The Golden Compass

So what's the consensus on adults reading children's books? Is it embarassingly lame, or is it ok only so long as the book features Hogwarts, or is it generally acceptable?

I ask because this weekend I read The Golden Compass, the first in a trilogy of children's fantasy books by Philip Pullman ... and I liked it quite a bit. This isn't a book I went out and bought. My mother forced it on me last time I was home, and she claims she only bought it because the polar bear on the cover reminded her of her Great Pyrenees (seriously, the most awesome dog in the world, and one I'm tempted to dognap every time I go home). And while I didn't fall down in raptures with how wonderful the book was, it was perfect reading for a weekend spent ill and huddled under a blanket beside the fire. And I definitely want to read the rest of the trilogy. The little girl at the center of the story is flawed and charming, and the world they inhabit is a really interesting twist on our own. I recommend reading it before the film comes out in December. (Especially if you can do so in a snowy cabin.)