I would consider your story the normal progression but the problem we are facing right now are these new arbitrary "rating" systems that schools have adopted. The people who created the systems have even admitted that this was not the intended use, but teachers have told parents "Your child is a level X or Lexile 10" and now parents REFUSE to look at anything that is below that, even if it would encourage the child to practice their reading or learn how to read for fun.

Librarian and (good) teachers know books and know kids and are good at matching the two up. Nothing makes my blood boil like a child coming to the desk with a book they *want* to read only to be told by a parent that it is "too easy" or "not on their Lexile level" (and publishers have to *pay* to get their books rated with Lexile level so if the book is older, it probably was never rated).

So that is more the frustrating part for us. (though don't get me started on the parents who tell their kids to find a "real book" when I give them a stack of comics...especially when the parent isn't holding ANY books...") /librarianrant