Harry Potter and the Azkaban
It is a short book that somehow feels long. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is like a brief pause before the storm, and when you’re in the middle of a seven-book series, you have two options: 1) to offer a glimpse of what the series will become, or 2) to serve as the clearest example of why a book series shouldn’t continue. In this case, The Prisoner of Azkaban has the very difficult task of making things more serious, not only because Harry, Ron, and Hermione are at a complicated age, but also because the consequences of their actions begin to have more serious implications that go beyond a simple school punishment. This year, Harry finds himself in the middle of a school year in which attending classes will be the least of his problems. In this third installment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione face the difficult realization that nothing is what it seems, starting with their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, who harbors more than one secret. The...