Here is our second roundup of reading-related research from 2014. Reading Harry Potter fosters empathy and aids socio-emotional learning Reading Harry Potter improves attitudes to stigmatised groups such as immigrants, homosexuals and refugees amongst readers who identify with the main positive character (Harry), or readers who dis-identify with the main negative character (Voldemort), through perspective taking. With younger groups (who may find it difficult to comprehend the meaning of complex.