Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Dangerous Times at Hogwarts
Written: Jun 18 '03 (Updated Jul 15 '09)
Product Rating:
Pros: Returning characters. Engrossing plot.
Cons: Some people may think the book is too dark.
The Bottom Line: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was another wonderful book in the Harry Potter series. Fans of the first books should also like this one.
dragonfire88's Full Review: J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of A...
I am really looking forward to getting the new Harry Potter book on June 21, 2003. I reserved a copy months ago. I can’t wait to see what happens to Harry and his friends next. I decided to read the first Harry Potter books again while waiting on the new book. I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published in 1999. The book is available as an audio book and as either a hard or paper back book. I have the paperback. There are small illustrations by Mary Grandpre throughout the book.
Harry Potter was a young wizard. He had been raised by his non magical, muggle relatives, the Dursleys. They hated everything to do with magic and had lied to Harry about his past and what really happened to his parents, James and Lily. They were killed by a powerful dark wizard named Voldemort. Harry survived the attack, and Voldemort lost his powers and disappeared. On his eleventh birthday, Harry learned that he was a wizard. Soon after that, he started to attend Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry became friends with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three were ready to start their third year at Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy, another student, tried to make trouble whenever he could.
Harry was back with the Dursleys for summer vacation. He had to sneak around at night to do his summer assignments. One the night of his thirteenth birthday, some presents arrived by owl from his friends. The next day Harry was upset to learn that Vernon’s sister Marge was coming for a visit. Marge had always hated Harry and treated him badly. Things didn't go well and Harry grabbed up all of his things and left the house. Harry was picked up by the Knight Bus, emergency transport for witches and wizards. The bus took him to Diagon Alley where he got a hotel room for the rest of vacation. Hermione and Ron turned up the day before they had to leave for Hogwarts. They got their new school supplies and Hermione got a cat, Crookshanks, that took and immediate dislike to Ron’s rat Scabbers.
Sirius Black had been a prisoner in the wizard prison Azkaban for twelve years. He’d been convicted of killing thirteen people with one curse. Because of that, he was considered to be the heir to Voldemort. When Voldemort had been defeated, it was Black’s downfall as well. He had connections to James and Lily and what happened to them. Sirius somehow managed to escape Azkaban and there was a manhunt for him. It was believed that Sirius was headed to Hogwarts to get Harry. Azkaban guards, called dementors, were searching for Sirius and they were guarding the entrances to Hogwarts. Dumbledore wasn’t happy about that and he refused to let the dementors onto the school grounds. The Minister of Magic didn’t want Harry to know about Sirius and what was going on, but Harry overheard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking about it.
On the train, Ron, Hermione, and Harry met Professor Lupine, the new defense against the dark arts teacher. They also had their first encounter with a dementor who was searching the train looking for Sirius. Dementors had a strong effect on Harry. Hagrid was teaching a class on the care of magical creatures. The book for the class was very unique. Hagrid had some strange creatures called hippogiffs for the first lesson. Things went all right until Draco insulted Buckbeak, one of the hippogiffs, and he was scratched. The third year students at Hogwarts were able to pick a few new classes to take in addition to their other classes. Ron and Harry were taking care of magical creatures and divination. Hermione was taking those classes plus others. She didn’t do well with divination and she seemed to be keeping something from Harry and Ron. Harry learned more about Sirius, including something that was very upsetting to him. Harry worked with Professor Lupine to learn how to handle the dementors. Harry learned more about his father.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The book was well written and descriptive. The events and characters came to life. The characters really seemed to be real people to me. Unusual events seemed very believable. Once I started reading I couldn’t put the book down. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next to Harry and his friends. The book is considered a child’s book, but it is one that adults can enjoy as well. This is a book that parents can read with their children and not be bored.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was a dark book. Azkaban was mentioned frequently, and it wasn’t a pleasant place. The dementors were discussed several times, and they turned up more than once. They were described as very creepy looking and they sucked all of the happiness out of people they were near. They could also suck the soul from a person with their kiss. The dementors affected Harry strongly. They were scary creatures that could scare children. They gave me the creeps. There was more talk about when Harry’s parents were killed. Sirius had been charged with killing thirteen people with one spell. Details related to the spell were mentioned. Someone broke into Hogwarts and attacked a painting. There was more evidence of violence in this book, though no actual violent events were described as they happened. I think there was more in this book that could scare children. Parents should definitely read the book before letting their children read it. Since different children are scared of different things, parents really need to check out the book and decide for themselves if this is a book for their child.
Magic was important to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Some of the students were taking a class to learn how to take care of magical creatures. Some were also taking a class in divination to learn how to predict the future. The students learned some new spells in defense against the dark arts. There were new magical creatures, like hippogiffs, in the book. Harry and his friends learned about wizards, like Professor McGonagall, who could turn into an animal. That ability played an important role in the book. I really liked that part of the book and thought it was very interesting. I really enjoyed reading about those things. I found these events and the magic fascinating. I’ve always enjoyed reading about magic. I find those things interesting and entertaining. People who don’t like to read about magic shouldn’t read this book.
There was a bit of mystery in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but there wasn’t as much as there was in the first two books. There were some strange things going on at Hogwarts, but it was fairly clear what caused those things. It took Harry and Ron longer to figure out what Hermione was up to and how she was able to keep up with so many classes. The mystery wasn’t that complex in this book. There were several suspenseful moments throughout the book. Many time I had no idea what would happen next. I didn’t think any part of the movie was predictable.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was the third book in a planned seven book series about Harry Potter and is time at Hogwarts. Each book that I have read has had a different main plot, but there have been some continuing sub plots that connect all the books. I think the books should be read in order so the reader can follow the events in the order they happen and see the characters grow and evolve. People could be confused by some things if the books are read out of order. When one of the later books is read first, there will be spoilers for the earlier books.
There have been movies made based on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I have seen both movies and really liked them. I own the DVDs of both now. I think they are making a movie of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban now. I plan to see the third movie once it finally comes out. So far, the books have been better than the movies, but I still want to see a movie version of this book. I can’t wait to see Buckbeak on the big screen. Wizards who could turn themselves into animals were important to what was going on in the book. I am looking forward to seeing more of that too. In the first movie, Professor McGonagall was briefly shown changing from a cat into her human form. I hope more of that is shown in this movie. Snape was in more of the book, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of Alan Rickman in that role. He is wonderful in the part, but he hasn’t had a lot to do in the first two movies. I think this book will make a great movie. There is a different director for the third movie, so I do wonder a bit if he will do as good of a job as Chris Columbus did with the first two. I hope he does. There is so much that would be good in a movie from this book.
So far, each book in the series has gotten longer - some a lot longer - than the book before it. I also think each book gets better than the ones before. Of the first three books, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite. There was more going on. Harry was able to learn some more about his parents, especially his father. Harry also found out that he wasn’t as along as he thought. Some of the other characters became more developed and well rounded, though a few, like Draco, remained somewhat flat. I love all of these books, and since I’ve felt that they have been getting better with each book, I am really looking forward to getting the new book when it comes out. I have high expectations for it. That book has a lot to live up to and I really hope it continues the wonderful story that was started in the first books.
There were many returning characters and some new ones in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry continued to be the most developed character. The other characters don’t seem to be as well rounded as Harry. Professor Snape played a more important role in this book, and a bit more was learned about his past. Professor Lupine, a new character, turned up more often than some of the returning characters. He was fairly well developed for how much he was in the book. He was important to the plot of the book. Voldemort didn’t seem to be as important to the plot of this book, and he was mentioned less. Some characters did think that Voldemort was coming back. The divination teacher got a vision showing Voldemort returning and becoming even more powerful. Some of the returning characters only showed up a few times and they remained flat characters.
CHARACTERS
Harry Potter - Thirteen year old wizard. He lives with the Dursley, his muggle realities when he isn’t at Hogwarts. Harry doesn’t like living with them. He is famous in the wizard world because he survived an attack from Voldemort when he was just a baby. Harry is learning more spells and becoming a better wizard. He is afraid of Voldemort returning, but he refuses to let that fear rule him. He isn’t afraid of saying Voldemort’s name like other people are. Harry is very loyal to his friends and to the parents he never knew.
Ron Weasley - Harry’s best friend. Ron isn’t as brave as Harry, but he helps Harry on his adventures. Ron is a loyal friend. He got upset with Hermione because of things she did and said. He was very attached to his rat Scabbers and was furious that Hermione’s cat kept attacking him. Ron was more of a goof ball than Harry was.
Hermione Granger - She was friends with Ron and Harry. She believed in following the rules, and she did go to Professor McGonagall about something, which caused Ron and Harry to be upset with her. She was known as a know it all since she studied so much and got good grades. She was taking even more new classes than Ron and Harry. She didn’t like divination class and didn’t do well with it. She was keeping something from her friends. She was worried about Harry’s safety.
Hagrid - He was the groundskeeper of Hogwarts. He was the new care of magical creatures teacher. Hagrid was very big, but sweet and kind. He liked some strange, sometimes dangerous animals. He’d wanted to have a pet dragon and he once had a huge pet spider. He also owned Fluffy, a giant three headed dog that Dumbledore borrowed to guard something in the first book. Draco and his friends hated Hagrid for some reason.
Buckbeak - One of the hippogiffs that Hagrid had for his first class. The animal was a cross between a horse and a bird. Hippogiffs are sensitive creatures, and people have to treat them with respect. Draco was insulting to Buckbeak and was scratched for it. Buckbeak then got into a lot of trouble.
Professor McGonagall - She was the head of Gryffindor house and the transfiguration teacher. She also helped Dumbledore run Hogwarts. She could change into a cat. She was a strict teacher, but she was kind as well.
Professor Dumbledore - He was the headmaster of Hogwarts. He was a kind man. He had a soft spot for Harry, and seemed to be protective of him. Dumbledore was considered to be a great wizard by many in the wizard world. He was understanding of some things.
The Weasleys - Ron’s parents. Mr. Weasley worked for the Ministry of Magic. He was fascinated with muggles and their inventions. He wasn’t as strict as his wife. He was very worried about Harry and though he should be told what was going on. Mrs. Weasley was strict with her children, but she loved them. She seemed to have adopted Harry into the family, and was upset by how he was treated by the Dursleys. She worried about Harry a lot.
Fred and George - Ron’s older twin brothers. They liked to play pranks and goof off a lot. They didn’t want to be prefects. They weren’t serious at all. They found a magical map once and passed it onto Harry.
Percy - The oldest Weasley child at Hogwarts. He was a head boy and very proud of that. He took his responsibilities seriously. He was thought to be a stick in the mud by his siblings. He believed in following the rules all the time. He wanted to get a job with the Ministry of Magic.
Ginny - The youngest Weasley and only girl. She was more quiet than any of her brothers. She still had a crush on Harry and got very embarrassed around him.
Professor Lupin - He was the new defense against the dark arts teacher. He started to teach the students things that would help them but that they thought were interesting as well. He was a kind man and took an interest in Harry. He dressed in old robes and was the target of laughter from some students like Draco. He was hated by Snape for some reason.
Sirius Black - He was a wizard that had been in Azkaban prison for twelve years before he was able to escape somehow. He was thought to be very dangerous. He had an interest in Harry and a connection to his parents. Sirius was thought to be the heir to Voldemort.
The Dursleys - Harry’s only living relatives. They were muggles and hated everything to do with magic and Hogwarts. They didn’t want anyone to find out the truth about Harry. They tried to keep him from returning to school. They were not nice people.
I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Of the first three books, it is my favorite. I can’t wait to see the movie version. People who have enjoyed the first two books should also enjoy this one.
For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single ...More at Bostic Media
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