For this alone, J. K. Rowling goes to heaven

[dduane]

In my book, anyway.

More than half of kids ages 5-17 say they did not read books for fun before the Harry Potter series came along, according to the report, which surveyed 500 children and 500 parents nationwide. Among parents, 76 percent say reading the series has helped their child perform better in school, while 65 percent of children agree.

And there's a happy thought in the last paragraph of the article:

So, what will happen after the seventh and final Harry Potter book comes out? Half of the readers surveyed say they will look for a new series (wannabe-bestselling authors take note!) and 27 percent say they will read whatever Rowling publishes next.