Harry Potter series worked its magic yesterday by topping a poll of books British people would like to pass on to the next generation to read.

The survey from the organisers of World Book Day, which fell yesterday, asked which best-selling book of the Noughties they would give to youngsters.

The line-up saw celebrity memoirs notably absent from the top 10.

Books turned into movies were popular, with Dan Brown's blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code coming second and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight in fifth place.

Serious subject matter also went down well, with the 9/11 Commission Report by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the US, and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins making the top 10.

More than 1,000 people aged 16 to 64 were surveyed across Britain.

Three-quarters of people surveyed said they had given a book as a gift during the last year.

The Scots were the biggest givers of books to other adults - 64 per cent said they had given one or more as a present in the last 12 months.

People in Greater London were least likely to have given a book to an adult or a child, with 28 per cent of Londoners saying they had not given a book in the last year.

The top 10 books chosen to pass on to the next generation are:

1. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling;

2. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown;

3. Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?: And 114 Other Questions by New Scientist;

4. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson;

5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

6. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini;

7. 9/11 Commission Report by National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the US;

8. You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life by Dr Gillian McKeith;

9. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins;

10. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama.