In his third year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter faces a new threat when Sirius Black, a highly dangerous prisoner believed to be one of Voldemort’s followers, escapes from Azkaban, the jail for the most ruthless rule-breakers of the wizarding world. Rumors spread that Sirius is coming after Harry, prompting Dumbledore to lock the school down, surrounding it with terrifying, soul-sucking dementors. As Harry dives deeper into the situation, he learns new information about his fateful past, and the event that changed his life forever.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a dark reentry into the series and serves as a stark reminder that there are more hardships for Harry to overcome. He is forced to realize that reality is not everything that he once believed in his previous, simple life. This switch of tone makes the novel all the more interesting and adds a new complexity to the mix. The introduction of Remus Lupin is also a refreshing part of the story and keeps it from getting boring. However, the constant changes in the plot can make the book a little hard to follow for a younger audience, earning it a 4 out of 5.