Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Prisoner of Azkaban starts to move the Harry Potter series from a children's book to something closer to young adult. The books are getting darker and more complicated. While you can't have the series without books 1 and 2 (there's a lot of world building, character introductions as well as hints of things that make more sense later), I feel the series really takes off with book 3.

Jim Dale's narration is still spot on. He gives each character a unique voice and puts so much into his performance. He is definitely a master at this craft and I'd not hesitate to listen to more of his work.

This series should definitely be read in order and if you have any love for magic / fantasy, I strongly suggest looking past the thought of this being a children's book and give it a try.