2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.

Pages: 435 pages

Length: 1 Month (December)

Participants: Alaina, Raviteja.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

Sooooo excited for this one!

Ch 5: (view spoiler)[Wow, dementors on the train? Does that mean Sirius was close by or no? Doesn't seem like Harry will ever catch a break with this new year at school. I'm also wondering if Hermione just received the time turner. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 10: (view spoiler)[All kinds of awkward that he's learning about Black and his dad right now. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 15: (view spoiler)[Aw yay they won! That was an intense game if I'm being honest though. Ugh, this make me want to watch the movies all over again! (hide spoiler)]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Weird how Uncle Vernon didn't know about Sirius Black? Then again, he didn't like the magical world because it was different. I still enjoy Harry's sass to the Dursley's though. (hide spoiler)]

Wow! you're already done with it. I will hopefully start it next weekend once I am done with Kingdom of Ash!

Raviteja wrote: "Wow! you're already done with it. I will hopefully start it next weekend once I am done with Kingdom of Ash!"

Haha yeah, I flew through it! It was hard to stop once I started the book.

Alaina wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Wow! you're already done with it. I will hopefully start it next weekend once I am done with Kingdom of Ash!"

Haha yeah, I flew through it! It was hard to stop once I started the ..."

This book is one of my favourites in the series and I have no doubt I will do the same once I start it :D

This is always the one I fly through too!

I always really liked Prisoner of Azkaban, especially as I got older. I love the discovery of the first two books, but the plot really takes off in this book. The character development starts getting really good here too, in my opinion. This is probably the last really good pairing, overall, of book to movie production. After this, it just felt like a sprint to the finish in the movies!

Let me know if you want to continue this series next year!

Alaina wrote: "Let me know if you want to continue this series next year!"

Definitely yes! We will be doing the rest of the books from January to April I assume. Shall I request for those in the buddy read sign up thread? I do not see Goblet of Fire scheduled for January.

Cassie wrote: "I always really liked Prisoner of Azkaban, especially as I got older. I love the discovery of the first two books, but the plot really takes off in this book. The character development starts getti..."

I agree with what you said about the book-movie pairing. The last Harry Potter movie I saw was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I abandoned the movies after that.

Chapter 2
(view spoiler)[
Harry gets more angry when someone insults his parents but takes it more calmly when they insult him. Is it because he got used to how he was treated by the Dursleys?
(hide spoiler)]

Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Let me know if you want to continue this series next year!"

Definitely yes! We will be doing the rest of the books from January to April I assume. Shall I request for those in the b..."

Yeah, I brought that up on the thread and I can let them know that we plan to continue this series! Just wanted to double check with everyone first.

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[
So that is when Sirius tracked Harry for the first time - always watching him from then on. We only realize this when we reread (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4
(view spoiler)[
1)Harry didn’t have to do his homework under the blankets by flashlight anymore; now he could sit in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all his essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave Harry free sundaes every half an hour.

I only wish I could do my homework like this at an ice cream parlour.

2) “Hm,” said the witch, picking up Scabbers. “How old is this rat?”

“Dunno,” said Ron. “Quite old. He used to belong to my brother.”

“What powers does he have?” said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.

I dont think any rats in Harry Potter world have powers and this is the first indication that the rat actually is someone else. But by this point, we still dont know the concept of an animagus, so we dont think in that direction. (hide spoiler)]

Raviteja wrote: "Chapter 2.."

Oh wow, I never really thought about it.. but then again - that does make a lot of sense!

Raviteja wrote: "Chapter 3.."

Comment @ Ch 3, I totally forgot about that when I first read this book but it made so much sense during this re-read. It was fun noticing different things this time around.

Raviteja wrote: "Chapter 4..."

Comment @ CH 4, OMG! (view spoiler)[Ya know.. I always knew about McGonagall as the cat.. and Sirius as the dog... but never thought the rat could be someone until she said that. (hide spoiler)]

Alaina wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Chapter 4..."

Comment @ CH 4, OMG! [spoilers removed]"

If we are reading for the first time, it is tough to guess because we wouldnt be taught about animagi at that time. Bu during reread, we see a lot of things that we missed before.

Alaina wrote: "Ch 5: [spoilers removed]"

I dont think they know Sirius is in Hogwarts. Since Harry is a potential target, they let the Dementors in the train and Hogwarts.

Also, I think Hermione received it after her 'discussion with McGonagall" about the her subjects. That is around when she told Harry to go and said she needs to discuss something with Hermione.

Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Ch 5: [spoilers removed]"

I dont think they know Sirius is in Hogwarts. Since Harry is a potential target, they let the Dementors in the train and Hogwarts.

Also, I think Hermione ..."

Nevermind.. Sirius was muttering "He's in Hogwarts" before he escaped Azkaban and that is why the dementors were there in Hogwarts.

Alaina wrote: "Ch 10: [spoilers removed]"

It sure must be heartbreaking for Harry, to listen to all the stuff. I felt so bad for him there.

Alaina wrote: "Ch 15: [spoilers removed]"

That indeed was intense and I was cheering for Gryffindor all the way.

""Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus?"

I wonder if Dumbledore meant that literally or figuratively. :)

Alaina wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

i dont think Uncle Vernon ever cared about Harry or his family enough, even Harry's parents except for the fact that they can do magic. Harry's sass is always spot on when he's with them!

Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Ch 10: [spoilers removed]"

It sure must be heartbreaking for Harry, to listen to all the stuff. I felt so bad for him there."

Yeah, it's like he can never catch a break.

Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Ch 15: [spoilers removed]"

That indeed was intense and I was cheering for Gryffindor all the way."

Oh yes, hands down! Man this makes me want to watch the movies!

Raviteja wrote: """Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus?"

I wonder if Dumbledore meant that literally or..."

Oooo that's a good question.

Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

i dont think Uncle Vernon ever cared about Harry or his family enough, even Harry's parents except for the fact that they can do magic. Harry's sass is..."

Ha yes it is! I wish he was more sassy in the movies to them.

Alaina wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Ch 10: [spoilers removed]"

It sure must be heartbreaking for Harry, to listen to all the stuff. I felt so bad for him there."

Yeah, it's like he can never catch a ..."

Until the last conversation with Sirius and Lupin, this book was pushing Harry down from time to time, making it worse for him. If not for the reveals in the end, I was thinking that Harry would really get depressed.

Alaina wrote: "Raviteja wrote: "Alaina wrote: "Finished: [spoilers removed]"

i dont think Uncle Vernon ever cared about Harry or his family enough, even Harry's parents except for the fact that they can do magic..."

I feel that the movies never gave importance to Harry's parts with the Dursleys, and they focused more on his life in Hogwarts. Its injustice to Harry's personality as we miss some key aspects of him.

This is probably my favourite book but there was a lot missing from the movie. I like the movies but I don't like how the movies reflect a lot of the characters because a lot of them changed too much, they erased some characters all together and I felt Prisoner of Azkaban was the first one to significantly change things up!! I like them on their own, but not as a reflection of the books or the characters haha