Book Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (1999)

Genre: Fiction, young adult (YA), fantasy, supernatural

Curriculum Building Ideas:

Language Arts: Reader’s Notebook, Literary Circles, Guided Reading Groups, Writer’s Workshop, Sequencing, Plot, Character Map/Analysis, Inferences/Predictions, Connections (Text to Self, Text to Text, Text to World), Graphic Organizers, Book vs. Movie (i.e. Venn Diagram, Persuasive Essay), Reader’s Theatre…
Social Studies: Scale Diagram of Hogwarts, Map of Hogwarts, Timeline of Hogwarts vs. Real World…
Math: “Design Hogwarts” – based on information provided from the book, students create floor plans, diagrams or models of what they think Hogwarts looks like; “Potions” – students measure and record ingredients for the science part of this lesson (below)…
Science: “Potions” – students use correct measurements of ingredients to predict reactions between chemicals, create a set number of reactions, and record the reaction and observations in their science journals…

*Author’s Note: There have been numerous reviews of Harry Potter to date, and Rowling has racked up many awards for her books. I’m going to try and stay away from writing things that can be easily found in other reviews from years past. Note that I am now nearly 24 years old and this is my first time reading Harry Potter, which was published when I was in elementary school. I remember my mother reading them, and then my middle brother. I was into other genres, and for some reason I had an unfounded stigma toward Harry Potter. I have seen the first four movies; I didn’t really keep up with the latter movies. But I didn’t know what was going on because I missed out on so much that was in the books! I wish that I had read Harry Potter as I was growing up, instead of waiting – I feel that I’ve lost a lot of the magic in waiting, and also in seeing the movies before reading the books. The basic premise of Harry Potter is about Harry Potter himself, and discovering who and what he is, where he came from and his quest to becoming what he’s destined to become – a great wizard, with a bond not seen before in the wizard world of magic (i.e. Voldemort).

SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t read the first two books, this may give some things away. Read at your own risk.

We already know from the first two books that the books is aligned with the school year at Hogwarts: it begins with Harry in the last few days or weeks of his summer stay with the Dursleys, and ends with him returning home on the train. We also know that through a little disobeying and curiosity that Harry (along with Ron and Hermione) will end up in some troubling situation, so far involving Voldemort. But Book #3 is a little different. Voldemort never makes an appearance, but someone thought long dead does. This book involves a lot of history about Harry’s parents, James and Lily, and exposes the truth of their death and who really betrayed him.

Harry’s done it now: he’s on the run from the Dursleys AND the Ministry of Magic (he thinks). He is greeted in Diagon Alley by the Minister of Magic himself. He doesn’t care so much that Harry’s broken a law (performing magic in the Muggle world), he just wants Harry tucked away safe and sound in the Leaky Cauldron until school starts. Not long after the Weasleys follow suit, and Harry overhears a very scary conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Sirius Black, Voldemort’s biggest supporter back in the day, imprisoned for 12 years in Azkaban for killing 13 people with one spell, is on the loose…and he’s coming for Harry!

Not only is Sirius after Harry, but so are other “death omens,” as always. On the train Harry runs into Dementors, vile life-sucking creatures, and is saved by a new professor. With Black on the loose, they are posted all over Hogwarts – and they keep coming after Harry, making him relive the death of his parents.

The new professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts is truly a teacher, bringing new life to his students and much more applicable knowledge. He’s the best they’ve had, and he’s agreed to help Harry learn how to fight off the Dementors. But something odd happens once every month…he disappears for a while around the full moon.

Halloween night, Gryfindors are in for a shock when they return to the portrait hole and the Fat Lady has flown the coop, absolutely terrified – and the ravishes of the intruder’s anger left behind for all to see. None other than Sirius Black! The castle goes on lock down mode, with Black nowhere to be found.

There are some close calls for Harry and Ron (and Scabbers) as Sirius Black has snuck into the castle undetected again. Harry comes into possession of a special map, with secret passageways that he uses to travel from Hogwarts to the nearby wizarding town of Hogsmeade, using his Invisibility Cloak of course. But this map also shows people, and the direction they are going….

Unbeknownst to Harry and Ron, Hermione has been time traveling to take extra classes. She and Harry end up using it, at the hint from Dumbledore, to save two lives…and in turn, make Snape go a little mad. Needless to say his hatred of Harry is much more evident.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book since it explores and exposes the truth behind Harry’s parents’ deaths, we see Harry quite uplifted, and and we see yet again Dumbledore bending some rules and his amusement. Not to mention the whirlwind of possibilities now that er, Scabbers, has escaped. If you’ve never read the Harry Potter series, I highly encourage you to do so. It is truly an enjoyable (and easy) read.

Check out what Harry, Ron and Hermione will run into in the next book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.