And that, I suggest, is actually the core of the problem.

I'm absolutely of the opinion that every child – not just a select few from some sort of 'elite' (usually a financial one) – should have the opportunity to be introduced to, at school, serious literature and serious music and art and all manner of other things. The Classics too, for that matter. But:

• it has to be age appropriate, within the school system;

• outside of school, I would equally think that that main thing is that children are reading. Hence my reason for never seeing the Harry Potter phenomenon as anything other than positive. And again personally, I don't care whether children recreationally read classics or graphic novels (and the French in particular have a much healthier attitude to the latter, understanding that they can often be 'art', for want of a better phrase) – if they're reading for pleasure then that should be applauded.

There's very simple answer to kids' education in the public sector:

If Gove wants them to be educated to a similar standard as those in private education, then throw the same amount of money, per child, at the gig.

I somehow think he ain't going to do that

I never saw it as anything other than positive when I saw children reading the books.

I feel the same about LOTR.

I read all sorts from the classics to Harry Potter.
If a book is good reading I don't care how old it is.

Gove's whole attitude seems to be 'Everyone should be educated exactly the same way I was and everyone should have exactly the same likes and dislikes as me'' as Coddy has said he doesn't have the brains to understand that it isn't financially possible for that to happen.

LOTR is pretty opaque for kids. My two (19 & 17) are both voracious readers and big fans of the films, but neither has managed to get out of the Shire when reading the books.

And that's without even attempting The Silmarillion.

I actually read the Harry Potter books to my son and it became a thing for us to do before he went to bed when he was younger. We both really enjoyed the experience and it's a great memory for me. Whether that was what sparked it I don't know but although like myself he is of a technical bent he has always enjoyed reading and asked for Kindle for his last birthday. Very happy to buy him that.

It was Biggles that really hooked me into reading, although I would say it did help that I didn't have a tv or games console or anything in my room until I was about 12/13, by which point I was already into reading.

I thought it was the greatest book ever written until I was almost 40.

Fortunately, I grew up.