Q 01/05

Prisoner of Azkaban is which book in the Harry Potter series?

A) The third

B) The second

C) The fifth

D) The fourth

Answer · why

A) The third

It covers Harry's third year at Hogwarts, the year without Voldemort.

Q 02/05

On what date was the book published in the UK by Bloomsbury?

A) 2 July 1998

B) 8 July 1999

C) 8 July 2000

D) 26 June 1997

Answer · why

B) 8 July 1999

It went on sale at the odd time of 3.45pm so children would not skip school to buy it.

Q 03/05

Why was the UK release timed for 3.45pm?

A) To match the time of the Hogwarts Express

B) Because printing finished late that morning

C) So children would not skip school to buy it

D) To beat the US release by exactly two months

Answer · why

C) So children would not skip school to buy it

It sold 64,000 copies in three days, the fastest-selling British book at the time.

Q 04/05

How many copies did the book sell in the UK in its first three days?

A) 1 million

B) 250,000

C) 12,000

D) 64,000

Answer · why

D) 64,000

By 2012 UK sales stood at more than 3.3 million.

Q 05/05

Prisoner of Azkaban was the first Potter book shortlisted for which science-fiction and fantasy prize?

A) The Booker Prize

B) The Hugo Award

C) The Nebula Award

D) The Carnegie Medal

Answer · why

B) The Hugo Award

It lost the 2000 Best Novel Hugo to Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky; Goblet of Fire won the following year.