I am also thinking of my 9th grade lit text book. He is 9 and he isn't interested in Silas mariner, Romeo and Juliet, and 70 % of the other stories at a 9 th grade level. So as long as he is happy, I am happy.
I think this is a really valid point. The last thing we want to do is turn them against reading by creating an obligation that isn't aligned with their interests.
I remember being in elementary school and reading entire novels in a night (ie. Gentle Ben, Call of the Wild, that sort of thing) and having teachers try and shove harder books under my nose... it drove me nuts. Let me read what I want to read. Now I get paid to write, so clearly I'm literate.
My DD11 meanwhile loves reading as much as I did/do, and I've never required her to reading "certain" material. Meanwhile she has a friend whose well meaning mom made her read some of the classics (Little Women, etc) and this poor kid can't get far enough away from books.
