Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)

• In anticipation of Harry Potter, Book 4, I had to read the first three books again. What I was struck with, again, is the sheer imaginative nature of J.K. Rowling's books. Simply put, these books are instant classics.

  "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" is the third in the series following Harry Potter at Hogwart's school of wizardry. Harry is now a 13-year old (his birthday occurring at the beginning of the book), and concerned mostly with classes, Quidditch (a wizard sport), and the fact that he's not allowed to visit the local wizard village of Hogsmeade with his friends on the weekends. One of the reasons for this is that Sirius Black, a convicted murderer, has broken out of Azkaban, the wizard prison, and word has it that he's out to get Harry.

  In keeping with Harry Potter tradition, the reader can expect surprises, twists and turns, malicious rivals, uncommonly kind professors, terrible relatives, amazing magic candy, true friendships, and a whiz-bang ending.

  It's delightful to see how Rowling can stay true to the feel of the previous books, and yet allow Harry and friends to mature. This book is a little longer than the previous books, but the imagination never lets up, and gradually Harry's world is widening.

  I would recommend this book to ANYONE (any age) who enjoys the writings of Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, or J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a very fun, humourous, and enjoyable fantasy novel, and one that should be read more than once!

• My hubby gave me this book for Christmas as I enjoyed the other two so much. I can't really add much to what the other reviewers said, but I can tell you that the conclusion of the book is so exciting that I was up till midnight finishing it (and I'm usually a 10 o'clock turn-in!). I just couldn't put it down.

  Harry, Ron and Hermione's exploits in this book were just as entertaining - if not more so - as in the previous two books.

  It never ceases to amaze me the depth of Ms. Rowlings imagination! The different kinds of sweets, all of the different types of spells and magical creatures...just delightful!

  Wonderful...just wonderful!

• This book is a brilliant piece of literature. It's filled with insight and delight. Undoubtedly the best Harry Potter book (as of now because the new one's coming in a few months). Harry Potter is the next big name in children literature. He's already world famous and it's been only a short while since he first debuted two books ago. JK Rowling's ability to create truly human characters is astounding.
  
  This book's characters are truly human. I think that if you want to read a book with rich feeling and emotion sprinkled with touches of childhood nostalgia and fantasy, this is definately the series for you.
  
  If you've been saving your money to buy a book, Harry Potter is the series that you want to buy. This book will awake the child in you if you're five or fifty. It's worth the cover price.

• JK Rowling created a masterpease! This book is suspenseful and funny. It makes you realy think and you feel as if you were there! Will Harry Potter survive through his 3rd year? What IS Hermoine's secret? Will Ron stay friends with her? Any Harry fan will just love this book and will laugh and cry through it. We will be waiting in suspence for the next book JK Rowling!