noted.

But the sheer centrality and vital importance of reading for pleasure is well documented, not least in a paper the National Literacy Trust produced in 2006. The benefits of reading for pleasure include improvement in writing, in text comprehension and grammar, in breadth of vocabulary; it develops a positive attitude to reading, which in turn leads to higher achievement; it develops self-confidence, and leads to greater pleasure in reading in later life; it increases general knowledge, a better understanding of other cultures, more community participation, and a greater insight into human nature. Not reading for the sake of passing a test, but reading for pleasure is what does that. And reading for pleasure has got to be controlled by the child, not by a curriculum, not by a teacher, however well-intentioned, not by anyone but children themselves. I profoundly dislike, for example, the way reading is captured by slave-drivers and made to work at something it wasn’t meant for. People who think reading is instrumental, that its value is in how you can use it for some other purpose. Reading to promote discussion about contemporary issues: no matter whether the book’s any good, it’s about bullying, therefore we should use it. Reading to teach grammar: underline the adjectives in this passage—find examples of the passive voice—work out what words are missing from this paragraph. Can we wonder why children are put off reading, when that sort of rubbish is seen as its only aim? We do not write books for that purpose. I try to bear in mind the words that Samuel Johnson is supposed to have said: “The true aim of writing is to help the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.” Those are my purposes when writing; I think they could hardly be bettered as purposes for reading too.

Philip Pullman in defence of libraries. Read full speech: Consider the context | The Bookseller