First Place:

Dear Ms. Van Leeuwen,

Cabin on Trouble Creek made me want to learn how to survive in the wilderness. I was born in Saint Louis and I’ve lived here most of my life, far from mountains and forests. Before the divorce, my Dad would take me fishing by a pond down the street. To me, it was a huge pond, but in reality, it was merely a trickle of water tucked behind an interstate. After the divorce, however, my experience with nature was then limited to zoos and parks. I’ve always wanted to survive in the wilderness, but your book made me realize how much.

I could have been a pioneer, but only for a little while because I like electricity. Last summer and this winter, we had no power for nearly ten days. My Mom teased us that we were living like refugees, but I enjoyed being Indiana Brian. It made me realize what the bare necessities are and that even though we had no power, we were still among the lucky. We are lucky because we had each other, just as Daniel and Will did.

Daniel and Will made traps, fished with spears, made furniture out of wood, and tried their best to finish the cabin. I can’t do any of these things. I envy their knowledge. My greatest dream is to start a fire with the natural materials around me. I would like to survive in the wilderness, but I would not want to do it alone. If I had to pick someone to spend nine months in the Ohio wilderness with, I would pick my younger brother Nathan.

I’ve often imagined that Nathan and I were Daniel and Will. In fact, there are many similarities between these suburbia boys and your Ohioan pioneer boys. Nathan, like Will, is energetic, impulsive and stubborn. Daniel and I are both more practical and cautious. We also worry for our younger brothers’ safety. Daniel worries about bears, wolves, starvation, and exposure to the elements. While I may only worry about bullies, teasing, and bad grades, we both worry and look out for our younger brother. Most importantly, we love each other and are willing to look out for each other.

Sincerely,

Brian Phan
Olivette, MO

Second Place:

Dear Ann Martin,

Your book, A Dog’s Life An Autobiography of a Stray, really inspired me. I know it’s about a dog, but it made me think about how poorly we treat animals. I read it about two weeks ago and I’ve been thinking about it lately. When I read it, I felt something going on inside. Then I got all these questions. How did the Becker children feel about letting Squirrel go? Where did Bone and Squirrel’s mother go? Did their mother ever mate with a male dog? Was Bone okay in the end? I was wondering, do you know the answers to any of these questions? If you do, I would love to know the answers.

Now I really have insight for animals. On my way to school, my family and I have noticed a lot of stray dogs alongside the road. We have tried to help but they keep well away from us. My mother drops us off at school and I can’t help but to think about those poor dogs, Moon, Squirrel, and Bone.

I rescued a grey hound, Cody, and now that I’ve read your book, Cody means even more to me then before I read it. I know that he has had many troubles, living in an abandoned warehouse and when he was neutered, his stitches were on way too tight. That reminds me of Squirrel. You’ve showed me that animals, no matter what kind, need to be respected.

Sincerely,

Megan King
New City School
St. Louis

Honorable Mention:

Dear Mr. Curtis,

I really enjoyed reading your book The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963.  I felt connected to Watson family because they seemed very realistic.  Your book helped me understand that time period better.  Your book helped me understand the effect of racism as well.

While reading your book I felt as if the Watson children were my own siblings.  When Kenny was drowning I wished I could have reached into the book to save him from the Wool Pooh.  I was almost brought to tears when Kenny couldn’t save Joey from the Wool Pooh at the church bombing.  Then I thought, “What if I lived in Birmingham during 1963?”  I wondered how I would have dealt with racism and segregation.  How would church bombings and violence have affected my life?  Then I realized that racism affects my life now.  Even though there are no longer bombings, racism is still present today.  When I am 30 I may not be killed because I am a certain race, but I might not get hired for a job.  Your book has taught me that race influences people’s decisions everyday.  Sometimes we make stereotypes about some one who is a different race than ourselves.  Sometimes we sympathize with some one who is the same race as ourselves.  At that point we become racist because we base our ideas on race.  Our country should use the events that occurred at that time period to improve ourselves today.  We should learn from our mistakes of the past.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for writing The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963.  Your book has helped educate many children, like myself, about a very influential part of history.  I cannot wait to read another one of your books.

Sincerely,

Ariana Ha
Sperreng Middle School
St. Louis, MO

Honorable Mention:

Dear Mrs. Margaret Peterson Haddix,

It was my pleasure to read your book Among the Hidden. My wonderful 5th grade teacher Mrs. Riley recommended it and I have been hooked on your book series ever since! It inspired my imagination and made me think. Now let me explain why.

This book is different from my life in many ways, but I compared my feelings and personal characteristics with Luke, your main character. We both plan ahead rather than waiting until the last minute to do things. Both of us think carefully before any action takes place, too! We are interested in trying to do something different and can be brave in trying to stand up for what we believe in!

Recently, my family moved to a new town and, at first, I was scared to be different or try new things. Like Luke, I was afraid to do something that drew attention to myself. However, one day at school, my best friend Shelby and I decided to mix up the usual seating arrangement in the school cafeteria. We wondered what would happen if we sat at the “football players’ lunch table” where only the best athletes sat. So Shelby and I changed our usual routine and joined the boys sitting at the “Football Table” for lunch. This seemed to be a “big thing” to the rest of the 5th graders present because no one else had ever tried this before. It took some courage, but we set an example for others who might want to try different ways of doing things. In your story, Luke stayed in his parents’ attic, waiting for a hero to come and rescue him. But after Jen died, he felt there was more to life. He took Jen’s advice about getting back to the real world and eventually moved to Hendricks School for Boys.

Luke and I both find ways to deal with people that we don’t completely trust. My personal example is a girl in my class who tries hard to be my friend. I know a lot of people do not trust her because of past behavior and she has often been dishonest. Other kids talk about her behind her back and put her down for things. I’ve tried to be friendly to her and lift her spirits. This is like Luke when he met Mr. Talbot who worked for the Population Police. Luke was cautious until he had more personal experience with Mr. Talbot.

Both Luke and I are fortunate to have friends who encourage us. Shelby is my best friend and she lifts my spirits with her silly laugh and warm smiles. Luke’s friend Jen encouraged him to fight with her for third children’s rights and wanted him to go to the rally.

Luke and I also share some similarities in our personal weaknesses or character flaws. We’re both impatient when waiting for someone to do things for us. When we want to do something, we want to do it now! Luke is also quite curious such as when he wanted to see who lived in the ‘sports’ family house. I’m like Luke in being curious! I want to know about events, people, and how something works.

Luke and I have lives that are totally different in many ways. Luke has a hard life to lead with an unfair, harshly ruled society. His life or death is in the hands of the Population Police. He could be put to death because he is a third child in a family! My life is less complicated with a civilized government that does not limit the number of children per family. I have more rights and freedom than Luke even though both of us have loving parents and siblings.

Your book Among the Hidden is full of energy with many things that I can relate to. Most of the books I’ve read have had a present day setting. I enjoyed the futuristic viewpoint and how that affected the story characters and events that took place. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to see “behind curtain” and understanding how an author creates stories and makes them come to life!

Thank you again for writing a great book and I look forward to reading more of your work.

Sincerely,

Alaina Sonksen
Oak Ridge Elementary
Camdenton