Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

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Title: Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

Series: Harry Potter, book 3

Author: J K Rowling

Publisher: Listening Library

Narrator: Jim Dale

Duration: 11 hours, 36 minutes

Copyright: 1999

Genres: fantasy, adventure, mystery

Filed in: Audiobook reviews

Review copy provided by Carrollton Public Library.



THE GIST: There's a dangerous killer on the loose. Notorious murderer Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban, something no one has ever done before, and the whole wizarding world is nearly in a state of panic.



Harry Potter has problems of his own, though. Uncle Vernon’s sister, Aunt Marge, has come to #4 Privet Drive for a week-long visit. Like her brother, Aunt Marge is porky and purple -faced and never misses an opportunity to criticize Harry, especially after having a glass or two of brandy. She went a little too far, however, when she started telling Harry what deadbeats his parents were. So Harry blew her up. No, no, he didn’t cause her to explode, he actually blew her up like a balloon until she was big and round and bobbing on the ceiling. Harry knew he was in trouble this time, so he ran away from home.



Harry catches a ride on the Knight Bus, and goes to the first place that comes to mind. The Leaky Cauldron in London, gateway to Diagon-Alley. And who does he find waiting for him there? The Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge. Far from being angry with Harry, Fudge seems more relieved than anything. A few days later, the Weasleys come to Diagon-Alley to do their school shopping, and Harry learns why Fudge was so relieved to see him. Harry overhears Mister Weasley explaining that Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban so he could come after Harry.



Well, the kids are off to school, and the clues to the mystery gradually fall into place. Apparently, Black was the best friend of Harry’s father, James, but at some point, he went over to the dark side. In fact, it was Sirius Black who told Lord Voldemort where to find the Potters on the fateful night they were murdered. Now he wants to finish the job by killing Harry.



MY THOUGHTS: In “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”, J K Rowling continues to expand the magical universe she created. There are new characters to meet, as well as new places to explore like the village of Hogsmeade, the only all-magical village in all of Britain. Rowling really knows how to write a mystery, dropping clues in all the right places, and throwing in a shocking revelation here and there to keep you turning pages.



FAVORITE ROWLING CREATION: “The triple-decker, violently purple Knight Bus. “Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. Conductor Stan Shunpike will be on hand to sell you your ticket; 11 sickles for any destination, but for 13 you get hot chocolate, and for 15 you get a hot water bottle and a toothbrush in the color of your choice. But hang onto your hats, because this bus doesn’t always use roads. Lamp posts, trees, or even whole houses sometimes need to leap out of the way when this thing comes along. After running away from the Dursley's, Harry catches a ride on the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron in London.



NARRATOR: Jim Dale’s repertoire continues to grow with the addition of new characters such as Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Knight Bus conductor Stan Shunpike. Dale doesn't just read these audio books, he really performs them. When Rowling calls for a character to chuckle, Dale actually chuckles. When a character is supposed to be sad, he really sounds sad. What an amazing audio book narrator!



FAVORITE JIM DALE VOICE: Aunt Marge is just as pompous and blustering as her brother Vernon, but hearing Jim Dale perform her voice after she’s drunk on brandy cracks me up every time.



FAVORITE SCENE: I love the scene where Professor Lupin is showing Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class how to handle a boggart. Boggarts have the ability to take the form of whatever scares you the most, and the way to handle it is to take that frightening shape and make it somehow comical. So in this scene, we get to see how each student handles their fear; a mummy that trips over its own bandages for Parvati, a banshee that loses its voice for Shamus, and, of course, for Ron, a spider which he neatly handles by removing all its legs. The funniest moment comes when it’s Neville Longbottom's turn. His biggest fear is Professor Snape, who Neville promptly dresses in his grandmother’s clothes, vulture-topped hat, green dress, and big red handbag. Also in this scene, the mystery of Remus Lupin deepens. Why does the boggart take the shape of a full moon for Lupin?



MOST SHOCKING REVELATION: Scabbers, Ron’s pet rat for the last twelve years, is not a rat at all! He is actually an ani-magus by the name of Peter Pettigrew. And if that isn't shocking enough, it turns out that Pettigrew was involved in the murder of Harry’s parents!



FAVORITE CHARACTER: Hogwarts has a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher again. Remus Lupin seems like a prettygood guy; good teacher, popular with the kids, and Snape doesn’t like him so that has to count for something right? There does seem to be an air of mystery about the man, though. Imagine Harry’s surprise when he learns that Lupin and Sirius Black were close friends when they were students at Hogwarts.



FAVORITE QUOTE: Professor McGonogal, upon hearing that Professor Trelawney has predicted Harry’s imminent death: “You look in excellent health, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don’t let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in.”



FINAL WORD: As Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger become teen-agers, the subject matter of Rowling’s audio books becomes slightly more advanced. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” sets the scene for Harry to begin learning the truth about Voldemort and the murder of his parents.



FILM ADAPTATION: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson return for the third movie in the series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." In my opinion, this is the last Potter movie that was any good. After this one, they started going off Rowling’s story too much.



CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS::

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J K Rowling (Audiobook Review)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling (Audiobook review)





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This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.

Audiobook review by Steven Brandt

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