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dardenr, forgive my bluntness, but if you think that Harry Potter is a children's series, then you obviously have not read the books. They are NOT children's books, even though the main characters are children. In fact, there is an absolutely amazing mailing list called Harry Potter for Grownups where people are writing entire HP histories and lexicons, tying it into mythology, history, etc. Rowling herself is a Narnia fan, and there are a lot of parallels between the books that are being discussed over at FictionAlley.org. They are very deep books. All you have to do is learn a little bit behind some of the characters' names: Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Arthur Weasley, Alastor Moody, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, to name a few. Those alone will tell you that this is a complex series of books written by an incredibly culturally literate author. I'm 25 and have never accepted that these are children's books. Take the first one out of the library ('cause that way it's free and I can keep my job) and check it out. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Interesting fact about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: It had SEVEN MILLION copies in its first American printing alone. Average number of copies in a given author's first printing: about 25,000-35,000. The New York Times created a children's bestseller list because so many people were complaining that these books took up 4 of the top 10 spots on their bestseller list (a practice I don't personally agree with). It's more or less the biggest phenomenon in publishing since movable type. I learned in library school that J.K. Rowling is the third bestselling author in UK history, after Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.
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