#TheList No. 697: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Unless you've been living under a rock, you most likely know that J.K. Rowling's first novel purposely for adults, The Casual Vacancy, came out last week.  I started it yesterday, it's very different from HP and I really like it so far.  To get prepped for the new Rowling book, I decided to skip ahead on the List, and go for my favorite Harry Potter book.

The Prisoner of Azkaban is usually everyone's favorite of the series.  Whether it's the new information about the death of Harry's parents, the introduction of the Marauder's Map, or simply Sirius Black's amazing entrance, it's one of the most revered of the HP world.  What's interesting is that the movie version of this book was the least successful financially.  It doesn't make sense because look at that picture of Gary Oldman as Sirius.  Siriusly, guys? Have you seen this wizard? Yes I just made that bad joke. Moving on.

Rereading Azkaban, I noticed that there is still a lot of explication of previously introduced concepts.  The whole, "you see, Harry isn't like other boys. He's a wizard" concept is still evident (I paraphrased there, obviously) and that can drag the book for a tiny bit because we already know this information.  Forgetting the scoring system of a Quidditch match? Maybe. Forgetting that Harry is a wizard? Not going to happen.

But that aside, the book is incredible.  It is fast paced, funny, moving, and filled with adventure, friendship, and consequences.  And, of course, magic.  In case you forgot.  The lessons the trio learns about second chances (time-turner business), different outlooks (Malfoy's view of Hagrid and Lupin vs. the trio's view), and skewed histories (Snape's account of James saving his life vs. Lupin's account) are often implicit, which gives levels to the reading experience.  The books aren't about magic.  The books are about these lessons. Magic is just something they know how to do.