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Aug 07, 2011

Chris rated it:

Since pretty much everyone I know has read these books, I figure reviewing them is pretty pointless. But with the new book coming out in a couple of weeks, I have to go through them beginning to end. To make the reviews more entertaining, I will be doing them in a variety of unexpected formats. For this review, I will be writing as Crookshanks fan fiction.

Crookshanks swished his tail back and forth as he crept up the stairs to the boys' bedrooms. He knew the rat wasn't what it was pr More...

4 comments like (58 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Brad rated it:

I know that many of you out there haven't gotten around to reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Much like Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch and Lucifer's worldwide bestseller The Holy Bible, you own a copy, it gathers dust, but its never been read. You've been thinking about it, though. You see it there on the shelf and you wonder, "Is this book for me?"

The following checklist will tell you all you need to know about Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban More...

15 comments like (32 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

pinkgal rated it:

It was September 1998; the third Harry Potter book had just been released. Pottermania? What's that? It was still unknown except to a vast population of younglings who'd read it... and I fell in love. Oh, how I fell in love. I fell in love with the poor, starved-for-affection, later known to be a twit Harry. I fell in love with the pretentious know-it-all Hermione. I fell in love with the awkward, grew-up-in-his-brother's-shadows Ron... and most of all? I fell in love with the snarky, unplatable More...

2 comments like (26 people liked it)

Feb 11, 2011

Kristin rated it:

Now that I have three of these under my belt, it's time to take a break.

It's not that there's anything wrong with them. On the contrary, they're holding my interest too well.

See, I've got this homework stuff that I'm supposed to be doing instead of reading. But school is so boring all of a sudden, and home life is a bit strained, too, and it's so nice to escape. . .

No, I'm not a tween. I'm nearly thirty years old. But the same general issues still apply to m More...

4 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jul 03, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

The waters are getting deeper in this volume, and a little darker...but the first readers were growing up between volumes when this was first published. These are some of the most well written books around. Kudos To Ms. Rowling.

This book stands out for a couple of reasons...not to give any spoilers, it stands out as introing us to a couple of important characters and also for the nonappearance of another. The characters stay true to themselves and we get to know them even better.
More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2009

Henry rated it:

Since everyone is probably already familiar with the Harry Potter series and with this book in particular, I'm not going to write any sort of summary. I am just going to say that of the three I have read so far, this is by far the best.
I felt that this book had the best and well thought out story line of the series so far. But keep in mind, I have only gotten through book three. Rowling also left no stones unturned by revealing the secrets behind all of the wizardry items and people intro More...

0 comments like (8 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Miloš & Brontë rated it:

Pa: So we finally finished Prisoner of Azkaban, you turkeys, what did you think?

Miloš: I thought that the time-turner was really cool.

Pa: How come?

Miloš: Because I liked how Harry and Hermione went to save Sirius and save Buckbeak, and how Ron woke up and said what happened.

Pa: How about you, Te? Did you like that part?

Brontë: Yeah, I liked it. I like how they were going back in time. And I love how Harry, at the end, didn't know it [the person w More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Susan rated it:

I am a word nerd, as most of my friends know (and most are themselves, which is why we are friends!). Among the things that bug me are people who mispronounce nuclear as nu-cu-ler (ahem, President Bush). If you are one of these people, stop it. Stop it now. There is only one "u" in the word. My husband is one of these people and is trying to reform. The one time in my life that GWB has been useful to me. I am also aggravated by foliage pronounced or spelled as foilage. Huh? Th More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

mary rated it:

this is the only harry potter book i'm going to comment on. simply, because this is the only one worth a damn. let's not lie.

i started reading the harry potter books one summer in college when i couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. my little cousins wouldn't shut up, and fundamentalists across the nation were waving their arms around about witchcraft. and i do love seeing the evangelical nation in a huff. the first two went down smoothly, fun stories, simple reads, but v More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2011

Saniya rated it:

Of-course, this book was EPIC! =D
Its Harry Potter now. It has to be epic! *Rolling eyes but smiling widely* xD

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

Oct 13, 2011

Mariel rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 12, 2009

Ginny rated it:

Harry is a 13 year old boy, and is a young wizard. When he was 1 year old, his parents got killed by the most powerful dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. But when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as well, he failed and since than, Harry is very famous. He is a 3rd year student in Hogwarts, the school for Witchcraft and Wizardy.
Harry wants to go to Hogsmeade with his friends. But he can not　 because Uncle vernon obviously would not give him permission, and Harry does not have any other relatives More...

6 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 27, 2011

Micheline rated it:

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban has always been, in my opinion, one of the best books of the series. Even as far as the movies go, I feel that POA is by far the best book to film adaptation out of all 8 movies. Yes Harry Potter and Ron and Hermione are still fairly young in the third book, but I find they have matured quite a bit this time around. They're officially in their teens, and they've already had their fair share of adventures. This time around however, Harry has more to worr More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 23, 2011

Laurel rated it:

I had a hard time writing this review. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was truly amazing. I had to really think about it. There is no way I can make this review worthy of the awesomeness that is Harry Potter. (I only know I wish I could go to Hogwarts) It sunk it's hooks into me and I couldn't stop reading. I am officially into Harry Potter.

I dislike the Dursley's more and more with each book. I want so badly for Harry to never have to go and live with them again. Hogwarts i More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Shannon rated it:

People love this book, I know, and I feel bad about giving it just two stars. But look, J.K. Rowling has a great imagination and is skilled at world-building, but those don't automatically add up to a good book. Writing skills are necessary, as is character development. And those are sorely lacking here. I know from having seen all the HP movies and from having read The Deathly Hallows that some things are resolved, such as Snape's hatred of Harry. But, really, what's the point of his hatre More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2010

Meg rated it:

Leah's rating (age 4): *****
Leah's review: The writer did a good job of making Harry's words. Hedwig is my favorite character in the story. (This absolutely baffles me as her mother--to my knowledge Hedwig has done nothing but deliver mail thus far.)
Leah's favorite quote: Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first--SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster.

Raef's rating (age 6): ***** More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Purplycookie rated it:

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Following Harry Potter's defeat of Tom Riddle when the latter was a Hogwarts student, it's now time to explore other magical implements abundant in Harry's world. One prime example is the triple-decker, violently purple Knight Bus (the equivalent of taxis for lost Muggles perhaps?), magic mirrors that talk back (first introduced in Harry's room within the Leaky Cauldron), more fascinating shops in Diagon Alley, the Time-Turne More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 22, 2008

Angela rated it:

Now we're up to Harry's third year at Hogwarts, and as we're moving along, so far I'm liking each book better than the last, plot-wise. I really like Lupin as a character; I liked him in the movie and I like him in the book, too. It's a crying shame that Hogwarts couldn't keep a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who actually knew what he was doing. The Dementors, suitably creepy. Hogsmeade, suitably nifty, especially the candy shop. And I love the Marauder's Map and the expansion of what the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 26, 2008

Alethea rated it:

My favorite HP book... If I hadn't caught the last half of the movie version I'd never have caught Harry fever. If you read the first book wondering what all the fuss was about and then found it lacking, and read the second book hoping it was better and got the laughfest of the Chamber of Secrets (and I have to say, I read HP Book 2 whenever I feel the need for a solid giggle, just because the language Rowling uses is so peculiarly and ticklingly funny and so very BRITISH--and everyone knows Bri More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

May 28, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

This is definitely my favorite Harry Potter so far. The plot was different and complex. It was nice to read a book without Voldemort in it. I was intrigued by the whole dementor thing as well as people being able to change into animals. I loved Professor Lupin and the marauder's map. I also liked how Hermione's character developed in this volume. I really enjoyed the ending with Harry and Hermione going back in time.
I did not like the incredibly long confrontation at the end with Harr More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2007

Carmen rated it:

What stands out in book 3 (this is my favorite of the series btw):

* Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'.
* Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a darker, scarier book.
* Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 12, 2007

Teresa rated it:

Yeah, yeah, I know. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban kind of cut the line and paused my reading of other things. Get over it. With all the hubub surrounding the latest Harry Potter installation, and me having only read Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, I have catching up to do!

Why, oh why did I allow my disappointment in Chamber of Secrets to stop me from continuing the series?! Prisoner of Azkaban was wonderful!

"For Twelve long years, the dread fort More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Keely rated it:

The first of her series where Rowling really catches her stride. Though her plotting is always a forced joining of unnecessary moments smoothed over Lucas-style by action and magic, in this occasion, the emotional and character exploration of such moments helps to lend them a certain importance. There is an irony here: that Rowling seems to profit from the reader leaning on Chekhovian Realism in a story where the psychology and meaning are so contrived and poorly-executed that it cannot be consi More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Namratha rated it:

Life at the Dursleys is the usual merry-hell, accentuated this time around by the presence of Aunt Marge (horrible sister to the terrible Mr.D). Constant barbs make Harry lose his temper and unknowingly inflate Aunt Marge; a serious bit of non-permissive underage magic. Resigned to the fact that he will be expelled from Hogwarts, Harry sets off on his own and unfortunately ends up meeting the Minister of Magic himself (talk ‘bout bad luck!).

But he gets off scot-free. Why? Because a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Susann rated it:

The best one. It's the most tightly written and it brings the series to another level of complexity. Harry is grappling with grown-up stuff and yet he really delivers (that's some Patronus, kid).

Sirius Black and Lupin are excellent additions and, while I appreciate Black's bad boy charisma, it's Lupin who wins my heart. I hadn't noticed before what a tough year it is for Hermione, what with her intense timetable and Ron and Harry snubbing her for so long.

Other lovely moment More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 17, 2009

Val rated it:

Oh boy, this one was deep. Harry learned so much about his parents and now he has someone besides his AWFUL aunt & uncle in the world. I could not believe how the author came up with the 'stopping of time' idea. It's like she is an articulate, fanciful child dreaming it up. Wonderful. I'm forcing myself to read something else in between book 3 and 4.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2010

Annalisa rated it:

While one and two were interesting, this is the first story that I felt held danger beyond a mild child level and the anticipation and fear of the prisoner reaching Harry was intense. It was also the first glimpse of how interwoven these stories are. I love professor Lupin and enjoyed his relationship with Harry as well as his teaching style. I felt the childrens escape from a werewolf a stretch, but enjoyed Harry overcoming the dementors, learning to produce a patronus, meeting his father's fri More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 08, 2011

Gloria rated it:

Goodness! Hermione.. Your to smart...For Ron.
Let's make something clear.
I am not, I AM NOT a Ron/Hermione shipper.
Ron has only been an asshole to my beloved Hermione from day one.

But other then Ronald Weasley this book was perfection. Even though I do hate Peter.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 12, 2011

Becca rated it:

By the time I had started reading the Harry Potter books, Goblet of Fire had just been released. I had read the first two and despite enjoying them immensely, I still considered them to be kids books. Prisoner of Azkaban changed that for me.

This was the one that got me well and truly hooked. This was the one that made me take a step back and go "Woah. This is getting dark.".

This is also the one that introduced me to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs and sudden More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 04, 2012

Jennifer McKeever rated it:

Wow. About 2/3 of the way through i became a bit worried that what had been a fantastic storyline up until that point was about to divert back into the predictable formula of the first two books, but then (whew), I was pleasantly surprised. Much more complex, heart-wrenching, and moving than I ever would have expected from these books... I'm hooked for sure.

3 comments like (1 person liked it)