Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Let's face it. When it comes to fantasy for young readers, British authors have the edge. Think of P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins (1934); J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (1937); C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1950); Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964); even Brian Jacques's Redwall series, or Philip Pullman's His…