Update: A Pennsylvania boy was named the Grand Prize winner in The Library of Congress Summer Writing Contest. Tyler Williams, who entered through Spring City Free Library in Chester County, wrote about the Harry Potter series on the theme of "A Book that Shaped Me." He will receive $250 in gift cards and be honored Saturday, Sept. 1, at the National Book Festival in Washington DC.
A full list of winners and finalists, including those from Delaware and Pennsylvania, is available here.
Original story: The Library of Congress, along with public libraries in Pennsylvania, Delaware and elsewhere, is holding a summer writing contest on the theme of “A Book That Shaped Me.”
Students who will be entering fifth or sixth grade in the fall can submit a one-page essay on a book that has had an impact on them. Prizes range from $300 to $50 gift cards. Essays are due by July 7 and must be submitted to a participating public library. Here are the ones participating in our area:
Libraries participating in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Bucks County Library System
(18 libraries)
Chester County Library System
(18 libraries)
Montgomery County Norristown Public Library (5 libraries)
Radnor Memorial Library
Libraries participating in Delaware
Dover Public Library
Frankford Public Library
Laurel Public Library
New Castle County Libraries (15 libraries)
South Coastal Library, Bethany Beach
Rutgers reading program in South Jersey
Rutgers University runs a summer reading program throughout New Jersey for ages 4 to adult.
The programs, organized by grade level, are designed and taught by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development. Fees vary depending on grade level and not all sessions are offered at each location.
Here are some of the sites in South Jersey where sessions are being held this year:
- Beverly: Beverly United Methodist Church
- Cherry Hill: Covenant Presbyterian Church
- Ewing: College of New Jersey
- Lawrenceville: Rider University
- Medford: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
- Vineland: The Ellison School
- Voorhees: Eastern Regional High School
- Wenonah: Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
