I'm pretty sure Jeanette is dead on for the reason behind the title change. I don't imagine that there was much media coverage about it in the U.S., especially since if the book is released under a different title from the very beginning, no one's really going to know the difference in the end anyways.
The Harry Potter books are pretty good, and well worth the 30 minute read it should take you to finish the entire series. If you're constipated, you should be able to blast your way (no pun intended) to about midway through the second book in no time.
The plots are fairly simplistic, but they're still fun. If you have kids, they should definitely read these.
