Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Wonderfully Fantastic
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling is an extraordinary book. Snape is almost as bad as last year, except worse. Now that a so called "convict" has escaped from what seems to be the worst place in the world everyone is acting schizophrenic.
Everyone seems to keep not one but two eyes out for Harry. Especially since the creatures that guard Azkaban are at the school. Harry is extremely affected by the dementors in terms of his parents. If you had any confusion in the last two books it will be answered in this one. Even things you're not thinking are answered. I give this book four stars because it's not the best book and it is definatly not the worst.
Rating: - Griping...More Revelations!!
In the third novel of her epic Harry Potter story, J.K. Rowling weaves an even LARGER and more complex tale of mystery, betrayal, magic and fantasy. Far more gripping than the first two novels, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban will leave you on the edge of your seat as Rowling takes you on a magical ride of mystery and shocking betrayals as Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, battle the forces of evil and search for the truth. As has become her M.O., not all is as it seems. The ending will leave you in complete shock and surprise.The Main Story: Harry's third year at Hogwarts of Wizardry and Withcraft is marked with danger as the infamous Sirius Black, believed to be the second most evil and dangerous Dark Wizard in the land and the right-hand man of Lord Voldemort, escapes from Azkaban, the Wizards prison, leaving a cryptic message, "He's at Hogwarts!!!" behind. Tensions rise as Black continuously sneaks into Hogwarts, leaving the students, faculty and even the government paralyzed with fear. Supporting Stories: -What is the mysterious power that the dementors hold over Harry? -Harry continues to see images of a mysterious Black dog. What does it forebode for him? -For the third year in a row, a new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Lupin, joins the Hogwarts faculty. A beloved and able instructor, Professor Lupin himself, however, holds a mysterious secret with his frequent illnesses. Is his illnesses caused by the strange potions Snape is giving him? -After an elusive two years, will Gryffindor finally be able to capture the House Quidditch Cup? -Hermione's new cat Crookshanks has an unusual and deadly interest in Ron's deteriorating pet rat Scribbles, leaving tensions high between Ron and Hermione. -How exactly is Hermione managing to keep and maintain her impossible school schedule? -Harry, Ron and Hermione come to the defense of Hagrid's hippograff who is sentenced to death What We Find Out: -We take a step into the past of Hogwarts as Fred and George bestow upon Harry the Marauder's Map, authored by four students from Hogwarts past. -We learn a little about Harry' parents days at Hogwarts and the friends they had, and more importantly, the enemy they made. -We discover the TRUE story behind Harry's parents' death and the startling story of betrayal behind it. -We take a look beyond the walls of Hogwarts as the third year students visit the purely magical town of Hogsmeade. -The mysterious Divination instructor, the seer Professor Trelawney makes a shocking prediction about the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!!! Far more gripping and engaging than the first two novels, fans of Harry Potter will love and enjoy this third chapter in his epic story. Rowling continues to expand upon the world of Harry Potter at a great rate, slowly revealing more about his mysterious past and the world around him. At a little over 400 pages, the book reads fast. Harry Potter mania has swept the nation, if not the world, for the past several years. Rowling's gripping stories of mystery, suspense, shock, fantasy and magic are a true treat. This book is another shining example of why her characters are beloved by both children and adults the world over. My total read time: 11 hours, two evenings. Highest Recommendation
Rating: - I absolutely love these books!...Too bad they're so short...
I don't normally read "children's books," but I have always had a soft spot for fantasy, my favorite genre (particularly books involving magic and talking mice, for some reason). I had never intended to ready any of the Harry Potter books, but my mother, acting on a whim, bought the first two volumes for me, saying that they were very popular. The books sat unread in my room for weeks, until late one Wednesday night, when I read both books, finishing at 3 AM, and neglecting to translate my Cicero assignment. The books were great! I immediately bought the 3rd installment, which I read immediately that afternoon. I find it easy to identify with Harry Potter, who reminds me of myself sometimes. Particularly, I enjoy references to Latin in the books (such as the first example, caput draconis, head of Draco, in book 1.) The twisted plot at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban intrigued me, compelling me to read the last few chapters multiple times to fully grasp all of it winding lines. The Prisoner of Azkaban took a step away from what I view as the first and second books' major fallacy: the repetitive plot line. Potter has a bad time with his family, goes to school, has trouble with a permutation of Voldemort, defeats Voldemort, and gets congratulated by everbody, helping his house win the Cup. Blah Blah Blah. The third book remediated this problem, since it wasn't clear who the villan was until the very end. My larges gripe with the Harry Potter books is now length. I read the books in a little over two hours each. Its rather torturous to wait for weeks on end for two hours of enjoyment. I wish the Harry Potter books could be more like the books of Ayn Rand in that area: enjoyable and interesting, but abysmally long. (My average reading time for Atlas Shrugged is surpassed only by War and Peace...snore...snore...) To end on a positive note, I am happy to award my five stars to "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in appreciation to Rowlings' correction of some of the problems with the first books and my opinion that the Harry Potter books are VERY ENJOYABLE! I dread what will happen after the seventh book, when Harry has graduated from school. Will he be a professor, or set out on his own? Or Rowling just (sob! sob! sob!) terminate the series? I fervently hope the books will never be lost to that extreme! (If you have read my whole spiel, I thank you very much for hearing me out and not averting your gaze in disgust, boredom, outright anger or whatever else my review might drive you to.
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