Sorry once again - I've heard the name, but that's about it! I'm not a fantasy or science fiction fan, and tend to read more offbeat fiction - my local book exchange has one wall dedicated to books that can't be categorised into the usual genres (crime, horror, romance, SF, fantasy etc.) - I've found some real treasures there (and some duds too, I might add...).

My 10 year old daughter doesn't go for Harry Potter - instead enjoys historical books - anything Roman, Tudor (especially King Henry VIII and his wives) and so on... They can be serious tomes (biographies) or humorous (Horrible Histories - do you get those there?).