If you’re here, please note, the following post is filled with multiple spoilers for Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. If you do not want spoilers, please turn away now.
I’m reading this book alongside Jen Chandler, a brilliant author and reader who invited others to read these books with her. I’ve been reading along, but this is the first time I’ve posted about it.
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the brilliantly written Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Whew: one sentence without spoilers.
Like books one and two, the book starts at Privet Drive, where Harry lives unhappily with his Aunt Petunia, her husband, and his cousin Dudley. They mistreat Harry at every turn. It’s hard to read these sections without seeing the harshness of abuse, but yet they are written in a way that makes sense to the readers and gives us insight into how Harry has become who he is, as a strongly self-reliant, somewhat sarcastic teen who does not enjoy putting on a show of wealth or overdone manners.
Regardless of how well he tries to act, the Dursleys treat him terribly, and by extension the rest of their family, including the horrible Aunt Marge who refers to Harry’s mom in a way most of us would find awful.
Harry is outraged and while he doesn’t say anything or wave his wand, his magic is unleashed, and Marge pays the price. Sure that he will be in trouble with the Ministry of Magic, and no longer welcome at his family’s home, Harry packs his things hastily and while gloomily unsure of what his plan of action will be, he is picked up by the Knight Bus, a hilariously and brilliant bus which gives transportation to wizards in need.
I find myself racing through this section, but there are some clever foreshadowing pieces throughout this whole section. When Harry uses Neville’s name to hide his identity from the Knight Bus operators, there’s more to it than it might seem.
From this moment forward, we discover Harry is being protected by the Ministry of Magic and his best friend Ron’s parents because Sirus Black escaped from Azkaban, a wizarding prison. Sirus Black, the escaped prisoner, has been overheard muttering Harry’s name in relation to Hogwarts. Black is believed to be the henchman of Voldemort and may be trying to kill Harry. There’s more to this story than Harry originally knows, and the strands of this tightly woven plot create several twists and turns.
It is nearly impossible to write about this series without attempting to summarize the entire tale. There are so many parts I love about this book especially. I love the way Lupin teaches Harry how to defend himself against the Dementors – both with chocolate and with the Expecto Patronum. The Marauder’s Map is one of the most wonderful maps in the history of all fictional maps. The Quidditch matches are epic. Hermione’s study habits are exhausting. Professor Trelawney is memorable, and her words need to be remembered not only for this book, but for later ones.
Again, there is so much in these books, I could go on and on, especially if I had a chance to do so over a Hagrid-sized cup of tea.
If you haven’t read these books yet, why????
If you have, what’s your favorite plot twist or world-building element of The Prisoner of Azkaban?
This is such a great introductory summary. I love how you put in just enough to make it tempting to anyone who hasn’t read it to find a copy at once!
Oh the plot twists! Don’t they just abound? This book hit me differently when I first read it. I devoured it and couldn’t wait for the next but at the same time I was DISGUSTED with how it snatched happiness from Harry. Oh how close it was and then – nope. Nada. All thanks to the jealousy and spite and grudges held by a bitter, broken, unhappy man. Ugh. Don’t get me started on Snape! LOL! I’m saving THAT post for later 😀
Yes, at this point in the series, if anyone had told me about Snape later in the series, I wouldn’t have believed them. He was spiteful and awful here. And yet, I have held grudges before, so he also serves as a warning of what not to do. I love so much in this book, but not how it ends and not Snape.