Winners in California, 2009
Level I – Grades 4-6
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California: Level I First Place Winner Wonder Smith Read Wonder's Letter (pdf) |
Honorable Mention:
Timothy Canty, Heritage Academy, Los Altos
Wrote to J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit (docx)
Sage Elsesser, Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School, Los Angeles
Wrote to Tupac Shakur, author of The Rose That Grew from Concrete (docx)
Shelby Kwok, Deerfield Elementary School, Irvine
Wrote to Cynthia Kadohata, author of Kira-Kira (docx)
Finalists:
Ben Brooks, Andersen Elementary School, Newport Beach
Wrote to Cynthia Rylant, author of Dog Heaven (docx)
Stephanie Chan, Individual Entry, San Diego
Wrote to Mitch Albom, author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven (docx)
Elizabeth Field, Heritage Academy, Los Altos
Wrote to E. B. White, author of Charlotte's Web (docx)
Matthew Hunter, Andersen Elementary School, Newport Beach
Wrote to Louis Sachar author of Holes (docx)
Maddox Kay, Echo Horizon School, Beverly Hills
Wrote to James Patterson, author of Maximum Ride (docx)
Biyonka Liang, Deerfield Elementary School, Irvine
Wrote to Sharon Creech, Ruby Holler (docx)
Advanced to State:
Timmy Hanson, Andersen Elementary School, Newport Beach
Wrote to Eoin Colfer, author of Artemis Fowl
Natalie Infante, Lafayette Elementary School, Long Beach
Wrote to Beverly Cleary, author of Ramona the Pest
Lauren Murvihill, Individual Entry, Fremont
Wrote to Roald Dahl, author of Matilda
Level II – Grades 7-8
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California: Level II First Place Winner Kailey McCoy Read Kailey's Letter (pdf) |
Honorable Mention:
Josephine Kao, Individual Entry, Roseville
Wrote to Lisa Yee, author of Millicent Min, Girl Genius (docx)
Jennifer Khong, St. Columban School, Garden Grove
Wrote to Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie (docx)
Shania McDaniel, Mark Twain Elementary School, Angels Camp
Wrote to Paul Zindel, author of The Pigman (docx)
Finalists:
Gwen Anderson, Chandler School, Pasadena
Wrote to Gail Carson Levine, author of Fairest (docx)
Brittany Croy, Mendocino Middle School, Mendocino
Wrote to David Pelzer, author of A Child Called It (docx)
Kendall Dawson, Haskell Middle School, Cerritos
Wrote to Sharon Flake, author of The Skin I'm In (docx)
Alex Janzen, Los Osos Middle School, Los Osos
Wrote to Frances Hodgson Burnett, author of The Secret Garden (docx)
Anushka Patil, Individual Entry, Cupertino
Wrote to Robert Frost, author of the poem The Road Not Taken (docx)
Rob Rowenhorst, Pine Valley Middle School, San Ramon
Wrote to Don Yaeger, author of Never Die Easy (docx)
Advanced to State:
Amy Chen, Individual Entry, Union City
Wrote to Christopher Paolini, author of Brisinger
Austin Gane, Pioneer Jr. High, Upland
Wrote to Eoin Colfer, author of Supernaturalists
Lyanna Jauregui, Pioneer Jr. High, Upland
Wrote to Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon and Eldest
Amy Kim, Carmel Valley Middle School, San Diego
Wrote to Bette Bao Lord, author of In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson
Gloria Liou, Redwood Middle School, Saratoga
Wrote to Kate DiCamillo, author of The Tale of Deserpeaux
Trang Nguyen, Pine Valley Middle School, San Ramon
Wrote to Ann M. Martin, author of A Corner of the Universe
Justina Pearson, Pioneer Jr. High, Upland
Wrote to Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club
Level III – Grades 9-12
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California: Level III First Place Winner Sandra Kaddis Read Sandra's Letter (pdf) |
Honorable Mention:
Karissa Burgos, Upland High School, Upland
wrote to Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper (docx)
Francis Ramos, Downey High School, Downey
Wrote to John Steinbeck, author of The Winter of Our Discontent (docx)
Ariana Sañudo, South Pasadena High School, South Pasadena
Wrote to Jonathon Safran-Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated (docx)strong>
Finalists:
Laura A. Gibson, Upland High School, Upland
Wrote to Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why (docx)
Steven Hong, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club (docx)
Risa Kurosaki, South Pasadena High School, South Pasadena
Wrote to Ray Bradbury, author of The Illustrated Man (docx)
Ryan Nguyen, Palm Desert High School, Palm Desert
Wrote to Elie Wiesel, author of Night (docx)
Elaine Tsai, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rancho Palos Verdes
Wrote to John Green, author of Looking for Alaska (docx)
Esther Yang, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rancho Palos Verdes
Wrote to Peter Hedges, author of What's Eating Gilbert Grape (docx)
Advanced to State:
Emily Baba, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Eleanor Coerr, author of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Miranda Brooks, Stellar Charter High School, Redding
Wrote to John Carter Cash, author of An Intimate Portrait of June Carter
Cindy Chang, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Bean Trees
Evan Chen, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Ian McEwan, author of Atonement
Rita Chen, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Nicholas Sparks, author of A Walk to Remember
Derrick Cheng, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of The Scarlet Letter
Macaulay Davis, Palm Desert High School, Palm Desert
Wrote to Kara Swanson, author of I'll Carry the Fork
Alan Fu, Saugus High School, Saugus
Wrote to Dr. Seuss, author of Hop on Pop
Chelsea Goddard, Hamilton School Library, Los Angeles
Wrote to James Joyce, author of Araby
Jillian Hall, Individual Entry, Merced
Wrote to George Orwell, author of 1984
Priyanka Hardikar, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to J. K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter
Mindy Hsiao, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger
Meena Janmohamed, Hamilton School Library, Los Angeles
Wrote to Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake
Shawna Khorasani, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Julia Anne Peters, author of Keeping You a Secret
Kenny Kong, Downey High School, Downey
Wrote to Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
Angeline Lee, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Misty Bernall, author of She Said Yes
Rianna Liu, Mayfair High School, Lakewood
Wrote to Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie
June Liu, South Pasadena High School, South Pasadena
Wrote to Pam Munoz Ryan, author of Esperanza Rising
Hannah Nadezhda Lorastein, Individual Entry, Woodland Hills
Wrote to William Faulkner, author of Go Down, Moses
Victor Marquez, Downey High School, Downey
Wrote to Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
Miriam Michelle Million, Individual Entry, San Diego
Wrote to Ellen Hopkins, author of Burned
Alia Omran, Whitney High School, Rocklin
Wrote to Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Monika Robbins, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento
Wrote to Jostein Gaarder, author of Sophie's World
Michelle Ruan, Individual Entry, Alhambra
Wrote to Mitch Albom, author of For One More Day
Edward Saaredra, Saratoga High School, Saratoga
Wrote to Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five
Preeti M. Talwai, Mira Loma High School, Sacramento
Wrote to Ben Rice, author of Pobby and Dingan
Joseph Taylor, Individual Entry, Saugus
Wrote to Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five