HARRY POTTER has finally met his match in the hero of another children’s book.

Having dominated the bestsellers’ charts for nine years, the boy wizard created by J. K. Rowling has been toppled by Alex Rider, a 14-year-old spy from the pen of Anthony Horowitz.

Days after the release of a new film adaptation of a novel by Horowitz, Stormbreaker, the author has topped the children’s bestsellers’ charts.

Rider is a young James Bond in Nike trainers who is blackmailed into working for MI6. His globetrotting adventures are capturing the imagination of millions of fans around the world. Stormbreaker was the first of six books in the series. The film version, featuring Ewan McGregor and Stephen Fry, has taken more than £780 million at the box office since July 21.

The latest Booktrack figures show that Horowitz now has seven titles in the Top 20 children’s bestsellers’ list. He said: “I have never felt that I’m in competition with J. K. Rowling. Indeed, I don’t think Stormbreaker could ever have been made into a film without the success of Harry Potter. But I can’t help smiling quietly to know that Alex has seen off Harry this week.”

• Top Five children’s titles

  1 Stormbreaker Anthony Horowitz

  2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J. K. Rowling

  3 Horrid Henry and the Football Fiend Francesca Simon

  4 Love Lessons Jacqueline Wilson

  5 Startled By His Furry Shorts! Louise Rennison

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