In a poll of almost 24,000 readers, J.K. Rowling's first book in her wildly successful Harry Potter series has emerged as the UK's favourite children's book. The Philosopher's Stone was originally released in 1997, with six increasingly successful sequels released over the following decade.

Although The Hunger Games, released in 2008, is second on the list, the top ten most popular books mostly consist of familiar classics. Only three books released after 1990 are included, with Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, the first entry in the His Dark Materials trilogy, ranking at number nine.

The poll was carried out by Book Trust, who broke the results down into several categories. Harry Potter was the most popular with readers aged between 9 and 11, with the 12-14 age group preferring The Hunger Games. The enduringly successful picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a favourite for the youngest readers, while Roald Dahl's The BFG rated highest among 6-8 year olds.

Claire Shanahan of Book Trust says, "As the biggest ever grossing literary franchise, kids and adults alike clearly can't get enough of Harry Potter... Even when up against heavyweights such as Dahl and Tolkien, Rowling's creation remains the nation's firm favourite... Lists such as this are a great way of celebrating the outstanding quality of past and present authors and illustrators. Plus Christmas and the New Year is a fantastic time to get our children excited about books".

You can see the full top ten list below:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. The BFG by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
5. Winnie-the-Pooh by A A Milne, illustrated by E H Shepherd
6. The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss
7. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
9. Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis