It's no surprise that the Harry Potter series has generated a reading frenzy among kids.

According to J.K. Rowling, a mother-fan told her that one night, she read the first two chapters of a Potter book to her dyslexic son, who found reading difficult. The next morning, said the mother, she walked into the room to find her son reading the book. She cried. JKR said she almost cried, too. The book was the first the boy had ever finished by himself.

(JKR also said she appreciates letters from boys a bit more because she knows how difficult it can be for them to write and to express themselves.)

I'm sure thousands (millions?) of parents around the world have similar stories to share. Kids who once disdained reading and avoided books flocked to the Harry Potter series. The Christian Science Monitor cites a survey called The Kids and Family Reading Report. According to the report, over half the 500 children and adults surveyed said they hadn't read "for fun" before the HP books arrived on the scene, and 65 percent of the kids said that reading the books improved their performances in school. Boys benefited the most. An excerpt:

Marcus credits the series for getting him interested in reading. He says his grandfather read him the first five books, but he wanted to read the sixth one himself. Since then, he loves to read medieval, fantasy, and science-fiction books, he says. He also now likes the many books he reads for school – even though the majority aren't his favorite genres, he says.

"I whip through 50 books a year," says Marcus matter-of-factly.

Though JKR said she didn't write the books for children, they're a hit with kids nevertheless. The books' themes are universal, and many appeal to children. What child surrounded by ordinariness hasn't dreamed of discovering that he's special?

Ah, but what about the pressure to read Potter? According to the report, 63 percent of boys and 44 percent of girls say they believe it's important to read the books because their friends read them. Hey, whatever gets children reading…