Journeys: Young Readers' Letters to Authors Who Changed Their Lives

Gr 6 Up—Since 1984, the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress has conducted an annual essay contest in which students in grades four through 12 write letters to authors of books that have influenced their lives. The best of those written in over the past decade have been published in this volume, and they are remarkable. The letters are not merely fan flattery: authors, both living and dead, are addressed in conversational tones. "I have always struggled with being Jewish," a young girl admits to Anne Frank. But after reading Frank's diary, as she studied for her bat mitzvah, she continues: "I hope you will be there, standing right next to me, reciting and praying along with me." A high school student seeking a definition of masculinity that departs from his father's traditional interpretation says to Rudyard Kipling, "Because of 'If,' I am able to walk with my chest pushed out like a man, not because of bulging pectoral muscles but because of the heart under them." Though each entry is eloquently written and noticeably articulate, the work does have an audience issue—most kids are unlikely to pick this up for pleasure reading.