Book #137: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling.
J.K. Rowling
Released: July 8th, 1999
My 3rd book for 2026 was J.K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban".
[Blogger's Notes: I'm going to do this series a little bit different than I normally do. My sister, Megan Perry, is a diehard Harry Potter fan. Since she also does some blogging, I figured I would incorporate her thoughts on this one as well. You can check her blog "Between The Pages" at Megan Perry Writes.
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Bryan Shades: This is my favorite book in the Harry Potter series. This was the one that made me a full-on fan and launched me into the Potter-verse. While it never reached the heights I have for other series like James Bond, I did follow the series after this and was super stoked when the 3rd film released to the movie theater.
This book has one of the strongest stories of any book let alone the Harry Potter series. There are so many twists and turns, and the way the stories weave together is done masterfully by Rowling.
The story starts off at Privet Drive where Aunt Marge is coming to visit. This nasty woman is very opinionated and attacks Harry's parents verbally in front of him. This causes Harry to react and cast an inflation spell on her. Harry then grabs his belongings and sets out on his own for a bit. An emergency transport bus picks him up and takes him to Diagon Alley. Harry stays there for 2 weeks until it is time to go back to Hogwarts. After meeting up with Ron and Hermione, Harry returns to Hogwarts to find that Sirius Black has escaped the wizarding prison Azkaban and is on the loose. Due to this, the dreaded Dementors, the legendary guardians of the horrific prison, are now standing guard on the grounds of the school. As the school year continues, Harry has to contend with new classes, sneaking out to local wizarding town Hogsmeade (due to Uncle Vernon not signing his permission slip), Hermione overbooking herself with classes, a mysterious new Firebolt broom arriving on Christmas Day, and a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin who seems to be the best they've had thus far. The adventure leads to a revealing moment in the Whomping Willow where the truth about Black is revealed. We then learn how Hermione has been taking all her classes, and she uses this power to time travel with Harry and save the lives of the innocent.
What a story. I will never forget the first time I read it. I will never forget the first time I saw it. I still remember the posters hanging up in the Hot Topic at the Valley Mall in Hagerstown, MD, featuring Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and his Azkaban mug shot. I was stoked.
Get ready for some spoilers. Sirius Black plays a crucial role here. Thus far, we have only heard of him once, in the open chapter of Sorcerer's Stone. We know that Hagrid borrowed his flying bike to deliver Harry to the Dursleys. We learn that he is an Animagus and takes the shape of a dog. We are given a twist ending where instead of Sirius being the one who betrayed James and Lily Potter, Peter Pettigrew did not die, but rather took the shape of a rat named Scabbers and went to live with the Weasley family for the past 12 years. This explains why the Sneakoscope keeps going off erratically when Scabbers is around. Because Voldemort's spy is in the area. After being set free, Sirius offers to take Harry in, and signs his Hogsmeade permission slip.
No Voldemort in this one. Instead we are treated to the Dementors, who are the guardians of the wizarding prison Azkaban. Their mere presence drains the happiness from any person involved, and their kiss has the power to literally suck the soul out of a human. Very nasty indeed.
Hogsmeade plays a strong role here. Third years are permitted to visit the wizarding village on certain weekends. Harry is unable to get his permission slip signed by Uncle Vernon and is forbidden to go. Fred and George provide him with a piece of parchment known as the Marauder's Map, which gives the entire layout of the school, as well as the position of anyone within it. Harry uses this to find the legendary passageways that allow him to sneak out and visit the village undetected. This is where "Butterbeer" first appeared in modern society. Evidently the kind served at The Three Broomsticks is quite delicious.
In the Quidditch world, there is a new state-of-the-art broom called the Firebolt. It is the fasted broom in the world and costs a hefty sum. After his Nimbus 2000 is destroyed by the Whomping Willow, Harry mysteriously receives a Firebolt for Christmas. While it is a vast improvement on his Quidditch game, curiosity over where it came from takes center stage. This was something I absolutely hated about the film (and the film is my favorite as well). In the book, Harry receives the Firebolt at Christmas and flies it in the book. In the movie, Harry doesn't receive it until the end of the film, effectively killing the subplot. I remember leaving the movie theater happy but also angry that they changed this element, as it played a large part in the book.
Remus Lupin is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. With his arrival, comes a renewed interest in the subject as he truly manages to teach the subject, where the previous teachers have been less than standard. The revelation of his being a werewolf and how his friends including James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, defended him and protected him despite this setback, is a huge part of the book. We learn about James Potter's core group of friends, and see he got himself involved in mischievous adventures much like Harry. Lupin also teaches Harry how to cast his Patronus, which is the protective charm that wards off the dreaded Dementors. While he is forced to resign at the end in the interest of safety for everyone, he leaves his impact with a successful tenure at the school.
Speaking of new teachers, Professor Trelawney is introduced as the Divination teacher. She rarely comes out and joins the school and prefers to spend most of her time in her tower. She isn't the most accurate predictor, but makes it count when it matters the most. Her readings and visions technically do come true, just not in the ways one would expect.
The scene in the Whomping Willow is arguably the strongest scene of the series. The revelation of Sirius Black's true nature, and how he ties into the great story is a huge puzzle piece and changes the course of the series from this point onward. The Peter Pettigrew revelation is one of the most shocking twists. We've known Scabbers since the beginning, and it's fascinating to go back and see all the hints that were dropped, alluding (unknowingly) to his true identity.
This was the only Harry Potter movie that I saw more than once in the movie theater. And the last one I would see until Order of the Phoenix (I never saw Goblet of Fire in the movie theater during it's original theatrical release.) I remember having a crush on Emma Watson's Hermione (the first time I started noticing girls in movies) and really enjoying the story despite the Firebolt issue. Otherwise, amazing book and film.
Megan Perry:
Here is what I learned.
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Overall, to me, this is the peak of the Harry Potter series. That's not saying any of the later books are lesser quality. They simply take on a darker and more adult-oriented tone as Harry gets older, and the fight with Voldemort draws nearer and more deadly. If you read any of the Harry Potter novels, this is the one.
Shades: Highest Recommendation.
Megan:
On to Book #138: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.
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Need to catch up? See previous blog post: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
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