What's All the Hype About the Prisoner of Azkaban?

If you haven't read the book yet, get it now!  (Don't worry though, there are no spoilers here).  Things are starting to change for Harry and his friends, there is a dark mood about Hogwarts.  And you thought the Chamber of Secrets was scary... you ain't seen nothing yet!  Something wicked this way comes.

He was sent to Azkaban prison for murdering 13 people with a single spell and he laughed as the Ministry of Magic officials hauled him away.  The mystery surrounding him makes him almost as frightening as Lord Voldemort himself.  Is he coming after Harry?  No one knows for sure but strange things are happening, like Harry seeing a giant black dog lurking in the shadows.

We also see the introduction of 2 new professors at Hogwarts; the sickly-looking but brilliant Professor Remus Lupin and the goggle-eyed seer Professor Sybill Trelawney.  Lupin the the best defense against the dark arts teacher Hogwarts and its students have ever seen and Trelawney predicts Harry's demise every time she sees him.  Is she right? 

I have to say that Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite book of the series so far.  It is a pivotal chapter in Harry's life and we start to see future events unfold within its pages.  Many of the questions answered in Book 5, Order of the Phoenix, are asked here in Book 3.  It is a must read and re-read for every Potter fan.

The official Prisoner of Azkaban poster has been released, you can click on the image to the left to get yours today.  Things are really getting exciting now, I'm literally jumping out of my seat to see the movie.  Who could be better to play Sirius Black than the excellent Gary Oldman?  An Emma Thompson is going to be glorious as the slightly batty Sybill Trelawney.  I'm ready for the Prisoner of Azkaban, are you?