Hogwarts, horcruxes and hippogriffs: Harry turns 20

[Photo/Agencies]

No other children's book has achieved quite as much in terms of both commercial and cultural impact, turning an entire generation of boys as well as girls into enthusiastic readers who would happily join midnight lines at bookshops as each novel came out.

If some of the early reviews took issue with Rowling's pedestrian writing and bald characterization, everyone agreed about the narrative verve on show in Philosopher's Stone, starting with the delivery of a letter that will, like alchemy, transform the 11-year-old hero's life forever.

"Once you start reading it, you enter a magical world, a world where you could be special, a world with clever things, with the idea that it all just might exist," said Durham University education professor Martin Richardson.

"The characters become part of the family. It starts to enter the nation's DNA.

"I think people will be reading Potter in 20, 30, 40, 60 years time, even if it's only for the story."