SOURCE: “Potter for Parents,” in Library Journal, Vol. 124, No. 17, October 15, 1999, p. 60.

In the following review, Fialkoff discusses the appeal the “Harry Potter” series has to adults.

Like every other 11-year-old in America, mine is devouring Harry Potter. But so are many adults, and the phenomenon extends beyond those who have 11-year-olds, or, indeed, any children at all. In the UK, where Potter was born in the imagination of author J. K. Rowling, the publishers have even replaced the original cartoony cover of the first book with a more symbolic and evocative cover that won't embarrass adults who are toting it on the tube.

“You have to read it,” said my daughter, although she wasn't sure she'd characterize it as an “adult” book. Since I relish sharing her reading experiences and have often enjoyed books she has recommended (though I was more squeamish than she at parts of The...