Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is considered by some to be the best Harry Potter book ever written. It is the third instalment in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling.
The events in this book occur during the Third Year of Harry Potter’s education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Unlike the first two books and every other subsequent book where Lord Voldemort makes an appearance within the story of ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,’ this book is unique in that he never makes an appearance. This book starts off with Harry being given extra protection by the Ministry of Magic and at Hogwarts since a mass murderer named Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban Prison and is rumored to be hunting down Harry.
J. K. Rowling began writing ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ immediately after she completed writing ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. It was published in the United Kingdom on 8 July 1999 and on 8 September 1999 in the USA. Rowling later claimed in one of her interviews in 2004 that she enjoyed writing ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ a lot and that it was the best writing experience she ever had. She was financially stable due to the reception of the first two books and had very little to worry about in terms of fame and the paparazzo, as her books were just getting famous. She claimed that the best part of this book was the introduction of the character Remus Lupin, who she really liked. 
Harry Potter and the ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ is closely related to the other Harry Potter books in terms of plot, style, and characters. This book is the beginning of a slight shift in tone in the book series, from a cheerful children’s series to a slightly darker and grittier one. This book is similar to the first four books in that the antagonist is portrayed to be someone else and only at the end of the book is the actual antagonist of the book revealed.
Other books that are similar to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban include J. R. R. Tolkien’s works like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit.’ The Harry Potter series is also compared to the Narnia series written by C S Lewis. Both Tolkien’s and Lewis’ work feature creatures and characters that are similar to that of the Harry Potter series and have a strong presence of magic throughout them.
Other books that can be considered similar to ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ are ‘Redeeming Justice’ by Jarrett Adams, ‘Getting Life’ by Michael Morton, and ‘Infinite Hope’ by Anthony Graves, as they all tell stories of people who were wrongly convicted of crimes they didn’t commit, just like one of the major characters in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.’
Every book with the concept of time travel is also similar to this book, as a major part of this book deals with time travel.
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is certainly one of the most popular books in the book series. Furthermore, many critics have claimed that this book brings out a more refined and artful writing style from Rowling, owing to her experience as a writer in the past two books. The movie adaptation of ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, one of the most skilled directors to ever direct a Harry Potter movie. Most movie critics still consider ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ to be the best Harry Potter movie ever made. It is also the highest-rated Harry Potter movie in many major rating systems. ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is also important because, for the first time in the Harry Potter universe, the concept of the Time Turner and, by extension, time travel was introduced. Hermione uses Time Turners to attend all her classes that are held simultaneously, and later, Hermione and Harry use it to save a major character in the book. This served as a major plot point to the Harry Potter play released after the book named ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’
Many reviews have lauded ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ for being one of the best Harry Potter books ever written, especially for its bold shift from children’s storytelling to elements of gritty realism.
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is loaded with several great quotes that add to the well-written narrative as a reminder of the mood and the sentiment behind these characters’ expressions.
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ has a lot of new characters that were not present in the first two books including characters who were crucial during the first wizarding wars and the beginning of Lord Voldemort’s ascent to power.
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is significantly different in thematic value from its two predecessors. It is known for its interesting twists and turns and great storytelling.
‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ is the third installment in the Harry Potter book series written by J K Rowling. It is known for establishing a significant shift in storytelling, from a cheerful tone to a darker, more gritty one.