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CURRICULUM & LEARNING ENVIRONMENT * 2 HOURS * LEVEL 2

Exploring the Magic of Harry Potter 

Page 11

Coming of Age

“You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!”
​- Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first book of the series, was released June 26, 1997. The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released 10 years later. During this span of time, Harry did some serious maturing. His adventures offer his readers meaningful insight into childhood and growing up.  The books themselves change from children’s literature to young adult literature, addressing the topics previously mentioned. Even the size of the books change drastically.
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Image source Paper, Pen, and Polaroids
It was Rowling’s intention for readers to develop alongside the main characters. In the first book, Harry starts off as an inexperienced 11-year-old boy. He has no idea that he is even a wizard, let alone how cast spells or use a wand. During his adventures at Hogwarts, he begins to discover who he is. He slowly finds out where he fits, from being sorted into Gryiffindor house to becoming Seeker on the Quidditch team. As he grows, he becomes more knowledgeable about the wizarding world, just as readers begin to understand the complexities of their own world. 
He begins to understand that the choices he makes matter and have consequences, both positive and negative.