2007 Winning Essays

Level One Winning Letter

Dear Deborah Wiles,

Your book, Each Little Bird That Sings, helped me in ways you can never imagine. My mother bought the book for me, and after reading the back cover, I was afraid to go any further. Death … a word I was never going to talk about, let alone read about. The book sat on my shelf for months, and it was only after the death of my mother's childhood best friend that I began to open its pages.

I had never lost anyone, so watching my mother and her sadness was difficult. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling, and I was afraid to bring up the topic. Jeannie, her friend, had tow young children who she left behind when she died of cancer. She was 39 years old, the same as my mother. It was after Jeannie's death that I started to worry about my mother dying. Something I had on my mind night and day.

Comfort is what this book gave to me. I wonder if you meant to call you main character that name for a reason. At first, I thought the name was odd, until I realized that Comfort was the one with all the strength. I wanted to be like her, so I tried to do as she did … listen and give comfort.

As time went on, I began to feel better about death, and I started to talk to my mother about her sadness. I realized that she had to deal with Jeannie's death in her own way, and that there was no right or wrong way to grieve. I realized that I needed to talk about death, too, and I did.

I once asked my mother about the sadness she was feeling, and she told me something I didn't expect to hear. She said she felt her deepest sadness when she realized she hadn't finished telling Jeannie everything that was in her heart. That opportunity was gone now and she said she had regret.

From all this, I have learned one great thing. You should always say what you feel when you feel it, because that person will die one day, and you don't want them to leave this earth wondering.

Sincerely,
Jori Goldberg
Burr Ridge, Illinois

Level Two Winning Letter

Dear Pam Muñoz Ryan,

I really enjoyed reading Esperanza Rising because it was the first chapter book I read in English and because it changed my way of thinking about life. The book also made me understand how I felt when I came to the U.S.A. at age seven and only spoke Spanish. I could relate to Esperanza and all that she felt. I too had the same experiences like trying to understand others and trying to be understood by them.

In Esperanza Rising the mother had to give up her comfy life style after her husband died and she had to work really hard in a field. This affected me in two ways; one way is because when my family lived in Colombia both of my parents had really respectable office jobs. When they came to America they had to take jobs that were below their qualifications because they couldn't speak English. Esperanza's mom was very tired from working in a field, getting home late and her hands became all rough and kind of open because of the hard work. I can relate to Esperanza's sadness because my mom works the nightshift and I don't get to see her much and she too has aches and pains form being on her feet for long hours. The second way this part of the book affected me was thinking about how I would be if my dad died because he is the one that shows me love, hi is my hero.

It's awesome to know that someone could go from being really poor to really rich, or vice-versa. This aspect of the book changed me because I now appreciate more of what I have. Now, I don't ask my parents for things I know they can't afford to buy. I understand that they try to give me what I want, but I really feel that I don't need things just because other teens have them. I have come to realize that no matter how many items I have, there are still some people in the world who don't even have that.

Esperanza Rising made me change in so many ways. I learned to REALLY love the people I have in my life. I also learned how to survive in a country that was not my own. Lastly, Pam Munoz Ryan, I want to thank you for teaching me respect and for teaching me how to value what I have.

Sincerely,
Alejandra Ruiz
Schaumburg, Illinois

Level Three Winning Letter

Dear Ms. Alexandra Robbins,

I was first introduced to your novel The Overachievers by my English teacher at the beginning of the year. Being called an "overachiever" myself, I immediately went to the library and obtained my own copy, just to see what all the fuss was about. I initially thought that it would be a clichéd generalization of so-called "overachievers" filled with overly saccharine praise of unworthy students. Coming from a very competitive school myself, I am not ashamed to admit that I wanted to see how I measured up to these supposed "overachievers."

When I first began reading, as much as I hated to deign to an outsider's perspective of what I thought to be '"my" world, I could easily relate your characters to people I knew. I could identify the "Julies" in my life, the superstars of the overachiever world who I had always admired. At the same time, I could see a little bit of myself in her character. I know how it feels to not have the "numbers" - the test scores and the GPA - to go with my life. I could even relate to the physical tolls that Julie later experienced from chronic stress due to school - she dealt with massive hair loss while I dealt with arthritis.

As I progressed through your book, I felt a personal connection with each character. You described many different "overachievers," and I was surprised to see myself reflected in every one of them. I had not expected this to happen, but the more I read, the more I thought, "Wow, that's me!"

I was Julie, the "superstar" who didn't know what to do with herself. I was Audrey, the "perfectionist" who fell apart when the details of her life didn't fit together. I was Sam, the "teacher's pet" who was obsessed with being admitted to a name-brand school. I was even C.J., the "flirt," who never felt good enough and always felt outshined by other overachievers.

Likewise, I was enlightened to certain aspects of an over achiever life that I had not considered before. For instance, at the beginning of the book I was completely detached from Ryland; Ryland is the kind of person that I normally abhor in real life. He is the student who never does his homework, is always late to class, and never seems to have his act together. I detested the character of Ryland so much that I sometimes skipped the chapters about him! Yet, as I read on, I realized that Ryland ha d had to endure tumultuous family relations on top of medical, mental, and emotional problems; he couldn't control any of these factors and their effects on him. As I become increasingly drawn into your descriptions, I felt a new sympathy rising for those Rylands in my own life. I reevaluated the harsh, unforgiving attitude I had for those whom I had perceived as "slackers," and I know understand that their lifestyles are probably affected by reasons unforeseen; therefore, I have not right to judge them.

Finally, your book made me aware of the dangerous line between "good" and overachieving and "bad" overachieving that I had been walking for quite some time. As you wrote, overachieving is not bad until it reaches a point that it impairs personal wellness. My academic goals have always been paramount in my life. For as long as I can remember, everything has always revolved around my grades, my test scores, and my extracurricular activities. My personal happiness and health oftentimes ranked behind studying for that history test on Friday or the math midterm next week. Nevertheless, when I read about SSP Frank's grueling study schedule, Audrey's breakdown and the events leading up to it, and Ryland's increasing dependence on memory-enhancing drugs, I realized that none of this was worth it. I realized that the numbers posted on the classroom wall and the letters printed on my school's seal are simply not worth my adolescence and my youth. I realized that I didn't want to peak in high school, only to burn out in college. I realized that I didn't want to throw away my happiness, my morals, and my life on getting just two points more on that physics test. Although my academic career is still - and will always be - a very important part of my life, after reading your book The Overachievers, I know now that it isn't my life.

Thank you for writing this book; it has made me - as well as thousands of other students across the country - realize that life is so much more than the red letter at the top of the test.

Sincerely,
Faye Cheng
Oak Brook, Illinois