I actually thought the moral of this episode was a bit more complex and not as stock as most of the series'. Sure, on the surface it's just a twenty-minute version of one of those "READ!" posters you find in school libraries. But on a less obvious level, you get "Don't be ashamed of the things you like, it doesn't change who you are" - a fine moral, and one that's not as generic as a lot of others.
I really appreciated that for once, it wasn't the brainy character as the odd one out having to prove to everyone else that reading is fun, but another character as the odd one out learning what everyone else already knows: that reading is fun. This episode depicted reading for leisure as a normal activity. I can't, off the top of my head, think of another show that has done this.
Does Reading Rainbow not count?
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A chance for Team Faust to flex its muscles
It's not that hard to understand why this episode has been received more critically than some. I'm not going to argue against the fact that the story is a bit shallow and the moral leans a bit to the young side (Reading is fun, guys!). As far as development and progression goes, the episode walks a pretty short and straight line. A large part of the screen-time is devoted to a (very) direct parody of Indiana Jones, the Expy of whom isn't exactly ground-breaking (Daring Doo is a pretty boring and flat character, but in the parody context she at least fills her role).
The adventure scenes might seem like pointless pandering to the action-loving kids, but I think it at least reminds us of one thing: These guys know how to make a damn adventure scene. In my opinion, at least, the Jones segments were frantic, epic, and very visually appealing. And all backed up with an impressive score. Makes you recall the Powerpuff Girls influence this show has.
So in short: Shallow? Yes. But this episode was never meant to be dynamic and moving; it is fun, eye-catching, and a little cathartic.
I can just hear the storyboard artists squee-ing at the opportunity to draw those scenes out.