JUST in case you're at the stage of cursing the sight of that small bespectacled person yet again (no, not Robin Cook), please don't dismiss the importance of Harry Potter.

The young wizard's new film Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets is obviously going to be a box-office smash. The Bolton cinemas at The Valley and Middlebrook previewing it were packed with excited youngsters.

This newspaper -- like all the media -- is full of reviews, features and dissection of the characters and plot.

But, the real magic of the phenomenon is the way that the books have got so many youngsters actually reading, and eagerly awaiting more offerings.

Boys especially are notoriously difficult to persuade to sit down with a book, preferring to be all-action heroes from an early age -- a trait which doesn't seem to stop until they're 27.

Now, children are actually asking for the latest Harry Potter book. And they will be as delighted as their parents that J K Rowling is well on with another instalment.

An interesting little side effect of the books, too, is that many parents are also reading the fascinating tales of young Mr P and his pals at at Hogwarts.

It is, they probably state, so they can be up to speed on what their offspring are reding and remain on their wavelength.

The reality is that they enjoy the books, and are more than happy to re-visit childhood fantasy.