For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts . . . he's at Hogwarts."
Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst.
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