Philip Pullman and. J. K. Rowling

Philip Pullman wrote a trilogy, Dark Materials, nominated for the Booker Prize, the first time I believe a book intended for children, had that honour.

J. K. Rowling wrote a series of seven (7) books about Harry Potter. She is now a millionaire, probably many times over.

I've read all of the Potter series, and the Dark Materials trilogy twice.

The protagonists in these books are pre-adolescent, in Pullman's a young girl named Lyra, joined later by Will. Rowling's books have the lively trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

I have often wondered why Rowling's book became box office movies, selling millions of copies. The last book in the series came out in the summer of 2007, and an adolescent boy gave me his copy to read. I read it in one day. It concluded the series.

The first in the series of Pullman's trilogy got made into a film as well but received much criticism and didn't do well at the box office.

As I reflect on the two series I see similarities, but many more differences.

Rowling wrote an imaginative story of redemption and introduced it as a fairytale that could be accepted as adventure. Pullman wrote a fable that introduced good and evil as a matter of life and death.

Pullman's book is what science fiction is made of, Rowling's book can be likened to a good Nancy Drew with witches instead of bad guys.