Book Review — “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” by J. K. Rowling

My little daughter has been spending her end-of-year school break revisiting the Harry Potter series. To make it more fun (and reflective), I asked her to write short reviews of all seven books. Here’s her take on the third one — Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (I have made edits for clarity and conciseness):

This book is my favorite so far because it feels different from the first two. It is still magical and funny, but also more mysterious and kind of dark. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, everyone is scared because a wizard criminal named Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, which is like the scariest prison ever. People think he is after Harry, so the whole book feels really tense, like something bad is about to happen.

The first part made me laugh. Harry gets angry at Aunt Marge and accidentally blows her up like a balloon. I loved that scene. Then he runs away and gets picked up by the Knight Bus. The bus ride was crazy, bouncing around everywhere, and I thought it was one of the funniest moments in the series so far.

When Harry goes back to Hogwarts, there are these horrible creatures called Dementors guarding the school. I did not like them at all. They make people feel sad and hopeless, and when one got close to Harry on the train, he fainted. I understood why though, because they were so scary. The idea that they suck out all the happy feelings gave me goosebumps. But I also liked how Professor Lupin taught Harry the Patronus Charm to fight them. When Harry finally managed to produce a proper Patronus, it felt like the most powerful and inspiring moment in the story.

Another thing I enjoyed was learning about new magical creatures in Lupin’s class, like the boggart that turned into Snape in Neville’s grandmother’s clothes. That was hilarious. Lupin is definitely my favorite teacher in this book, because he’s kind and actually helps the students instead of showing off like Lockhart did in the last book.

The mystery of Sirius Black kept me guessing the whole time. Everyone thinks he betrayed Harry’s parents, so I believed he was evil too. But then the truth at the end shocked me. Finding out that Sirius was Harry’s godfather and actually wanted to protect him was such a twist! I didn’t expect it at all. I was really happy for Harry because he finally found someone who could be like family to him.

I also liked how Hermione used the Time-Turner to go back in time. That part was so cool. The way Harry and Hermione saved Buckbeak and then helped Sirius escape made the ending feel really exciting. When Harry realized that the powerful Patronus he saw by the lake was actually his own, I thought that was genius writing. It showed how Harry was becoming stronger and braver.

This book didn’t have Voldemort as the big bad guy, but it still felt very serious and dangerous. The Dementors, the mystery of Sirius, and the time travel made it very different from the first two books, and I liked that. It felt like Harry is growing up and the adventures are getting bigger.

The only thing that made me sad was that Sirius couldn’t stay with Harry at the end. I wanted Harry to finally live with someone who loved him, instead of the mean Dursleys. But at least now he knows he has someone who cares for him.

When I finished the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It had scary parts, funny parts, and also very emotional moments. I think this book shows Harry becoming more of a hero than ever before.

So far, The Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite Harry Potter book. It made me laugh and cry a little, but also feel proud of Harry. I can’t wait to see what happens next, because I know the dangers will only get bigger.

Review of Book 1 — *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone*

Review of Book 2 — *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*

Review of Book 4 — *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*

Review of Book 5 — *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

Review of Book 6 — *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*

Review of Book 7 — *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

Book Review — Complete “Harry Potter” Series (Books 1–7)