OP: be careful what you let the kid read. A lot of stuff aimed at kids is not a good influence these days. I understand there is only sio much you can do: I read just about every book in our libraries SF/Fantasy section, as well as tons of westerns, horror, detective, general lit, and even the encyclopedia once or twice. I guess I'd just say that not everything marketed towards kids is appropriate for them.
Micro, re classics: I think they are substantially different, but still not the best influence depending on the novel.
Screw sexualization. Not the issue.
Let me explain where I am coming from, here:
My father was a literature teacher (by this I mean that he no longer actively teaches it).
In one sense my upbringing was very strict, in that it was seen to that I have read the main canon books of Russian (and later English) literature, as well as some translated books from other cultures. Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Dumas, Hugo. Add some good teachers in the later years of high school, and I was pretty much set for college.
On the other hand, starting at about age 14 I was allowed pretty much free reign at the house library. It was considered preferable to me buying my own books with pocket money ("science fiction and fantasy is a primitive form of entertainment for engineers and programmers!").
I think at least in the educational and personal moral sense I turned out all right.
