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A Book That Shaped Me

The Library of Congress and DC Public Library Present: A Book That Shaped Me - Summer Writing Contest 2012

Summer Writing Contest 2012

And the winners are…

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2012 “A Book That Shaped Me” Summer Writing Contest! What a great pool of essays we received with reflections on the impact of books. Congratulations to the library location and grand prize contest winners who are listed below. Read all the winning essays (PDF, 0.98 MB).

Grand Prize Winners

1st Place
Elsa Pirozzi

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Library: West End

2nd Place
Alexander Constantino

Going Solo by Roald Dahl
Library: Chevy Chase

3rd Place
Myla Agyin

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, by Ben Carson
Library: Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial

DC Public Library Location Winners

Name Library Location Book Title Author
William Bell Francis A. Gregory Library The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan
Amber Carpenter Woodridge Library The Last Book in the Universe Rodman Philbrick
Anu Desai Palisades Library ER Vets Donna Jackson
Naomi Gertz Capitol View Library The Mandie Collection (vol. 4) Louis Leppard
Mia Gualtieri Tenley-Friendship Library The Harry Potter Series (esp.The Sorcerer's Stone) J.K Rowling
Eleanor Holt Southwest Library Harry Potter J.K Rowling
Jessica Holloway Takoma Park Library Meet Addy Connie Porter
Charlotte Kho Southeast Library The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe C.S. Lewis
Moneya Maynor Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Out of My Mind Sharon Draper
Martha Mazura Lamond-Riggs Library Hoot Carl Hiaasen
Ahriana Merryweather Watha T. Daniel-Shaw Library Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters John Steptoe
Zahir Muhammad Dorothy I. Height/Benning Library The Airman Eoin Colfer
Olivia Renne Petworth Library Wonder R.J. Palacio
Katherine Sweeney Parklands-Turner Library The Daring Book for Girls Andrea Buchanan & Mirian Peskowit
Holly Thill Anacostia Library The Stolen Sapphire Sarah Masters Bucky
William Wright Cleveland Park Library The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan

About the Contest

The “A Book That Shaped Me” Summer Writing Contest encourages rising 5th & 6th graders to reflect on a book that has made a personal impact on their lives. The contest is administered as part of the DC Public Library 2012 summer reading program themed “Dream Big – Read!” and top winners will be honored at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in September on the National Mall.

Who can participate?

Rising 5th & 6th Graders (students who will be entering 5th or 6th grade in the fall of 2012).

How to Enter

“A Book That Shaped Me” - Write a short essay on a book that has had a personal impact on your life.

Books have the power to shape us by changing the ways we think and feel. Think about a book that made a difference in your life. It could be your favorite book, one that you read at school or as part of this year’s summer reading program. How did it make you feel? Did it change the way you see yourself, your family or the world? Choose one book–it can be fiction or nonfiction–and write a short essay about how it had a personal impact on your life.

Write a one-page essay.
Use examples from the book to make your points. Your essay will be judged on content, structure (spelling and grammar) and creativity. Your essay may be typed or hand-written.

Deadline extended to Saturday August 25, 2012

Submit your essay in-person by Saturday, August 25, 2012 to your neighborhood DC Public Library using the required entry coupon. For a list of library locations visit: www.dclibrary.org/hours-locations

Awards

“A Book That Shaped Me” will award prizes to winners at each library location and to three (3) overall grand prize winners. DC Public Library’s panel of staff judges will select top essayists for each library location. Library winners (25) will each receive a $50 Gift Card and additional prizes, and then advance to the Grand Prize level judging.

The top three (3) Grand Prize winners will be selected by a panel of judges assembled by the Library of Congress to include educators, children’s authors and Library of Congress staff. Grand Prize winners will each receive a $200 Gift Card and additional prizes.

Library winners and Grand Prize winners will be honored during a presentation at the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival on the Mall which takes place September 22-23, 2012.