The purpose of this project was to increase grade four students' reading motivation by helping them to develop a broader awareness of literary genres, and through participation in literature-based discussion activities. Approximately 71 students and 33 teachers participated. The following interventions were used: creating a literature rich classroom, conducting a reading interest survey, introducing a variety of genres, and book buddy discussion activities. The final outcome was that the students' motivation to read increased. The literature supported three main themes. One theme was that students who lack motivation do not take responsibility for their learning experience. Another theme was that reading skills are linked to the amount of time spent reading. Finally, basic skill training is still necessary beyond fourth grade, and if children are unmotivated and not reading successfully by fourth grade, they are likely to remain poor readers. The literature provided a variety of strategies to foster students' reading interest, and for this project, the following three were chosen. One strategy was using bibliotherapy to offer children a reference for their feelings about reading. Another strategy was to encourage literary discussion by creating a "book buddy" system. Finally, researchers created a goal-oriented program that incorporated literature-based activities to encourage reading interest. Having completed the interventions and data comparisons, the researchers concluded that there was an increase in students' reading motivation. The data was based on the pre-and post-intervention student interest surveys and the pre- and post-intervention activity choice measurements. Appendixes contain a reading tally sheet; a survey and a questionnaire; a 16-item annotated bibliography of children's literature; a reading log; book buddy interview questions; a book buddy lesson plan; and lesson plans and recording sheets for a "Novel Reflections" and "Current Events" activities. (Contains 57 references, 11 tables, and 22 figures.) (Author/RS)