I found an article on the BBC website. Apparently, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been giving some kids headaches.

I’m not sure why anyone has found this particularly suprising. One of the main factors is that the kids refuse to take a break from reading the book.

If you spend all day staring at a computer screen you are encouraged to take a break. I can clearly remember being told, by various teachers, to take breaks in exam revision. So why should reading a book be treated differently?

So is it the books that cause the headaches?

Well, I can’t think of any other children’s books of that length. And I may not be eight years old, but I’m certainly gripped by the series.

So the problem is – it would appear – that chilldren have found a gripping, can’t-put-down-til-you’ve-finished series that happens to be a giant hype love-it-or-loathe-it debate.

So what’s the solution? Discourage children from reading? or just discourage them from reading anything long and gripping. I don’t think so. I wish I’d had something that enjoyable to read when I was a kid.