While I’m in the midst of reading Goblet of Fire (Harry just passed the first task), I thought I’d join in on these discussion questions for Prisoner of Azkaban over at The Reading Fever. Penelope is currently reading the entire series for her first time! Oh, how I envy her!

If you haven’t read Harry Potter, these questions (and answers) contain spoilers.

What is your favorite line from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?

• Inspirational: “You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don’t recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble?” Dumbledore
• Humorous: “HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I-WANT-TO-TALK-TO-HARRY-POTTER!” Ron

If the Knight Bus hadn’t been summoned when it was, what might have happened? Would Harry have believed Sirius if he had introduced himself?

I don’t think Sirius would’ve revealed himself to Harry at this point. He was too focused on his mission of finding Peter and killing him. Once he had done that, had the three not intervened, then he would’ve approached Harry. I’m not sure if Harry would’ve believe him or not because it took him a while to believe him when Sirius did tell him the truth.

In this book, Voldemort doesn’t play a major part. What do you think the purpose of this was? Do you think it was for the better, or worse?

I think it’s fine because he’s still there waiting in the shadows, biding his time. And, for those that have read the rest of the series (or seen the movies), this book was a huge step in helping Voldemort return to power.

Why do you think Professor McGonagall gave Hermione the time-turner? Was it to allow her to learn a lesson, or do you believe she thought Hermione could handle taking so many classes?

I think maybe a little of both. I think she allowed Hermione to prove herself, not to the teachers but to herself. Hermione would’ve always been wondering if she could’ve got through more classes. Having the time-turner showed her that while she could do it, she was frazzled and ready to burst into tears every second of every day. She realized that she needed to prioritize what was most important to her and let the others fall by the wayside.

What do you think Hermione learned from trying to do too many things at once? What did YOU learn about her character after learning about all the classes she was taking?

See above question and answer.

What is one emotion you felt strongly, while reading this book?

I felt so many emotions while reading this book. I’ve said this before many times, but Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite story. I love its complexity and that is due in part to the complex of emotions I feel while reading it. I was happy that Harry found a good father figure in Sirius. I was livid at Snape and how he messed things up at the end. I was ecstatic when Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. I was anxious about wanting to know how everything ends. There are so many emotions and things that I enjoy about this story that I could go on forever.

Is there something that bothered you about this book? Why?

Actually, nothing bothered me in this book. The only thing about this book that is bothersome to me is the movie. But, I won’t get into that. Also, ask me this question next book and I’ll give you a better answer.

What important relationships did Harry form in this book, and why are they important?

The obvious one is Sirius, of course. He found out that Sirius didn’t betray his parents and now has a father figure in his life, an adult he can rely on and tell anything to, something he has felt he has never had. Then there’s Professor Lupin. Not only does he finally get a DADA professor who knows his stuff, he also finds out that this professor was good friends with his parents, a connection to a piece of himself that he doesn’t know a lot about. I also think his friendship with Ron and Hermione strengthened because of the trials and turmoils they experienced with Crookshanks and the Firebolt.

Just for fun: What part of the book made you laugh the most? If you’ve read it before, does it still make you laugh?

I absolutely love when Ron tries to call Harry on the telephone. It makes me laugh every time. I also love when the Marauder’s Map insults Professor Snape; it makes me chuckle. I also love when Professor McGonagall gets after Wood for having his priorities mixed up.

What about you?

PS–I’ve decided now that I’ve passed the first five days of my juice fast, I’m only going to post a summary about it every five days. I figure no one wants to read my day-to-day progress since it’s probably going to be pretty similar.

Life has been a little bit crazy this month with the beginning of a new semester that’s demanding a lot of my time. And, with the death of my kitty two weeks ago, I just haven’t quite been in the mood to do much of anything.

But, I think it’s time to break out of this funk. And, what better way to do it than with Harry Potter. For Christmas, I received the UK editions of all seven books and I started rereading the series at once. Unfortunately, I’m only about halfway through Philosopher’s Stone.

However, I thought it’d be fun to post some discussions as I read through the books again. I hope you’ll join me and answer the questions for yourselves in the comments or add to what I have to say. Here are the questions (I used some of the discussion questions provided by Scholastic):

How would you feel if you discovered you were a wizard?

I’d be so excited if I discovered I were a witch. Ever since I read Harry Potter for the first time in 2001, I have longed for the world of Hogwarts to be real, even the bad stuff. Of course, I think I’d be stunned because I’d find out that the world was actually real, which to my current knowledge isn’t true.

What do the names of the four Hogwarts houses–Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin–suggest to you? Which one would you be in and why?

It’s kind of funny because I think the names of the houses embody how people feel about them. It could be that the world of Harry Potter is so engrained in me that it’s hard to think any differently. But, Gryffindor sounds brave and grand. Hufflepuff sounds cough*wimpy*cough. Ravenclaw sounds knowledgeable and wise. And, Slytherin sounds a bit sinister.

According to Pottermore, I’d be in Slytherin. And, according to every personality quiz I’ve ever taken that parallels the Hogwarts houses, I’d be in Slytherin. It’s because I yearn for approval and attention. When Harry’s sorted, he asks the Sorting Hat to put him in any house except Slytherin. The hat responds: “… a nice thirst to prove yourself…. Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.”

Many novels borrow from the traditional stories of fairy tales, myths, and legends. Fluffy resembles Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guards the underworld of Greek mythology. What other creatures from traditional tales are paralleled in the story? How does each of these creatures play a pivotal role in advancing the plot?

I wish I remembered my Greek mythology as much as I did when I was younger. In the first book, the only characters I can think of are the centaurs and dragons. But, they’re kind of blatant, not like Fluffly, who’s a more subtle representation of a mythological creature.

Besides Harry Potter, who is your favorite character in the book? Or, which character do you find most interesting and why?

Dumbledore is, by far, my favorite. However, before I became a member of Pottermore, I loved Ron second. Now that I’m a member and I’ve had the chance to read the awesome backstory about Professor McGonagall, I have a lot of respect for her and interest in her character. Oh, the fan-fiction that could be written about her! I wish I could explain more, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

What is your favorite quote from this book and why?

It’s no surprise that my favorite quote from this book (and the entire series for that matter) is: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,” said by Dumbledore when he finds Harry returning over and over again to the Mirror of Erised. This quote and this whole situation with the mirror helps me remember that I need to do more than just survive or dream; I need to actually live and do things.

How do you feel the movie did at capturing the magic of the first book?

The movie started it all for me. I had tried to read Harry Potter before the movie came out, but I couldn’t follow the story. (I wasn’t a reader back then.) Then, I saw the movie and I had to know more. I wanted to be a part of the world JK Rowling had created. Because of that, I feel like the first movie did a great job at capturing the magic and overall feeling of the book. And, it amazes me at how well it follows the book, unlike other book-to-movie adaptations.

What about You?

I can’t believe this is the last day. I’m kind of sad. It’s been a fun 30 days of book discussion. I hope you had fun reading my answers and commenting with your own.

Day 30: My Favorite Book of all Time

I’ve been dreading today’s prompt from the very beginning. How can I choose my favorite book of all time? I know some people can say what theirs is without any thought. I, however, can’t.

If my favorite book were not part of a series, I think it would be easier. But, since my favorite book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is part of a series, I feel like I can’t exclude the other six books. Together they make up the entire experience.

I’m not one of those readers who can just pick up their favorite Harry Potter book and read it. I always have to start from the beginning and end with the last one. I want the whole experience every single time I read these books. Yes, each book has its own adventure, but as a whole, they capture so much growth in the characters and stories that you’d miss if you didn’t read them all together.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I can’t choose just one book, but I choose Harry Potter as my answer to this prompt because I see it as one big story arc and because Harry Potter means everything to me. It has shown me how to live my life, without fear and with kindness, love, integrity, and the gumption to stand up for what I think is right.

What about you? What is your favorite book of all time?