A League of Our Own

“Absolutely not.” These are the words that led Carin Meister, Pegasus librarian, to pull out of the interschool Battle of the Books league to which the school has belonged for over a decade. The message was delivered in response to Meister’s suggestion to the league to add The Magic Misfits to this year’s reading list. When the other schools refused as a result of the book’s brief mention that a character has two dads, Meister was faced with a dilemma. Should she remain a quiet bystander in the presence of discrimination? Absolutely not.

When Meister became the Pegasus librarian thirteen years ago, she inherited Battle of the Books—or BOB—a voluntary program in which students read twenty books and participate in an interschool competition. But to Meister, the competitive aspect of the program is hardly the point. “The purpose of BOB,” she says, “is that kids discover books they might not have ordinarily encountered on their own. Reading should prompt a discovery of different genres, different kinds of people, and different ways of life.” However, Meister recently learned that the league did not share this philosophy when she received an email in which it was stated unequivocally: “We will not read any books with gay characters.” Meister was shocked. “For me,” she says, “seeing it in writing was a huge wake-up call.” When Meister tried to defend the book at the league’s annual meeting, not only did the league uphold its decision, but it also rejected a second of Meister’s titles because of the book’s mention of reincarnation. And so, she decided it was time to take a stand—to stand up for our students’ right to read diverse texts and for families of all kinds to see themselves reflected in the books we read. Meister made the decision to drop out of the league.

Though she felt it was the right decision, Meister was concerned the Pegasus community would be disappointed to lose the competition that had become somewhat of a rite of passage for many of our fourth and fifth graders: “I was worried that people would be upset about losing the competition aspect because our kids are usually so successful. And we didn’t have a backup plan.” But when Meister told the administration of her decision, she says, “Both Jason [Lopez] and Jen [Green] said, ‘No question, we are behind you.’”

The support did not stop there. After Pegasus pulled out of the league, a second school walked out, ready to join us in the formation of new league. So there would be a competition after all, but would our parents and faculty get on board? “The response,” Meister says, “was an incredible amount of support. It made me feel like we did the right thing on behalf of the students.”

During a lunchtime meeting in the library, Meister informed the students of the decision. With students crowded around tables and peeking over bookshelves, she told the news to the packed room. Meister says, “The students were flabbergasted. They could not believe the other schools wouldn’t read those books.” The room filled with murmurs of disbelief, while some children shared that they have friends with two moms or two dads, and they couldn’t believe that their friends were being discriminated against. Whatever lingering doubt Meister had about her decision disappeared in that library full of fourth and fifth graders as they showered her with wholehearted support. Fifth grader Maya D. says, “I agree with Mrs. Meister’s decision. When she told us the reason, I was shocked, and later I was really mad because students need to be exposed to all varieties of people! It changes your view of the world.” Word even spread to middle school, prompting eighth grader and former BOB champion Meredith S. to sprint to the library in a show of support. “Everyone should get to read a book and think, ‘Hey, this is me,’” Meredith says. “Otherwise, it’s exclusion and that’s not what Pegasus is about.”

With the formation of a new league, Meister is now free to select books that she feels better reflect the needs of the whole community. This year, the reading list contains stories of Indian freedom-fighters, undocumented Chinese-American immigrants, and, of course, a girl with two dads. These more diverse stories have received an overwhelming response of support and engagement from our community. In response to Save Me a Seat, a book about an Indian-American boy’s experience of immigration, Pegasus parents Arpi and Bobby Charlu held a special assembly during which they spoke

of their own experiences as Indian-Americans and served food from their family’s region of India. After reading Ahimsa, Maya hurried into the library to share her excitement that the main character’s name is Anjali, her mother’s name.

All students deserve to see themselves in the books they read. And all students deserve to read and learn about experiences that are unlike their own. Through exposure to diverse literature, our students develop empathy for others and affirmation of self. Meister knows that the purpose of Battle of the Books is not simply about the pages read or competitions won; the purpose is the kind of profound growth that only literature can foster, and which changes a child for a lifetime. “A lot of the reward in teaching literature is actually something that comes much later,” Meister says. “You give a kid a book and hope it’s the start of something greater.” For now, Meister is witness to 72 students—our largest group ever—as they encounter rich, diverse literature and see themselves in a book for perhaps the first time. And that, indeed, is already something great. Brooke Baum is The Pegasus School's Library Assistant. When she isn't reading the latest graphic novel, she is baking cookies, or if she feels brave, bread. Contact: bbaum@thepegasusschool.org Everyone should get to read a book and think, ‘hey, this is me,’ otherwise, it’s exclusion and that’s not what Pegasus is about.