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

first British printing: July 8, 1999 (3:45 pm)
first American printing: October 1999
illustrations by Mary GrandPré, 1999

Dedication:
To Jill Prewett and Aine Kiely, the Godmothers of Swing

This is the third book of the series, and it marks a turning point in the saga, as Harry for the first time confronts the darker side of his own past and the pasts of some of the people he loves and trusts. Harry is forced to grow up a lot in this book, but he forms some very strong relationships with people who will be immensely important in his life.

resources:

• Reader's Guide to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  a complete chapter-by chapter guide with notes and commentary
• Canon Portkey: detailed outline of the book
  explore book three with links and cross-references
• chapter synopses
• day by day calendar of events in the book
• differences between the British and American versions
• edits and changes to the text
• visual timeline of the time travel episode
• gallery of cover art from around the world (from Leaky Galleries)

word count:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 107,253 words
Official Word Count Provided by Scholastic Inc TM & © 1996-2004. All rights reserved.

other media versions:

• audiobooks
  • Stephen Fry (U.K. version)
  • Jim Dale (U.S. version)
• film (Warner Bros. - June, 2004)
• video/DVD (U.S. release date: November 25, 2004)
• video games (Electronic Arts - June 2004)

related essays:

• An Elegantly-Woven Tapestry: Plotlines in Prisoner of Azkaban by Amy Z.
• A View of the Map: Understanding How the Marauder's Map Works by Steven Beers

facts & trivia:

• Still to come....

author's comments about the book:

• "Out of the five books I've published, writing Azkaban was the easiest, and in some ways I think that shows." (PA/dvd)