The Sublime Ms. Stacks, a divisive drag show drama in a library

The only way that The Sublime Ms. Stacks could be more polarizing is if each book came with a lightning rod. There is no gray area on this illustrated book. It’s a book that can be admired for its forthright thinking but will also leave many wondering how it could be so tone-deaf. The Sublime Ms. Stacks will leave most readers wondering why the book exists, while a couple of them will say that it didn’t come onto the scene soon enough.

It’s important to state early on that The Sublime Ms. Stacks is an illustrated book intended for elementary school audiences. Similar to its subject matter, it’s a storytime book that’s meant to be read aloud.

Mr. Stephen is a school or public library librarian, the exact location of the facility isn’t known. He’s a nice guy who loves books, but produces poor-quality crafts, fumbles any attempt at show-and-tell, and falls asleep during story time. Thankfully Ms. Stacks is there to jump in whenever something requires enthusiasm or panache. She reads stories with different voices, sings when she speaks to the kids, loves glitter, and more.

One of the kids asks her what she likes to do and she quickly responds that she likes to lip-sync. At that point, her two helpers, Bibli O’Teca and Alma Nack pop up from behind the counter. Bibli has pink hair, a beard and a mustache and is wearing a nice red skirt. Alma is a larger Black woman who ‘is all about that database.’

The three then proceed to perform a song from the 80’s “about men, not rain, coming down from the sky!” At the end of the song, the trio asks the kids what they think the words to the song meant. The kids respond that it made them feel happy, “like poetry, but with a dancy beat!” In their zeal, Mr. Stack’s wig comes flying off, but she’s so in character that she asks her darlings what they’ve learned today.

The kids respond that they learned about the Constitution, Paris Fashion Week, and how to stand up for themselves, among other things. The trio dances off to the staff lounge where Mr. Stephen magically appears a couple of moments later. And to ensure that the plot firmly hits readers on the head, the last illustration is him leaving the library with a wig and sequined dress sticking out from his backpack.

So, what’s the purpose of The Sublime Mr. Stacks? It could be meant to illustrate that drag shows in libraries are harmless fun or it could be a book that’s meant to add an unneeded variable into your child’s life. It’s not a book that is overtly trying to indoctrinate your children to be drag performers. However, it could also introduce a subject to young audiences that some families would rather not have done in the first place; or done in a setting where they can control it.   

It’s a powerful book about being proud to be a crossdresser, that also introduces a subculture to folks who may not want their kids to hear about it yet. For some school libraries in California or New York, it’s a book that might make its way onto the shelves, but even then it’ll provide just as many instances for insults as it will empowering drag ownership.

I spoke with several school librarians and their opinions ranged relatively to their ages. The older librarians said no way that the book would be in their stacks, whereas the younger ones didn’t have an issue with the book. They both agreed that the parents would flip out if their child came home talking about a book in the school library that featured a cross-dressing librarian.

Most public school libraries won’t stock it. In the end, it’s more divisive than the carpet of acceptance it might’ve been aiming for. The concept of someone in drag reading a book to kids in a library is a G-rated show, as long as the books are appropriate. Judged simply as a book, The Sublime Ms. Stacks will speak to the choir, regardless of which pew you’re sitting in. It’ll speak to them, alienate those who disagree, and fire up two fringe bases, but maybe that’s the point of the exercise.

However, what about fully-clothed adult entertainers who are reading to those ages, would that be acceptable? No, you’d have the same folks who politicize their issue in a way that suits their narrative. Stormy Daniels reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar, next Tuesday during story hour. That wouldn’t fly either; but, I’m drawing up plans for my own illustrated book about that. I’m just hoping that adult bookshops will give it end-cap placement.

The Sublime Ms. Stacks, The Legendary Librarian is Serving Story Time Realness is by Robb Pearlman with illustrations by Dani Jones and is available on Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

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