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J.K. Rowling is big, but not that big

You know you’re big when not having accomplished something is considered news. Not that J.K. Rowling needs any reminder of her fame.

Rowling is the focus of a story in The Guardian about the most popular children’s author of all time – who turns out to be Roald Dahl. But before we’re told who else beat Rowling in the survey, which was conducted in the U.K., we’re informed of Rowling’s poor showing:

JK Rowling, whose first Harry Potter book sparked a publishing sensation when it hit the bookshelves 10 years ago, is only the fourth most popular author.

Second and third place were taken by CS Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia series, and Peter Pan creator JM Barrie.

Interestingly, the survey purports to represent “young adults,” but only readers between the ages of 16 and 34 were polled. The discrepancy can perhaps be explained by the fact that the survey was commissioned by ITV3, a British television channel that is hosting a Roald Dahl weekend later this month. Thanks to the survey, the network can now advertise that Dahl is not only the most popular children’s writer in the U.K., but also that he is more popular than Harry Potter.