First Place:

Dear  Avi,

            Before reading your book, The Fighting Grounds, I thought war was easy and adventurous.  I liked video war games and war strategy games.  I even thought about becoming a soldier so I could be a hero by defeating the enemy.  Reading your book, The Fighting Grounds, changed the way I think about war.  It made me realize that war is horrid.

            It’s easy to see why I thought war was easy and adventurous.  The soldiers I read about or saw in movies were almost always heroes and they almost always survived.  In video games, one man could often defeat entire enemy forces.  I played pretend war and no one died or got hurt.

            This is how your book changed my mind.  I always knew people died in war but the book personalized their deaths.  The book showed that the people who die are not always the enemy.  Some people who die are your allies, leaders, friends, and siblings.  Some people who die are civilians and even children.  Your story also showed that people on both sides of the war perform good and bad acts.  Finally, the main character, Jonathan, reminds me of myself and I saw how his view of war changed based on his experiences.

            Reading this book showed me that war is no game.  It has awful consequences.  I will still play war games, but I will not be able to do so without thinking about Jonathan and The Fighting Grounds and why war is horrible.  This book left me thinking that people should find ways to settle without war or violence.

Sincerely,

Franklin McCracken-Van Fleet
Grade 6
Crestview Middle School

Second Place:

Dear Leo Buscaglia,

            I have read your book, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf, many times. It might be my favorite book of all.

            My Grandpa died when I was five.  My mom bought your book and gave it to me, she said it would help me understand about life and death.

            I like how you wrote about the life of a leaf and how you named all of them.  Freddie was my favorite leaf in your book.  I also liked Daniel, they reminded me of me and my best friend.

            I like to go outside especially on windy days in the fall.  I imagine being on a branch with Freddie watching all the children playing under me.

            Late in the fall, when most of the leaves have fallen, I fell a little sad.  I look up at a tree and see one or two leaves left on a branch and I wonder if that leaf is Freddie and if he is scared to let go and gently fall to the ground.

            You did a great job describing the life of a leaf and it helped me understand my Grandpa’s life, how strong and healthy he was like Freddie in the spring.  Then when winter arrives it is when the leaf will fall, and it is at that stage when we get old and weak like my Grandpa and he had to let go and die.

            Thank you, Leo for writing this beautiful story for everyone who has lost someone they love.

Sincerely,

Haley Baldridge
Grade 5
Alexander Doniphan Elementary
Liberty

Honorable Mention:

Dear  Chris D’lacey,

            I wanted to tell you how your book affected me.  Your book made me feel like I was actually there.  I laughed, I almost cried, and I looked up words in the dictionary.  When Snigger died, I was waiting to get my hair cut and this really old lady was watching me.  I started sniffling and blowing my nose, and she asked my mom if I was okay.  I told my mom that David just found Snigger dead in the Library Gardens, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

            I put a dragon statue in my room and started calling him Gawain, because when Gawain was mentioned I pictured that dragon.

            I changed, and believe me people noticed that change.  When they saw me talking to my Gawain, they thought I was in need of special help. 

Now I want to tell you what character I think I’m most like.  I think I’m most like Lucy.  I think I am because I am an animal FREAK!  I love all animals.  Every single creature.  My favorite animals are cats.  Not just house cats,  but wild cats too.  I love Siberian Tigers, they’re my favorite cat.  My second favorite animals are squirrels.  There used to be a little gray squirrel, I named him Rocky, at my bus stop.  I fed him peanuts every day. 

Now I’ve got two questions for you.  What inspired you to write The Fire Within, and do you really believe in dragons?

Sincerely,

Sydney Bell
Grade 6
Meadow Lane Elementary
Lee’s Summit

Honorable Mention:

Dear  Mike Thaler,

            As I read your book, “The Custodian from the Black Lagoon” I connected with it in many ways.  For one I am a small boy who goes to school myself.  We also have a custodian at our school, a couple of different ones for that matter.  They all look different, they all act different, they all have different things they do.  Usually no one pays attention to them at all.  Which I think is kind of sad.  But, there is one custodian at my school I think is pretty cool and I like very much.  He talks to me at lunch and my friends as well.  He makes us laugh.  Making lunch time funny.  But, not all the time because he has a job to do.   After reading your book, I’m going to try and not think of everything as a monster.  People are human and not scary green things.

            My mom and I had a discussion a long time ago about how people treat one another.  Sometimes people are just down right mean and don’t care about what they say to one another and my mom usually gets upset and does something about it.  She’s pretty strict about that.  She always tries to make everyone feel welcome and liked.  It made me realize that everyone should be treated nicely and with respect.  Even if you don’t like that person.  But it is hard to do that sometimes.  I think being nice to people and kind is a good quality to have in yourself and I hope that I can achieve that as well.

I enjoyed reading your book!

Sincerely,

Tyler Wills
Grade 4
Alexander Doniphan Elementary
Liberty