Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Thorndike Young Adult)

Rowling, J K

ISBN 10: 0786222743 ISBN 13: 9780786222742

Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print, 2000

Synopsis

What's a young wizard to do when he must spend the summer with distasteful relatives and refrain from practicing magic? Thirteen-year-old Harry Potter puts up with this situation until Aunt Marge so annoys him that he violates a code of ethics by using his magic on her. Instead of being punished, Harry is allowed to finish out his holiday at the Leaky Cauldron Inn, a thoroughly enjoyable experience. But as Harry's third year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry begins, things turn serious when Sirius Black, the man who killed Harry's parents and has it in for Harry, too, escapes from Azkaban Prison. While trying to find out why Sirius murdered his parents, the young hero learns more about his own past and actually "hears" the end of his mothers life. In this third book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Hangs out with his friends Ron and Hermione, meets the "Hippogriffs" and "Dementors," and continues to make readers care very much about his fate.

No Canadian Rights for the Harry Potter Series

HARRY POTTER and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and (c) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter publishing rights (c) J. K. Rowling. (s05)

About this title

Review

Age 9 and over

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third, and possibly the best, book in the phenomenally successful, award-winning Harry Potter series by JK Rowling.

After just about surviving yet another summer with the dreadful Dursleys, the arrival of Aunt Marge is the final straw and, in a fit of anger, Harry casts a spell on her, causing her to blow up like a balloon. He fully expects to be expelled from Hogwarts for his blatant flaunting of the rule not to use magic outside term time, but the arrival of the mysterious Knight Bus and a meeting with Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, result in Harry enjoying the rest of the holidays in the wonderful surroundings of the Leaky Cauldron.

Meanwhile Sirius Black--one-time friend of Harry's parents, implicated in their murder and follower of "You- Know-Who"--escapes from Azkaban and this has serious implications for Harry. Back at Hogwarts, Harry's movements are restricted by the presence of the Dementors--guards from Azkaban on the look out for Black.

Stephen Fry's endearingly snooty vocal chords are a perfect match for Rowling's superb storytelling, and Fry manages to give even further depth to a complex and absorbing plot by adding an irreverent wit and a deep-rooted touch of class to a compelling and magical tale that, once heard, will never be forgotten. Age 9 and over --Susan Harrison

Review

'I can honestly say I can't remember the last time I encountered an author who has had this effect on me. For the first time in years the book lives up to the hype ... perfection' Daily Express 'Extraordinarily vivid and exceptionally well-imagined' Independent on Sunday 'Rowling deserves all the plaudits that are being heaped upon her. For once, the word phenomenon is an understatement' Scotland on Sunday 'The most remarkable publishing sensation for a generation ... the story is told with such momentum, imagination and irrepressible humour that it can captivate both adults and children' Sunday Express

Edition details

• Publisher: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786222743
• ISBN 13: 9780786222742
• Binding: Library Binding
• Illustrator: Grandpre Mary
• Number of pages: 592