Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the third in the Harry Potter series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Along with friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry investigates Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner from Azkaban who they believe is one of Lord Voldemort's old allies.
The book was published in the United Kingdom on July by Bloomsbury and in the United States on September by Scholastic Inc. Rowling found the book easy to write, finishing it just a year after she had begun writing it. The book sold , copies in just three days after its release in the United Kingdom and since has sold over three million in the country. The book won the Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, and was short-listed for other awards, including the Hugo.
The film adaptation of the novel was released in , grossing more than $ million and earning critical acclaim. Video games loosely based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were also released for several platforms, and most obtained favourable reviews.