[Kath]

Funny that I haven't encountered any Pullman-bashing web page yet, though, as his books definitely fill 'for children' bill in bookstores. Or are there some?

Actually there was some bother about the films as Bêthberry said. There is a newspaper article up in my school library (which I still haven't read but will do eventually) and it says something like 'God removed from Dark Materials Trilogy' because of Christian outrage over the portrayal of God in the film.

I wonder if part of the response to Rowlings was motivated in fact by the zealous fan behaviour of her initial readers. Hasn't Tolkien grown slowly in reputation so that the initial response to him lacked the kind of fan fervour we see today?

This backs up the idea that Lalwendë came up with but if that is the case then was there a 'knee-jerk' reaction when the films came out? Because at that time a lot of people suddenly became very interested in Tolkien. The popularity of the books skyrocketed so people could read them before they went to see the film, or indeed after.

So what basis would there have been for "discerning" parents to have treated them any differently at that time?

I'm sticking with the different society theory for that one Saucepan Man.