Really? I have difficulties understanding this. Is it because it is interesting for the kids through its shock value and manageable length? But this then looks to me like declaring ketchup to be vegetables so enough veggies are eaten at the canteen.
I liked reading in high school and most of the 19th and 18th century works I read bored me to tears and I probably ended up at least partly just reading the Cliff Notes. Today, I expect I would go to Wikipedia.
One of big goals teachers and schools are having currently is to make at least some kids like reading enough so they do it.
For the latter it’s because issues students deal with in school directly parallel those in the story.
You can find that situation in so many places in modern culture that there's no point listing any, it's like looking for air.