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More likely than not, the daughter doesn't want to strain her brain reading Poe or Hawthorne so she concocted her "nightmare story" so that mommy would save her from the evil Homework Boogy Man.

I'm not sure that's it. Before you were here RMD, I explained that my wife is teaching in a "home school academy." Kids that are being homeschooled go there for specfic classes parents feel they can't (or don't want to) teach.

She did actually pull a couple of books off of the suggested summer reading list.

There's a legend about the Edgar grave in Baltimore. Supposedly on his birthday a mysterious figure leaves a bottle of cognac and three roses on his grave. It's been reported that the same thing happens at the Poe statue on the Virginia Capitol grounds (we also have a Poe museum here). I told my wife she should do an overnight field trip to the statue on Poe's birthday. (I'd even buy the cognac).

So we are back to Sam's theory that she has been kept in a box or is just unstable! And she hasn't read them yet, the mom is just concerned she will have nightmares.

Is this the same mom that complained last summer?

I can understand if the reading material is controversial, that some parents might feel it's inappropriate. Or if coarse language is present, or if there are sexual tones in the book, etc.

My problem is the 10th grader with nightmares is a highly unlikely scenario. Most 10th graders I know can sleep blissfully after watching any slasher flick on TV. And honestly Corin, can you think of anything in Poe's writings that would induce such traumatic nightmares?

They are spooky and creepy, but not ghastly or ghoulish.