Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

When I first read the Harry Potter series, it’s third installment, the Prisoner of Azkaban, was an instant favorite.

The movie…not so much.

What I really enjoyed about Prisoner of Azkaban is how established the wizarding world had become. By the third book, everyone was familiar with the difference between witches and wizards and Muggles. We had all traveled to Diagon Alley twice before. Quidditch was a sport we all looked forward to. Everything was becoming more familiar, as it was to Harry as well.

Not only that, but the emotional pace of the story was picking up. In the first two books, it was adventurous and everything was still new, full of wonder. By the third book, everything is still full of delight and there are new things to discover. But one of the most important things about Prisoner of Azkaban was the emotion behind it. The ideas of friendship and true loyalty, about love for one’s family can be the most important thing – even when your family is no longer with you.

We learn so much about Harry’s past in this book, through his deep memories when he’s in the presence of the dementors to what he hears about Azkaban escapee Sirius Black. We see how the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione continues to grow, but we also see the characters mature; where they once shared everything, now some of them must keep certain secrets. Not only that, but we also get to see the friendship that still exists between Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter. Even after 13 years and James gone, their friendship still remains strong.

One of the things I really loved about this book was the Marauders. I so wish we could get some kind of novella about the Marauders and their own adventures at Hogwarts.

My rating: 4.75/5