My Case for Better School Libraries.

 

My Case for Better School Libraries.

Our library period in School is a sacred ritual, One that occurs but once a week. Oh, how we wait for it! And by wait I mean we wait for it to end so we can dash to recess. It's the same story in most schools here in Pakistan. Some of us hope for adventures in these hallowed halls, but the adventure often comes in the form of trying not to fall asleep. The books? Oh, they're plentiful, yes, but they're mostly encyclopedias. Majestic in title, tragic in popularity. They line the shelves like a royal court, proud and ready to impart their wisdom. But let's be honest…No  One reads them. Now, the real excitement happens when you dare to ask for a book that isn't a textbook or an encyclopedia.

Like that time I worked up the courage to ask the librarian for the diary of a wimpy kid?  He looked at me, his face caught in a peculiar mix of curiosity and suspicion as if I had asked him for an original manuscript of Shakespeare's Hamlet. His bushy brows knitted together, and he tilted his head, squinting like a detective solving a cold case. Diary of  What ? a wimpy kid, he repeated, each syllable enunciated as if testing them for hidden meaning. Yes, I said, full of hope, hope that would soon hang by a thread. Aye, the way he said it, and went away to search it, Minutes past, too many.

Now, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, oh what a book! A masterpiece by Jeff Kinney, about a high school boy named Greg Heffley, who faces the same ordinary challenges any student can relate to, awkwardness, bullying, and the unpredictable horror of school lunches. What makes it truly magical, though, is the mix of sharp humor and simple yet striking illustrations. You could practically hear the pages whispering, Come on, turn me! I'll make you laugh. This book was an instant hit across the globe. Nineteen volumes of it flying off the shelves in schools from here to Timbuktu. But in our school? Ah, well, let's just say the librarian returned with a single, solitary book. Volume three, to be exact.

 One book, one. How he managed to secure even that is a mystery. The thing is, we need more books like this. We need them. Imagine a student coming into the library and not treating it as a place to simply gossip, nap, or stare out the window daydreaming about the next trending Mr. Beast Video. What if they came in excited, eager to dive into the world of Wimpy Kid or something like it?

A place where young readers, real readers, could find something that connects with them, something beyond the mandatory textbooks. If we could get our hands on a few more volumes of Wimpy Kid or other books with the same quirky charm, the library would be buzzing. I know, because that's what happened to me when I started reading it at the age of ten. I didn't just read the book, I felt like I became the book. I started keeping my own journal, writing down every little adventure and embarrassing moment, just like Greg Hefley. Trust me.

There are plenty of moments worth writing about. So here's my humble request to all the school administrations in Pakistan. Let's not let the next generation miss out on the magic of stories like these. Let's revolutionize our libraries. Give students more than just dry pages of information. Let's bring them books that speak to their hearts, that make them laugh, and yes, that may even encourage them to grab a pen and start their own personal diaries. After all, the ultimate goal isn't just to teach kids to read. It's to remind them of the joy in reading. And maybe, just maybe, one of them will pick up a pen and write their own wimpy adventures down the road.