Every reader of the Harry Potter books will have their favorite, but a few are generally considered the best and others the worst. Chronicling young Harry’s coming-of-age and his conflict with Lord Voldemort to determine the fate of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter is one of the most popular fantasy book series of all time. It is often credited with reviving reading culture and has spawned two connected movie franchises, an TV show, and several theme parks and other destination experiences.

Certain books in the Harry Potter series bear the burden of world-building and therefore come across as interim novels before the series gets to its biggest events. However, other installments demonstrate that it is possible to set up vital plot elements while still constituting compelling prose. Its overall biggest strength is in the characters, where even the ing arcs merit audience investment, elevating even the de facto worst book of the series.

7 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Chamber Of Secrets Is Slow In Comparison To The Other Books

In retrospect, an entire book dedicated to the threat of an evil serpent living in Hogwarts castle and the blame somehow being cast upon Harry and Hagrid seems strange. Landing in the middle of the pre-Voldemort trilogy, Chamber of Secrets doesn’t have the wonder of its predecessor or the amazing plot twists of its sequel. It does have some good plot twists, such as Ginny’s role in the attacks on students and the “I am Lord Voldemort” reveal, while the overall story twists the childlike magic of the first novel, dipping into darker aesthetics.

Chamber of Secrets’ biggest contribution to the series’ overall plot is setting up the politics of blood purism in the Wizarding World, the crux of the conflict with Voldemort and his followers. The introduction of characters like Dobby and the dynamics between Harry and the Weasley family are also highlights. However, people who are re-reading Harry Potter are likely just waiting to get to better things during Chamber of Secrets, one of the books where the ways the world revolves around Harry are the most contrived.

6 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Goblet Of Fire Is Slightly Confusing, With A Shocking Change In Tone

The other time that the Wizarding World bends out of shape to place Harry at the center of things in an awkward way is when he is selected as a Triwizard champion in Goblet of Fire. Granted, Harry is the protagonist of the series and the target of Lord Voldemort’s constant assassination attempts, and there is a story-relevant reason for him being forced into the Triwizard Tournament. Yet, fans love to criticize how the Ministry of Magic representatives decide to make Harry a champion rather than just calling it a mistake and excusing him from it.

On other fronts, Goblet of Fire can come across as meandering. Part of this is due to J. K. Rowling realizing a plot hole midway through writing it and having to go back and undo it. It is also tonally strange when most of the book is dominated by the festivities of the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament until the final dark chapters depicting Voldemort’s return. Cedric Diggory’s death is a tragic, effective moment that illustrates Voldemort’s cruelty and indicates what is to come.

Goblet of Fire also represents a vital crossroads for the Harry Potter series, even if not everyone loves reading it. It is a strange mix of entertaining and seemingly pointless storylines: The beginnings of teen romantic drama are amusing, while Rita Skeeter blasting that romantic drama in the newspapers is cringe-worthy. There are reasons to love Goblet of Fire and reasons to hate it, but other books in the series are decidedly better.

5 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Sorcerer's Stone Is The Magical Introduction To The World Of Harry Potter

Some people will dismiss Sorcerer’s Stone as the serviceable opener of the series that does what it needs to do, so bigger and better things can happen later. However, the way it does this merits reevaluation. The first few chapters leading up to Hagrid’s arrival are a strange but spectacular mystery of what is causing the bizarre events in Harry and the Dursleys’ lives, while Harry receiving an explanation in the form of a Hogwarts acceptance letter is incredibly satisfying while promising years of magic to come.

Harry is dazzled by his introduction to the Wizarding World, while hints of darker things lying in wait there set up a bigger story.

The rest of the book demonstrates a kind of magical wonder that only appears in brief flashes throughout the rest of the series. Harry is dazzled by his introduction to the Wizarding World, while hints of darker things lying in wait there set up a bigger story. Sorcerer’s Stone utilizes a classic children’s literature trope in the protagonist’s transition from the mundane world to the magical one, which captured the minds of readers from the beginning.

4 Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Order Of The Phoenix Is The Darkest Harry Potter Book And Has Many Amazing Characters

Order of the Phoenix was the darkest, most mature Harry Potter book yet — at the time. There is a feeling of a promise being honored now that the overall plot of the war with Voldemort is finally taking shape. This brings with it the introduction of many new fan-favorite characters who are of the Order of the Phoenix, while others’ return gives the series a sense of continuity. The scope of the action is bigger, while readers are provided with a love-to-hate villain in Dolores Umbridge who both compliments and contrasts the threat of Voldemort.

Order of the Phoenix is one of the points in the series that is poignantly written, even if it is emotionally strenuous to read. The Wizarding World turns against Harry; Voldemort’s return and the Ministry’s campaign force Harry and his friends to grow up sooner rather than later, even though the reality that they are nearing adulthood becomes clear. However, they rise to this responsibility by forming Dumbledore’s Army.

Dumbledore’s Army fulfills a beloved trope of a young rebellion taking shape in the face of corrupt authority figures. However, it avoids the feeling of being too trope-y characterizing every rebellion-based series that came after The Hunger Games. Order of the Phoenix pushes the story and the characters further than ever before, illustrating their strengths and flaws while stressing their need for each other.

3 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Deathly Hallows Is The Satisfying Conclusion To Harry Potter

Deathly Hallows is the conclusion that ties the entire series together, with beats that nod to Sorcerer’s Stone and subtle symbolisms that readers are still dissecting. The story demands that Harry, Ron, and Hermione be away from Hogwarts, but their return to the series’ primary setting for the final battle creates the perfect “it all ends here” feeling. As the characters reunite for their final stand, the narrative gives the Hogwarts teachers some amazing moments to truly showcase their knowledge of magic, and in McGonagall’s case, to have the epic face-off with Snape that she deserves.

The biggest caveat of Deathly Hallows is that it is too miserable to read, but every death has an individual narrative purpose — such as Bill and Fleur’s wedding, Teddy’s birth, and Percy reuniting with his family. Deathly Hallows is a heartbreaking but satisfying whirlwind of epic final battles where everything is wrapped up, before giving the characters a happy ending of peaceful family life (not considering The Cursed Child’s plot).

2 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Prisoner of Azkaban Features Beloved Characters And Wild Plot Twists

Prisoner of Azkaban is a fan-favorite primarily due to the introduction of Lily and James’ lives have a bearing on the story rather than just their deaths. The story is built around a wild plot twist and a theme of time ticking away, something director Alfonso Cuarón illustrated beautifully in the movie adaptation.

Prisoner of Azkaban is possibly the best book to re-read because once readers know the plot twist, they realize all the tiny hints throughout. Remus’ odd reaction to Harry mentioning Sirius, the description of Scabbers missing a toe, and other moments all contribute to a classic mystery where all the seemingly unrelated elements fit together in the end. However, Prisoner of Azkaban also showcases that the Wizarding World is fallible — the government consistently arrests the wrong people — demonstrating that Voldemort is not the only evil out there and contributing to a more complex story.

1 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Half-Blood Prince's Slower Plot Allows For More Elegant Writing

Half-Blood Prince had its work cut out, needing to set up all the plot points necessary to make the last book happen. However, the exploration of Voldemort’s origins is one of the novel's greatest strengths. It also introduces even more nuances to the story and themes with Draco’s hesitance to murder for Voldemort and the continued politics with the Ministry and teachers. Amid all this, Harry has become a young man who verbalizes his opinions about the government and the school in a way even more mature than leading secret rebellions.

However, Half-Blood Prince stands out as the best-written Harry Potter book because it is also deeply romantic.

However, Half-Blood Prince stands out as the best-written Harry Potter book because it is also deeply romantic. Major storylines are about finding happiness while the world is burning down; everything comes full circle with Ron and Hermione’s. There is some drama in the Weasley family with Molly not approving of Fleur — they reconcile after Bill is attacked, only for Tonks to drop the bombshell of her relationship with Remus seconds later. This novel of gradual plot progression in both the major conflicts and relationships is a strong contender for the best in the series.

Do The Movies Have The Same Rankings As The Books?

With several different directors working on the movie franchise, it's understandable that the Harry Potter movies vary in quality. What's more, the best and worst Harry Potter books aren't the same as the best and worst movies, though there are a few parallels between the two. For many readers, the Prisoner of Azkaban is considered to be the second-best Harry Potter book, and most viewers consider it to be the strongest movie. This speaks for the quality of the story, which translated incredibly well to the big screen.

There are so many book moments, such as Harry riding Buckbeak or the big reveal that Ron's rat, Scabbers, was Peter Petigrew, that worked beautifully in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. While it may not have the best quality of prose of all of J.K. Rowling's novels, it's arguably the peak of her storytelling ability, and the quality of the narrative wasn't lost when director Alfonso Cuarón brought the story to theaters in 2004.

Where there's the biggest deviation between the quality of the Harry Potter books and movies is with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. While this made for the best of all the Harry Potter novels, it's definitely not one of the strongest films. That's not to say that it's bad, but it's ranked by many viewers as being weaker than the likes of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (which itself worked notably better as a film) and Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Notably too, Chamber of Secrets is also considered by many to be the worst Harry Potter movie, just like it's also seen as the weakest book.

Which Harry Potter Book Is Closest To The Movie?

Book accuracy has always been a bone of contention for many Harry Potter readers when it comes to the movies. Every film makes significant alterations to the source material, and there's no Harry Potter movie which can be said to be 100% book-accurate. These changes aren't minor in some cases either, as there are even instances of entire characters, such as Peeves the Poltergeist, being missing.

However, the most book-accurate Harry Potter movie is the first, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Aside from the distinct lack of Peeves and a few moments of Harry and Malfoy's rivalry, almost every moment in the book is brought to the screen. It's worth noting that it's also the shortest of all the Harry Potter books though, which may for why there are so few changes, as there was less material that needed to be cut to meet a suitable runtime.

The least book-accurate Harry Potter movie is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This may for why it's considered the best book but not the best movie, as director David Yates had to remove a considerable amount of content in order to make his 2009 adaptation work as a film. While many of these omissions make sense, it is notable that the lack of (for example) a deep exploration into Voldemort's past, also removed what made the book so great. Plus, this movie also irked Harry Potter book fans considerably since it heavily reduced Ginny's role, and she's nowhere near the same endearing fleshed-out character as her on-page counterpart.