Children Are Authors

Scholastic is giving kids a shot at publishing their own books. The publisher has announced the grand prize winners of its annual "Kids Are Authors" program, a new book-writing contest for all K–8 students.

The 2002 competition attracted thousands of entries from students who wrote and illustrated 21- to 29-page books on a topic of their choice. The judges included noted children's book creators Jack Gantos, Betsy and Ted Lewin, Anne Mazer, and Betsy Hearne.

A Band of Coyotes by fourth graders from the Mabel-Canton Elementary School in Mabel, MN, took top honors in fiction. The nonfiction winner was Who Let the Cat Out of the Bag? by fifth-grade students from Newcastle Avenue Elementary School in Reseda, CA. Scholastic will publish the two winning titles and then sell them at Scholastic book fairs this fall. A special commemorative winner, entitled September 12th… We Knew Everything Would Be All Right, will also be published and sold at the book fairs.

For more information, see www.scholastic.com/kidsareauthors. The next deadline for submitting entries is March 15, 2003.