Rating: *****

Summary: Now in his third year, Harry Potter has a lot to worry about. While still at the Dursleys, he lost his temper, and did some magic on his vile "Aunt" Marge. He's so scared of the consequences of performing magic while underaged, and on a muggle, no less, that he hops a bus to Diagon Alley. Once there, he meets the Minister of Magic (oh no!) but, for some strange reason, he gets in no trouble at all! This is only the begining of a long chain of events that lead up to Harry learning more about his past and his parents, in another startling conclusion.

    This is my favorite book of the series, so far. This has a more complex story line than the other two books, and is definately darker. Younger children who have been following the series so far may find this book to be too scary. In the end, everything doesn't come out pat, and that's a big part of it's appeal for me. Also, the atmosphere is more sinister, which really makes the villians seem scarier, more real, and not as... cartoonish as before. Lupin is my favorite professor so far. The other thing that really contributes to this book is the information you learn about Harry's parents. So far, we've known very little about them, and suddenly we're getting all this information that raises more questions than it answers.

Written by: Lava