Potter tops literature survey

Both children and adults voted the first of JK Rowling's best-sellers into first place in the survey, conducted by educational publishers Kumon.

And it topped all three of the polls which have been compiled - one of children's favourites, one of adult's favourites and one combined.

The other Potter books - Goblet Of Fire, Chamber Of Secrets and Prisoner Of Azkaban - were also popular, dominating the top three of the combined survey and reaching the top 10 of the others.

However, children's literature from earlier decades was also popular with those questioned.

Adults cited A A Milne's Winnie The Pooh, Enid Blyton's Famous Five and C S Lewis' The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe as being among their favourites.

Children voted for Roald Dahl with Charlie And The Chocolate Factory finishing third on their list - and Lord Of The Rings, which was absent from the adult's top 10, came fourth.

Classics

The survey proved children were continuing to read classic literature, Kumon spokesman Carl Davies said.

"There seems to be a big crossover between what children and adults like, and Harry Potter is the best example of that," he said.

"But it is not just adults reading the modern favourites, because it's clear that children are also reading the classics that their parents read."

"The results show that parents are introducing their children to reading books that they enjoyed as youngsters, while at the same time reading children's books that have captured today's generation."

The Harry Potter series has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into 42 different languages.

Last week author JK Rowling confirmed that she had almost finished the fifth book in the series, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

The film of Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets is scheduled to be released on 15 November.