Series: Book 3 in the Harry Potter series
Rating: ****
Tags: Fiction, Magic, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, People & Places, Europe, England, School & Education, Wizards, Schools, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary place), Potter; Harry (Fictitious character), Fantasy Fiction; English, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Imaginary organization), Lang:en
Summary
For most children, summer vacation is something to look
forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to
spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest
him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his
errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his
Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker,
violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer
in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has
to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why
the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius
Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on
the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But
why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect
him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected?
Once again, Rowling has created a mystery that will have
children and adults cheering, not to mention standing in line
for her next book. Fortunately, there are four more in the
works. (Ages 9 and older)
--Karin Snelson
Rowling proves that she has plenty of tricks left up her
sleeve in this third Harry Potter adventure, set once again
at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Right
before the start of term, a supremely dangerous criminal
breaks out of a supposedly impregnable wizards' prison; it
will come as no surprise to Potter fans that the villain, a
henchman of Harry's old enemy Lord Voldemort, appears to have
targeted Harry. In many ways this installment seems to serve
a transitional role in the seven-volume series: while many of
the adventures are breathlessly relayed, they appear to be
laying groundwork for even more exciting adventures to come.
The beauty here lies in the genius of Rowling's plotting.
Seemingly minor details established in books one and two
unfold to take on unforeseen significance, and the finale,
while not airtight in its internal logic, is utterly
thrilling. Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing
the workings of the wizard world (Just how would a magician
be made to stay behind bars?) or tossing off quick jokes (a
grandmother wears a hat decorated with a stuffed vulture; the
divination classroom looks like a tawdry tea shop). The
Potter spell is holding strong. All ages.
Amazon.com Review
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.