These three young writers were winners of a recent essay contest for youth ages 10-13 at the Grand Marais Public Library. They wrote about libraries and reading, using lots of logic, personal examples, and imagination. Lance Johnson, who envisioned and sponsored the contest, and Juvenile Librarian Patsy Ingebrigtsen, who organized the contest, were on hand on September 13, 2013 to deliver the $75, $50, and $25 prizes for the top three essayists. (L-R) Robin Henrikson (3rd place), Jorden Herrly (1st place), and Ellen Callender (2nd place).
“If I were a librarian, I would wake up each morning with a merry heart.” That is the opening sentence in an essay by Kate Muntean, one of nine young people who entered an essay contest at the Grand Marais Public Library late this summer.
The contest was sponsored by Lutsen resident Lance Johnson, who wanted to challenge local children ages 10 to 14 to take initiative, develop their thinking and writing skills, and express what their library means to them. Topic suggestions in the contest rules included a happy library memory, a favorite book, or what they would do if they were the librarian.
Some of the contestants were very logical, outlining numerous ways libraries are important: They dispense information, preserve history, challenge people to think, and they are free. They give people access to the Internet, provide jobs, and offer a healthy place for kids to be together.
Other contestants were poetic. “Each time I go to the library is different,” wrote 2nd-place winner Ellen Callender. “Sometimes I walk in and it is almost entirely silent, except for the slight murmur of voice scattered throughout the area and the soft click of a keyboard. Occasionally I notice a swarm of fourth grade boys battling virtual monsters in Minecraft, while Ann or Tom or Patsy rushes over to transform their yelling and laughing into whispering.”
Louise Ramberg wrote, “I like to read books on either a cold, rainy day, all nice and warm and cuddled up, or a warm, sunny day outside. I also like to read them at school, when I am done with my work….”
Third-place winner Robin Henrickson wrote about how she has enjoyed the library in different stages of her life.
The winning contestant, Jorden Herrly, described a whole new concept in library design with details in living color. She proposed a library with four rooms: The first room would be “a scary room with floors and walls painted black,” shiny silver skull stickers all over the walls, and scary books on black shelves. Three black cats with green eyes would live there.
The second room would be “the happy room.” It contains rainbow-patterned walls with white and pink unicorn wall stickers and green floors that look like grass. Happy books sit on blue shelves in this room. Three white cats with blue eyes live here.
The third room would be the “funny room” with striped walls covered with stickers of “funny animals doing funny things like a bunny in a teapot or a cat listening to music.” The floor in this room is beige, and red shelves are lined with comics and other funny books. Three tabby cats live in this room, where “you would feel funny and giggly.”
The last room is an “animal room” with horses, dogs, cats, and gerbils painted on light green walls. The floor is covered with an animal rug. Four cats live here: one black, one white, one tabby, and one gray, as well as four goldfish. Light green shelves hold funny animal books and informational animal books. “In this room you’re supposed to love animals,” Herrly writes.
“But in a way, our library is already like this because it lets us use our imagination to create a library like this or any other way we want to in our minds,” Herrly says. “That’s why I love my library.”
Judges Lance Johnson, librarian Patsy Ingebrigtsen, and Cook County News-Herald Associate Editor Jane Howard spent several hours deliberating and discussing the merits of each essay. Choosing winners was not easy. Johnson appreciated the energy and enthusiasm Ingebrigtsen brought to organizing the contest.
First-place winner Jorden Herrly won $75. Second-place winner Ellen Callender won $50, and third-place winner Robin Henrikson won $25.
“Can you imagine a world without books?” Louise Ramberg wrote. “I can’t. I don’t know what I would do without them.” She wonders if e-books will someday replace regular books but concludes, “I really hope books will be around forever.”
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