book:harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban by j.k. rowling review: I knew before I even finished it that #3 was the best in the seriesthus far. First of all, mix crystal ball reading, bizarre animals full of personality, protective ghosts that one can conjure up, a necklace that turns back time, reading tea leaves, the study of muggles, and a secret map and you’ve got me hooked. All these things show that rowling is really letting her imagination take off now, getting into the flow of things, getting the rhythm down. Plus, with a couple of volumes behind her, she can merely mention history and then move on, no need to keep rebuilding the characters or rehashing the past. Now it’s full speed ahead. And harry is really developing nicely, as is hermione (even if I just learned how to say her name right – oops). Both are maturing and coming into themselves, as to be expected of 13-year-olds, but also as rowling gets to know them better. Unlike in books 1 and 2, harry actually stood up and took a stand this time around, was actually an active participant in the story’s ending, the catalyst instead of a bystander who made it out alive with some luck and some help. Now I’m absolutely itching to get to #4. But it’s nice, spacing them out like this. It makes it all the more gratifying when you get to dig into one. Jeez! I can’t wait for the movie now. It’s all just so exciting.
