WASHINGTON ? US President Barack Obama raved about the smash hit new movie "Where the Wild Things Are" and the wizardry of Harry Potter after surprising local schoolkids in their lunch hour on Monday.

Obama motorcaded north from the White House to drop into a school in suburban Silver Spring, Maryland to praise kids after their school boosted its standards after qualifying for extra federal funding for low income students.

Mingling with kids in their dining room, Obama revealed he had seen the blockbuster hit "Where the Wild Things Are" an adaptation of a beloved children's book at the weekend with daughters Malia and Sasha.

"That's a great book," said Obama, who has access to latest releases at the White House theater. And he cast judgement on the movie saying "it's worth seeing."

The screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 picture book about a rebellious boy who sails to a fantasyland inhabited by monsters earned 32.5 million dollars in its debut weekend in the US and Canadian box office.

Urging the surprised and delighted kids to see reading as a passport to a better future, Obama also revealed his affection for J.K. Rowling's boy wizard.

"Malia and I read the Harry Potter books. We thought those were pretty good," he said.