Until this year, I’d only ever read the first book in the Harry Potter series. Now, I’m working my way through the series with the audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale. Dale does a great job bringing the story to life, and even though the series pours on the cast members, especially with this third book, he does a great job keeping the voices consistent from book-to-book.

The one thing I’ll add about this book is that I can understand why Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Akzaban is considered a favorite of many fans. While the prior books aren’t poorly written, the quality of Rowling’s writing steps up with this third installment. My wife Sheri recently said she felt this was the book where the larger stakes of the series become clearer.