My family and I have continued listening to the Stephen Fry–narrated Harry Potter audiobooks during long car rides to visit relatives. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the series, is one of my personal favourites. I especially love how it ties together the story so far while reaching back to James Potter’s own time at Hogwarts and the friendships he formed there.
Listening to this instalment was particularly engaging for my eight-year-old, who asked plenty of questions and was always eager to keep listening on our trips. We often paused the audiobook to explain certain concepts or phrases he didn’t understand, which turned into wonderful opportunities for family discussion and reflection between chapters.
This novel tells the tale of Harry’s third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. From the opening chapter, something is amiss in the wizarding world. Before long, Harry learns that everyone is on edge because the notorious mass murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from Azakaban. Terrifying Dementors – the prison guards of Azakaban – are everywhere, trying to find the escapee, and Harry seems to be his next target. Meanwhile, Harry is seeing the dark omen of the Grim, a giant, black dog, seemingly everywhere. Things are certainly getting darker in this third novel.
As an adult listener, there were moments when I wanted to grab those pesky kids and tell them to go and speak to an adult. While listening with my son, we found plenty of moments to pause and talk about alternative choices Harry and his friends could have made—ones that didn’t involve life-or-death peril. Then again, if they went to the responsible grown-up every time, there wouldn’t be much of a story, would there?
These Stephen Fry–narrated novels continue to delight, and I’ve greatly enjoyed sharing this one with my family. Overall, I give it a solid 3 out of 5 missing pinky fingers.