 Indeed, the young Harry has to deal with being a celebrity and its downside through the attentions of the horrible hackette Rita Skeeter. He also observes the fake celebrity generated by the self-publicising (and useless) teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. While Rowling deals with a world where children are largely in charge, William Golding showed the flip-side in the savagery of children running their lives in The Lord of the Flies. "Golding is addressing a small audience about more limited anxieties. Neither does he speak to girls," says Ms Moody. "Rowling reaches a huge audience in comparison, giving them more space to explore their own anxieties through the experiences of the children. "In Harry Potter, differences are celebrated; part of the fantasy is that you meet kids from all over the place, not that you resent them. "Rowling has also tapped into the the idea that books are to be shared, as do contemporary national projects like The Big Read and the Year of Literacy. You can discuss your experiences of the book and therefore explore your identity." The trouble with being a best-seller is that you speak to your time. Ms Moody says: "This is different from a literary classic which does something different. Harry Potter will last for some time because of its context in this tradition of the school novel. "The literary classics, like the Narnia Chronicles or Little Women, deal with more fundamental questions. By not being so cohesive as these novels more people can relate to the Harry Potter books: it's as if they can fill in with their own experiences." SO, WHITHER Potter? Can Rowling keep the momentum going? Ms Moody says: "She's a story-teller who makes you keep turning the page. I think she's got her agenda in terms of where she's heading, of the relationship between state and child, and of racism. She seems to be set to re-fight WWII again." Clearly, Rowling identifies with Hermione, the "swotty" leading girl character. Ms Moody agrees: "Hermione is the one to watch. Rowling's been criticised about her gender politics. Hermione starts off with big, gapped front teeth and these are magically adjusted to improve her appearance." In other words, she cops out of dealing with the difficulties of the bright, but physically unattractive child: "Instead, like Rowling she is the Cinderella who gets to go to the ball." | 
