bang of a start, with Harry learning a convicted killer named Sirius Black is after him, having escaped from the notorious Azkaban. To his credit though, Harry isn't about to let a little thing like a serial killer ruin his big third year. He's got plans, such as winning the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor for the first time in years. But J.K. goes beyond the simple "avoid the crazed killer" plot. She adds well-timed and delicious details and subplots, such as Hagrid finally getting to teach Care of Magical Creatures, a secret that could land Hermione in the hospital wing all year (at minimum), and Harry's discovery of the Marauder's Map. Most authors would drop their Quaffles somewhere, but J.K. manages to keep all her plot threads tight and making sense. Harry Potter and friends, as well as some new characters, get some superb development here. As another reviewer noted, the Hogwarts kids are growing up, and it's obvious in the problems they face and how they respond to each other, as well as the people in their lives. Harry faces some traumatic truths about what happened to his mom and dad; Ron continues growing into his place at Hogwarts; and Hermione pulls off one of the most breath-stopping climaxes in the series so far. (I tend to agree with a fan who says every book should be called Harry Potter and the Time Hermione Did Absolutely Everything). Even the bad guys get a little more sympathetic. For example, I still hate Snape, but I had to admit he had a point when he complained about Harry getting special treatment and doing as he pleased. Maybe it's the adult/former teacher/Muggle in me, but I couldn't help feeling Snape got a bad deal--until the end, that is, when he turned right back into a first-class jerk. If I hate Snape, I have to say I love Lupin. He made Defense Against the Dark Arts fascinating for me and his students; I wanted to go to one of his classes. He's the kind of teacher I always wanted to be. I also identified with him based on his secrets and standing as an outcast. There are rumors floating around that J.K. wrote Lupin's affliction to stand in for HIV/AIDS. If she did, that's brilliant--it points us to the stigma faced by people with illnesses and disabilities, and encourages us to treat them with respect in a non-preachy way. Speaking of Lupin, I absolutely loved the subplot with him, his friends, and the Marauder's Map. The scene where the Map insults Snape is downright hilarious. Other favorite parts of note: As a cat-lover, I cheered for Hermione adopting a cat. The subplot with Hagrid and Buckbeak is heartwarming, heartbreaking, and triumphant--not an easy mix to pull off. I'm not into sports, but that Quidditch final had me loathe to put the book away. GO, GRYFFINDORS! And I do wonder what's going to happen between Harry and Cho Chang...kudos for picking a Ravenclaw girl, Harry. We're the best of the lot. :) Read it--you'll love it!

This is my favorite so far. So Good! The first is the great and the second feels rushed. But this one is great! Can’t wait to see what the other books bring

Got this one for my child's mother as well really nice good story

my boy love it

もっと読書をしたいと思わせてくれる、素晴らしい本です。物語も会話の構成も素晴らしく、想像力を豊かに刺激してくれます。子供からティーンエイジャー、そして私のような大人まで、誰にとっても素晴らしい本です。

I love these books 👌 it was an excellent edition

This is the turning-point in the series, I realised, revisiting the new editions years after first reading them when I was the same age as the characters. Book one is a little short and overly compact, a good entry point to the series with less humour, horror and intrigue than the rest. Book two begins to really invest in compelling mystery and character dynamics, and rereads a little better, but is still quite simple and feels a bit malnourished and short. Book three, though, is where it all comes together and Rowling hits her stride. All of the key elements that would make each book after this totally addictive - especially the distinct roles and backstories of supporting characters like Dumbledore, Hagrid and Snape - are finally mixed in good proportion here. It's hysterically funny in places, genuinely dramatic and poignant in others, and for the first time the entire momentum of the plot is pushed forward by character motives and conflicts rather than by a standalone McGuffin like the Philosopher's Stone. Every single chapter is perfectly paced to feed into and develop the central characters and reveals more perspective-changing details about the titular Prisoner of Azkaban and his role in Harry's past. Conservation of detail is king, and every little detail ends up feeding back into the plot somewhere later on, giving many of those satisfying "ahhh!" moments of realisation as we, and the characters, piece together what's going on. If I weren't such a stickler for reading things in order, I'd recommend people this, rather than book one, as the ideal entrypoint into Harry Potter. It isn't simple or underdeveloped like the previous two, nor is it dauntingly large and bloated like the next two. I love them all but this is where the formula felt perfectly balanced for an easy and compelling read.

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