Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

The Prisoner of Azkaban is the third novel in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. In this book one of the biggest lessons is that sometimes what the public story is might not necessarily be the true story. There are several instances where this is the case.

For example, the main story surrounds the escape of prisoner Sirius Black, who was a friend of Harry’s parents and supposedly the reason why Voldemort was able to murder them. But is Sirius really the madman murder that the wizarding world thinks he is? Well, just as in the media nowadays, everything isn’t what it’s reported to be.

This book also teaches about the negative repercussions of stereotyping. In this book the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry get one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professors that they’ve ever had but a secret he’s keeping, and a prejudice by others, stands in the way between him and a second year of teaching. This goes to show that prejudices for things one can’t truly control is unfair.

Other than the mystery involving Sirius Black, one of the notable parts of the book is the conflict between Ron and Hermione. Although the fight is majorly centered around Hermione’s acquisition of a cat who hates Ron’s rat, the conflict is meant more to highlight their relationship and how kinetic their friendship is.

All in all Harry’s third year shows the growth of the characters and the negativity of stereotyping and prejudice.