Because I was the head of libraries for a large private school in the late 1990’s I had to read the first 4 books as part of the job.
They were not very good
I have never been able to sit through the movies. 10 minutes in and I’m gone
I found the first book to be rambling and padded besides. Just twee things happening one after the other. Underneath it, a smart kid learns to stand up to a school yard bully and makes friends. I marvel that they became such a huge hit.