Revisiting Hogwarts

The third book in the Harry Potter series is no less enjoyable than the previous two.

Yet another fascinating yarn from the limitless imagination of author J.K. Rowling, this Harry Potter novel will be enjoyed by all from the ages of ten and above.

This time Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger find themselves in their third year at Hogwarts with a lot of changes. Potter's life is under threat from Sirius Black, a ruthless criminal; Dementors,the cruel guards of the Prison of Azkaban, have descended on Hogwarts in order to capture Black; Hermione has taken up more classes than she can handle, which results in her being buried under tomes of ancient wizarding texts and there is a new arrival - Professor Lupin - who commences the "Defence against The Dark Arts" classes.

Among all these fresh developments, some things remain the same. Quidditch games still have to be won, House Championships have to be secured, Professor Snape has to be tolerated; homework has to be submitted; Hagrid has to be consoled about his hippogriff Buckbeak who has been singled out for execution by the Ministry of Magic; the class bullies Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle have to be avoided, ignored and outwitted in turn; Hogsmeade, a quaint wizard town has to be visited; and finally, Harry's parents have to be avenged.

J.K. Rowling has once again spun a rich, exciting fantasy that can't be put down once it's started. We're hurried along from incident to incident, each one chaotic and intriguing in its own right. They, besides making the book the delight it is, prove just how good a storyteller Rowling is. She opens up a vivid world for her readers using a very solid plot structure and dependable characters.

Read this one just for the magic of it!

This article was first published on12 Jun 2000.