Are The Harry Potter Books Really Any Good?

I have never read any Harry Potter books or seen any of the films but after trying to watch The De Vinci Code on Sky Movies last night (and switching over after 45 minutes as it was so naff), I was wondering whether the Harry Potter books are just as useless as The De Vinci Code and people are just being taken in by a collective hysteria, ie. a modern day emperor's new clothes?