Does Little Nell Die?

Reading through the headlines this morning, I notice they caught the blokes behind the purloined Potter heist. No doubt this little news event has set the question rolling again: why does everyone care so much? They're not great literature or anything, just kind of fun, with... you know, wizards, and magic and stuff. I've read all four books more than once now, and I have no good answer to this question. But I will say this: at least it's not Dickens. Every time I hear that story about New Yorkers thronging the docks for the last installment of The Old Curiousity Shop, it makes me just a bit sad.

I suppose I could draw some further parallels between Rowling and Dickens, if I felt like it. Rags to riches personal story, heavy reliance on whimsical character names (note to J.K. Rowling: don't ever sink so low as to have your grandchildren call you "Wennerables"), massive media hype.

If they ever make a musical called Harry!, though . . . *shudder*