Lord of the Rings is better. I've read Harry Potter and it's easy to see why kids these days don't read books like The Hobbit, LOTR and C.S.Lewis.
Moral Absolutes Ping.
LOTR and the Narnia books uplift the mind and heart. The Harry Potter books are slimey, poorly written, crass, and appeal to lowly emotions and aspirations. They make evil and nastiness seem cool. I read two of them (am thinking eventually to possibly write a couple of books for older children, say 9 up) and wanted to see the author's style and presentation.
I was amazed that the books are so popular. They are two dimensional. There are different kinds of fantasy - that which uplifts, and gives a hint of the eternal, and that which degrades, and gives a hint of the subterranean. HP is the latter. And as the Pope said, makes the illicit seem attractive - kind of like a prostitute in the semi-dark, with a lot of makeup on.
Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.
My nine year old reads Harry Potter. She is upstairs reading Fellowship of the Ring right now.