Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Azkaban is such a relief after the disappointment of Chamber of Secrets. It's darker, adds depth to the overarching plot of the septology and characters, and has more complex subplots. The book begins with the convicted mass murderer, Sirius Black, escaping from the prison Azkaban. The magical community is terrified; they even let the news leak to Muggles, though of course not saying that Black is a wizard. Back at the house of his vicious relatives, Harry has an illegal magical blow up and runs away a few weeks before school starts. Unexpectedly, he's welcomed by the Minister for Magic to stay in Diagon Alley. Once school starts, the whole school is on alert for Black and Harry finds his past and present is tied to this crazed killer. It's a terrific story, and the book that propels the series into a more mature place...

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