Are you an adult and a closet Harry Potter fan?

Come out of the closet. You are not alone. Many adults are captivated by the magical world of wizardry created by JK Rowling, but just a wee bit embarrassed to admit to being fans of a children's book series.

With the sixth book in the Harry Potter series just about flying off the shelves and the seventh, and final book, to come out in the not too distant future, adults are beginning to admit that they are buying the books - for themselves.

It may have begun with parents reading books that their children were interested in or taking the kids to see the movies, but the writing of Jo Rowling is spellbinding. The Harry Potter novels, so adored by young fans, catch adult readers as well.

Sneer if you must, but the same combination of talent, excellent writing skills, intelligence and imagination that have made Jules Verne, Tolkien and Steven King so wildly popular are at work in the Harry Potter novels.

The fantasy world of Harry Potter created by JK Rowling is a cover for in-depth explorations of major moral issues. The good guys fight the bad guys - and while a semblance of victory does seem to come to the forces on the moral high ground, it is never a certainty and never an absolute win. Good and evil coexist and balance each other in these books, much the same as they do in real life.

Rowling went through a bad divorce and a long hard spell of single parenting while the books were taking shape in her imagination. These experiences add an adult spice to the world of her wizards. There are no easy answers and no glorious triumphs of good. Every victory in the Harry Potter books has a price. They are bought with suffering and loss. The acceptance of these realities by the characters becomes more clear with each of the books.

Children read the Harry Potter novels and relate to the young wizards, the cute fantasy animals and their thrilling adventures. So do grownups, but adults see much more in the interactions of the characters so cunningly crafted by Rowling. The people who populate these books are real characters. They have flaws and make mistakes. They often wonder if they have chosen the right course of action... and if they haven't there are consequences. Children and adults share the hope that these brave people and otherworldly creatures will struggle though to the end and learn to survive. Their survival is a bright hope that in the more mundane world of reality there can be a balance of good and evil. There may be losses suffered by the good people. There may be pain and even death, but in the final analysis the good guys will be just a bit stronger, a smidgen more clever and a whole lot luckier.

At the end of each book, the weary team of good guys gathers itself for a short celebration knowing that the next battle is coming, but not ready to throw in the towel and let the dark forces take over. For any adult living in the present that should sound like a very familiar process. No matter how often terror strikes, tsunamis and earthquakes destroy thousands, illness strikes at loved ones...somehow most adults hang on to the good in the world and continue to believe in a better tomorrow.

JK Rowling's Harry Potter adventures touch that nerve in grownups. In creating Voldemort as a powerful and cunning, but controlled, focus of evil she offers the lesson that horrors can be contained. She allows the world to look for a Dumbledore, wise and patient, to lead the fight to survive as moral beings able to cherish each other and the creatures who live in the world. Whether in person, or in spirit, this archetype of the wise mentor leads by teaching how to find the way, giving tools for life success in any undertaking.

She gives us classical tragedy modeled on ancient Greek plays and more modern morality plays in the adventures of Harry Potter who struggles with choices hoping to get it right. Painfully learning, with each new battle, that people and choices are never quite as simple as they seem. She offers hope mixed with reality - a very adult concept...and one that has always found a voice through the quills, pens, typewriters and, now, word processors of great writers.

So, go stand on the lines with the kids to buy the Harry Potter books and see the movies without feeling embarrassed. It may be fantasy, but that doesn't mean it isn't good literature. There are quite a few brilliant and mature adults who are cheering for Harry Potter along with you.