A Letter From Our Founders Regarding Scholastic
It has come to our attention that Scholastic is feeling the pressure from our presence. We’ve heard that they've gone as far as having one of their employees follow our social media to identify schools working with us. They then reach out to these schools, offering a free book fair to deter them from using MiJa Books. Unfortunately, this tactic has been successful with some of our clients.
That said, some schools have chosen to cut ties with Scholastic for several reasons. These include:
- Scholastic's refusal to provide more, or any, Spanish books when requested.
- Concerns over Scholastic's recent headlines regarding diversity policies.
- Discontent with the quality of books Scholastic offers.
Scholastic Book Fairs are in over 90% of U.S. schools, generating $541.6 million in revenue for fiscal year 2024 (May 2023-May 2024). In contrast, our small, family-run business generates a fraction of that. In our opinion, Scholastic's anti-competitive tactics could hurt our small business far more than we could ever hurt them. They’ve had a monopoly on the book fair market for decades, acquiring smaller competitors that tried to claim a small piece of the market.
We started MiJa Books after the birth of our Afro-Latina daughter, disappointed by the lack of representation in children's literature. Frustrated by how difficult it was to find diverse books, we created highly curated collections, and soon, parents and teachers began asking if we could bring these books to their schools. This is how our journey into school book fairs began.
Every child deserves to see themselves in the books they read. BIPOC authors deserve shelf space. Representation matters every day, all year round.
We encourage you to consider MiJa Books for your next book fair. If you value diversity, bilingual education, and quality literature, let us bring our collection to your school.
With peace, love, and a renewed passion for our mission,
Stephanie Moran Reed & Muammar Reed, MiJa Books Founders