Six out of ten British children are likely to have seen a Harry Potter film and then read the first two books about the young wizard.
The finding comes from a survey by bookseller Waterstone’s into the impact on children’s reading of the Potter phenomenon, created by Edinburgh-based author J.K. Rowling.
Martin Higgs, Waterstone’s literary editor, said: “Thanks to the PG certification of the Harry Potter films, each release in the cinema is opening up a new generation of young children to the books.”
The two most successful books of the past 12 months for Waterstone’s have both had major film releases—Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Waterstone’s experienced a 300 percent rise in sales of the Harry Potter series after the launch of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and is expecting another surge of interest after the release this month of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
An even greater rise in book sales was experienced as a result of the first film in the Lord of the Rings series and a repeat of interest in the Tolkien novels is expected next month when the next film in the series is released at cinemas.
Mr. Higgs added: “Parents are recognizing that films are a chance to persuade a reluctant reader to pick up a book and give it a try.”
According to the passage, Martin Higgs is _________.