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Rowling has gotten some pretty angry letters from parents ever since the 4th book, and has steadily refused to change her story from what she originally planned, even if it means the later books are not regarded as "children's" books. I respect that. There were some interesting interviews with her when Goblet of Fire came out. I think her daughter Jessica was eight at the time. Rowling was asked if her daughter would be reading the book. She answered yes, but that she planned to read the chapter in which a student dies (the most controversial) to her daughter, rather than letting her read it alone.
I like the books, though I certainly agree that there are other better written books out there. These books have encouraged many kids to read, and the nice thing is that I also see some changes taking place in the schools. My younger daughter's Language Arts teacher had quotes from the Harry Potter books in posters on her wall. The books both of my kids have been assigned to read at school have generally been fairly contemporary and relevant, and they've even enjoyed many of them (well, as much as my older daughter enjoys reading at all-- it's still a lot of work for her, since English is her second language). As the kids have gotten older, teachers have been able to introduce "classics" by relating them to contemporary works, in many cases. (Ok, I haven't actually heard of a teacher comparing Hamlet to Anakin Skywalker, but I bet someone is doing it.) All good, as far as I'm concerned.
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