Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

The third book in the Harry Potter series. Sirius Black, an old friend of Lord Voldermort, has escaped from Azkaban, which is the prison for wizards. He is on the loose and dangerous. Even the muggle world knows Sirius Black has escaped from prison and is dangerous. Dementors, which are prison guards in the wizard world, are searching for Sirius.

Everyone seems to be nervous, even back at Hogwarts, but the school year goes on. Towards the end, Ron gets dragged towards the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione follow. Sirius is there, along with Professor Snape (Harry's nemesis) and Professor Lupin (Harry's friend). The crazy thing is some of these wizards can turn into animals. After a lot of talking, it turns out that Sirius is actually innocent and is in fact Harry's godfather. Harry and Hermione are able to travel back in time to help Sirius escape the Dementors and get away from Hogwarts.

The animal thing was a bit far-fetched for me, even for a magical world. Same with traveling back in time. With that being said, the book was still really good. The development of characters was good, the twist at the end was good. I'm excited to see what happens in the next book. I'm sure Sirius will make a comeback.

My rating for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: 4 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Sooo I actually read the first two Harry Potter books in the same week! The first one had me addicted. The second one did not let me down.

In year two of the Harry Potter series, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened, which allows a Slytherin heir to kill students who do not come from all-magical families. Students who come across the heir end up frozen in place because they are so petrified. Harry, Ron, and Hermione investigate the attacks and eventually find the Chamber of Secrets. Once again, Dumbledore comes to the rescue as his phoenix provides a sword which allows Harry to succeed.

J.K. Rowling does a great job at keeping the reader entertained. The beginning of the book does a great job recapping some of the basic wizard terms (for example, explaining the rules of Quidditch) without forcing it. She also does a good job recapping where the first book left off. The characters intertwine and the twist at the end is good too. It builds off of the first book, with more magical things and the plot thickening.

If you haven't read the Harry Potter series I strongly recommend it!

My rating for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

You may have noticed I have not posted anything recently. I have been spending a lot of time helping my cousin finish his basement. I know that's not a good excuse to not be reading. So I figured I needed something to jump start my interest again. And one of my goals for the summer is to read the Harry Potter series as I only read the first two books when they came out. What better time to start than right now.

A little history lesson first. The first Harry Potter book came out in 1999. I didn't realize it has been almost 20 years. As I mentioned earlier I only read the first two books, although I do own the entire series as my mom bought them when I was a kid. I have never seen any of the movies. I figure most people who care have already read the books, so my blogs on the Harry Potter books will include spoilers and be more reactionary.

Harry Potter thinks he is a normal kid being raised by his miserable aunt and uncle (Muggles), but he is actually a legendary wizard. He attends his first year of school (essentially 6th grade) at Hogwarts and quickly learns the wizard life and of his past. Hogwarts is protecting the Sorcerer's Stone, which provides eternal life. Lord Voldermort is trying to get the stone, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide they need to get to the stone before Lord Voldermort does. Harry almost makes it, but is saved by Dumbledore.

The first Harry Potter book is the definition of a page turner. J.K. Rowling does a great job of creating a magical world, using new words that are somehow memorable and feel like regular English. It is easy to read and can be entertaining for teenagers or adults. For the most part, the reader feels like it is somewhat believable. I'm looking forward to reading the next book!

My rating for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!