This article examines issues related to the reading and teaching of faction literaturein school. Faction is defined not only as a literary genre but also as a form of readingapplied to the reader. The article discusses young people’s encounters with novels‘based on a true story’ as well as the challenges this means for literature instruction.We also analyse the relationship between teachers’ approach to faction literature inthe classroom and syllabus formulations regarding appreciative forms of reading.The empirical material mainly consists of instances of teaching in the subject ofSwedish from three upper secondary school classrooms. Our analysis suggests threeareas in which the students’ reading of faction becomes complicated in the way thatthe text’s factual accuracy is often taken for granted. To meet these challenges areflective literature instruction is required. We also demonstrate that the idea ofliterature mainly as a source of knowledge of life is strongly advocated in thesyllabus.