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''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a
fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fan ...
written by British author
J. K. Rowling Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), also known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote ''Harry Potter'', a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The ser ...
and is the third in the ''
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
'' series. The book follows
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
, a young wizard, in his third year at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scotland, Scottish boarding school of Magic in Harry Potter, magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Pot ...
. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and
Hermione Granger Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. She first appears in the novel '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997), as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and ...
, Harry investigates
Sirius Black Sirius Black is a character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort ki ...
, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, believed to be one of
Lord Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a Character (arts), character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in ''Harry Potter and the Ph ...
's old allies. The book was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 by
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
and in the United States on 8 September 1999 by Scholastic, Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she began writing it. The book sold 68,000 copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the 1999
Whitbread Children's Book Award The Costa Book Awards were a set of annual literary awards recognising English-language books by writers based in UK and Ireland. Originally named the Whitbread Book Awards from 1971 to 2005 after its first sponsor, the Whitbread company, then ...
, the
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo. The film adaptation of the novel was released in 2004, grossing more than $796 million and earning critical acclaim. Video games loosely based on ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.


Plot

Thirteen-year-old
Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
spends another unhappy summer at the Dursleys. After Aunt Marge insults Harry and his deceased parents, an angry Harry accidentally inflates her. Fearing expulsion from
Hogwarts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scottish boarding school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series and serves as a maj ...
, he runs away. The Knight Bus, a vehicle that rescues stranded wizards, suddenly arrives. Harry encounters the
Minister of Magic The Ministry of Magic is the government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, headed by an official entitled the Minister for Magic. The magical government in Britain is first mentioned in ''Harry Potter and t ...
,
Cornelius Fudge The Ministry of Magic is the government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, headed by an official entitled the Minister for Magic. The magical government in Britain is first mentioned in ''Harry Potter and ...
, at the Leaky Cauldron in
Diagon Alley J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale. Dwellings The Burrow The Wea ...
, where Fudge asks Harry to remain until school starts. Harry reunites with best friends,
Ron Weasley Ronald Bilius Weasley is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novel series. His first appearance was in the first book of the series, ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', as the best friend of Harry Potte ...
and
Hermione Granger Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. She first appears in the novel '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997), as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and ...
. Ron's father warns Harry about the wizard
Sirius Black Sirius Black is a character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. Sirius was first mentioned briefly in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as a wizard who lent Rubeus Hagrid a flying motorbike shortly after Lord Voldemort ki ...
, a convicted murderer who escaped Azkaban and is believed to be hunting down Harry. Dementors, the hideous guards of Azkaban, board the
Hogwarts Express Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry () is a fictional Scottish boarding school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series and serves as a maj ...
. As one approaches, Harry faints after reliving his parents' deaths. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, wards the creature off with a
Patronus charm The fictional universe of British author J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series of fantasy novels comprises two distinct societies: the Wizarding World and the Muggle world. In the novels, the Muggle world is the world inhabited by the non- ...
. At Hogwarts, Professor
Albus Dumbledore Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. For most of the series, he is the headmaster of the wizarding school Hogwarts. As part of his backstory, it is revealed that he is ...
announces that dementors are there to hunt Black. In Divination class, Professor
Sybill Trelawney The following fictional characters are staff members and denizens of Hogwarts in the ''Harry Potter'' books written by J. K. Rowling. The staff and their positions Teachers and staff members The following teachers and staff members do not h ...
says the dog-shaped form in Harry's tea leaves is the Grim, a spectral death omen. During a
Quidditch Quidditch is a fictional sport invented by author J.K. Rowling for her fantasy book series ''Harry Potter''. It first appeared in the novel '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997). It is a dangerous but popular sport played by wi ...
match, Harry spots a black dog near the pitch, then faints and falls off his broomstick when dementors approach. Harry is uninjured but the Whomping Willow destroys his broom. Afterwards, Professor Lupin teaches Harry the Patronus charm to repel dementors. Fred and George Weasley give Harry their Marauder's Map, a magical document created by four former Hogwarts students known as "Moony", "Padfoot", "Wormtail", and "Prongs". The map shows every person at Hogwarts and seven secret tunnels. Harry, who lacks guardian permission for school outings, uses it to sneak into Hogsmeade, where he discovers that Sirius Black, his godfather, betrayed his parents to
Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Ston ...
and killed their friend Peter Pettigrew. Black manages to break into Hogwarts twice, though Harry is unharmed. Ron accuses Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, of killing his missing pet rat, Scabbers, straining their friendship. When Harry receives an expensive Firebolt broomstick as an anonymous gift, Hermione gets it confiscated for testing, fearing Black sent it. Ron and Harry are furious at Hermione, who is already stressed after having taken too many classes. Meanwhile, the
Ministry of Magic The Ministry of Magic is the government of the Magical community of Britain in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World, headed by an official entitled the Minister for Magic. The magical government in Britain is first mentioned in '' Harry Potter an ...
has ordered Hagrid's hippogriff,
Buckbeak Rubeus Hagrid () is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' book series written by J. K. Rowling. He is introduced in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' as a half-giant and half-human who is the Gamekeepers in the United King ...
, to be executed for injuring Draco Malfoy, who deliberately provoked the animal. Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Hagrid prior to Buckbeak's execution and seemingly hear the event as they exit Hagrid's hut. While there, Hermione discovers Scabbers, who is chased by Ron. The black dog appears and drags Ron into a tunnel under the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione pursue them and end up into the haunted
Shrieking Shack J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' universe contains numerous settings for the events in her fantasy novels. These locations are categorised as a dwelling, school, shopping district, or government-affiliated locale. Dwellings The Burrow The Wea ...
. The dog reveals himself to be Sirius Black, an unregistered
animagus In J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series, magic is depicted as a supernatural force that can be used to override the usual laws of nature. Many fictional magical creatures exist in the series, while ordinary creatures also sometimes exhib ...
. Lupin unexpectedly enters. He saw Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map and realised that he betrayed the Potters. Hermione claims Lupin is a werewolf, which he admits. As students, Lupin (Moony), Black (Padfoot), Pettigrew (Wormtail), and Harry's father, James Potter (Prongs), created the Marauder's Map. The latter three secretly became animagi to tame Lupin during his werewolf transformations. Scabbers is Pettigrew in his rat form. He is Voldemort's servant and faked his death, framing Black. Black escaped Azkaban after discovering Pettigrew was alive. Professor
Severus Snape Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. He is an exceptionally skilled wizard whose sarcastic, controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraf ...
arrives to apprehend Black, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione simultaneously stun him unconscious. Lupin and Black are about to execute Pettigrew, but Harry instead wants him sent to Azkaban. As the full moon rises, Lupin transforms into a werewolf. He has forgotten his Wolfsbane potion, which allows werewolves to remain sane during transformations. Black, in his dog form, fights him off. Pettigrew escapes as dementors descend upon Harry and Black. A distant figure casts a powerful Patronus, scattering the dementors, but Black is captured. Dumbledore instructs Harry and Hermione to save him and Buckbeak by going back in time with Hermione's Time-Turner, a Ministry device she has been using to attend multiple classes simultaneously. They rescue Buckbeak and save their earlier selves from the dementors by casting the Patronus. Harry and Hermione release Black, who escapes on Buckbeak. Snape, enraged over Black's escape, intentionally lets slip that Lupin is a werewolf, forcing his resignation. Black writes Harry saying he sent the Firebolt and, as his legal guardian, gives Harry permission for school excursions.


Publication and reception


Pre-release history

''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is the third book in the ''Harry Potter'' series. The first, ''
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' is a 1997 fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling. The first novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series and Rowling's debut novel, it follows Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers h ...
'', was published by Bloomsbury on 26 June 1997 and the second, '' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'', was published on 2 July 1998. Rowling started to write the ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' the day after she finished ''The Chamber of Secrets''. Rowling said in 2004 that ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' was "the best writing experience I ever had...I was in a very comfortable place writing (number) three. Immediate financial worries were over, and press attention wasn't yet by any means excessive".


Critical reception

Gregory Maguire Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', '' Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many ...
wrote a review in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' for ''Prisoner of Azkaban'': in it he said, "So far, in terms of plot, the books do nothing new, but they do it brilliantly...so far, so good." In a newspaper review in ''The New York Times'', it was said that "'The Prisoner of Azkaban' may be the best 'Harry Potter' book yet". A reviewer for KidsReads said, "This crisply-paced fantasy will leave you hungry for the four additional Harry books that J.K. Rowling is working on. Harry's third year is a charm. Don't miss it." '' Kirkus Reviews'' did not give a starred review but said, "a properly pulse-pounding climax...The main characters and the continuing story both come along so smartly...that the book seems shorter than its page count: have readers clear their calendars if they are fans, or get out of the way if they are not." Martha V. Parravano also gave a positive review for ''
The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...
'', calling it "quite a good book." In addition, a ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' review said, "Rowling's wit never flags, whether constructing the workings of the wizard world...or tossing off quick jokes...The Potter spell is holding strong". However, Anthony Holden, who was one of the judges against ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' for the Whitbread Award, was negative about the book, saying that the characters are "all black-and-white", and the "story-lines are predictable, the suspense minimal, the sentimentality cloying every page". In 2012 it was ranked number 12 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by ''
School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''.


Awards

''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' won several awards, including the 1999 Booklist Editors' Choice Award, the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers, the 1999 FCBG Children's Book Award, the 1999 Whitbread Book of the Year for children's books, and the 2000 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. It was also nominated for the 2000
Hugo Award for Best Novel The Hugo Award for Best Novel is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published in, or translated to, English during the previous calendar year. The novel award is available for works of fiction of 40,00 ...
, the first in the series nominated, but lost to ''
A Deepness in the Sky ''A Deepness in the Sky'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Vernor Vinge. Published in 1999, the novel is a loose prequel (set twenty thousand years earlier) to his earlier novel ''A Fire Upon the Deep'' (1992). The title is coined b ...
''. ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' additionally won the 2004 Indian Paintbrush Book Award and the 2004 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award. Additionally, it was named an American Library Association Notable Children's Book in 2000 as well as one of their Best Books for Young Adults. As with the previous two books in the series, ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' won the
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize The Nestlé Children's Book Prize, and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time, was a set of annual awards for British children's books that ran from 1985 to 2007. It was administered by BookTrust, an independent charity that promotes books and ...
Gold Medal for children aged 9–11 and made the top of the
New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States.John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
. In both cases, it was the last in the series to do so. However, in the latter case, a Children's Best Sellers list was created just before the release of ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' in July 2000 in order to free up more room on the original list. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 24 on the BBC's survey
The Big Read The Big Read was a survey on books carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, where over three-quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel of all time. The year-long survey w ...
.


Sales

''Prisoner of Azkaban'' sold more than 68,000 copies in the UK within three days of publication, which made it the fastest selling British book of the time. The sales total by 2012 is said by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' to be 3,377,906.


Editions

''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' was released in hardcover in the UK on 8 July 1999 and in the US on 8 September. The British paperback edition was released on 1 April 2000, while the US paperback was released 1 October 2001. Bloomsbury additionally released an adult edition with a different cover design to the original, in paperback on 10 July 2004 and in hardcover in October 2004. A hardcover special edition, featuring a green border and signature, was released on 8 July 1999. In May 2004, Bloomsbury released a Celebratory Edition, with a blue and purple border. On 1 November 2010, they released the 10th anniversary Signature edition illustrated by Clare Mellinsky and in July 2013 a new adult cover illustrated by Andrew Davidson, both these editions were designed by Webb & Webb Design Limited. Beginning on 27 August 2013, Scholastic will release new covers for the paperback editions of ''Harry Potter'' in the United States to celebrate 15 years of the series. The covers were designed by the author and illustrator
Kazu Kibuishi Kazuhiro "Kazu" Kibuishi (born April 8, 1978) is a Japanese-born American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology '' Flight'' and for creating the webcomic '' Copper''. He is ...
. An illustrated version of ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' was released on 3 October 2017, and was illustrated by Jim Kay who illustrates the previous two instalments. This includes over 115 new illustrations and will be followed by Illustrated editions of the following 4 novels in the future.


Adaptations


Film

The film version of ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' was released in 2004 and was directed by Alfonso Cuarón from a screenplay by
Steve Kloves Stephen Keith Kloves (born March 18, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He wrote and directed the 1989 film '' The Fabulous Baker Boys'' and is mainly known for his adaptations of novels, especially for all but one of the ''Harry Potter'' films (th ...
. The film débuted at number one at the box office and held that position for two weeks. It made a total of $796.7 million worldwide, which made it the second highest-grossing film of 2004 behind ''
Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the se ...
''. However, among all eight entries in the ''Harry Potter'' franchise, ''Prisoner of Azkaban'' grossed the lowest; yet among critics and fans, the film is often cited as the best in the franchise – in large part due to Cuarón's stylistic influence. The film ranks at number 471 in ''
Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.


Video games

Three unique video games by different developers were released in 2004 by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted th ...
, loosely based on the book:


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 1999 children's books 1999 British novels 1999 fantasy novels BILBY Award-winning works Bloomsbury Publishing books Bram Stoker Award for Best Work for Young Readers winners British novels adapted into films Costa Book Award-winning works Fiction about shapeshifting Fiction about size change Fiction about prison escapes Wrongful convictions in fiction Fiction set in 1993 Fiction set in 1994 03 Novels about revenge Novels about time travel Scholastic Corporation books Sequel novels Werewolf novels Children's fantasy novels