"Not reading," even for many good students, has become a mode of operation with respect to book-length texts assigned in school. Many students enter secondary and postsecondary literature classes "intending" to "not read" the books teachers assign. More students than teachers want to admit do not complete assigned reading, choosing instead to employ what the author calls the strategy of "not reading." To avoid creating pretend classrooms in which students do not read, teachers may use teaching and learning strategies that make reading necessary and then reward those students who have engaged in the authentic ritual of reading with the opportunity for social construction of knowledge based on those readings. Teachers need to expect that their students will read the books they assign, and they need to teach and grade in ways that promote reading. The author offers several dos and don'ts for encouraging students to accept teachers' invitations to read. (Contains 2 notes.)