Letters About Literature Winner!

O’Neill Public School student, Tyson Hostert, was recognized by Gov. Dave Heineman at a proclamation signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week. Hostert’s letter to Gary Paulsen about the Hatchet series for the Letters about Literature program was selected. This competition encourages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author who had an impact on their lives.  Tyson's winning letter is below:

Dear Gary Paulsen,

        

I’m a thirteen year old kid that just really isn’t into reading and English.  Actually I kind of hate it with a passion, but your Hatchet series is helping me to overcome this.  Every time I tell my parents that I don’t like to read, I always get the response that’s somewhat like “too bad” or “learn to like it because you will be doing it for the rest of your life.”  I am taking that into consideration, but with your Hatchet series I don’t need to complain.

 In elementary we used to have to read books and take test on them.  We needed a certain amount of points to get an A.  I would just procrastinate and procrastinate until the last few days and try to read several books at a time and then take all of the tests at once.  I still didn’t enjoy it until one day a friend of mine recommended one of your books to me.  I had the same “all books are terrible” attitude towards it, but I needed points somehow. 

I walked my way down to the school library with the tall pink walls and asked the librarian, Miss Milne, to help me find the book.  We reached the general area of where the book should be located and she pulled the book off the shelf, checked it out to me, and off I went.

I’m not sure if I was guilt tripped into starting the book or what, but once I picked it up I couldn’t put it down.  I flew through your first book, Hatchet, and quickly proceeded onto Brian’s Winter, The River, and Brian’s Hunt.  I have also just recently finished Brian’s Return.  The way you spoke of the outdoors gave me a new outlook on nature and the things I do in it.  One thing that really sticks out to me about the series is the way that Brian remembered bits and pieces of useful information.  I am aspiring to also do this in my everyday life.  I wish to also acquire the skills of learning any kind of useful information and have the ability to recall it at any time, the way Brian does.

Finally, without having it forced upon me, I can just read a book to read a book.  Hopefully, I can remain this way, and not go back to my old self.  With the knowledge from the books I will hopefully accomplish something.  I mean you never know when you might need to crash land a plane and survive on your own in the Canadian wilderness.

Sincerely,

Tyson Hostert