Writing Contest from 57th Street Books
In anticipation of The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine (Available September 26, 2017), a never-before-published, previously unfinished Mark Twain children’s story brought to life by Caldecott Medal winners Philip Stead and Erin Stead, 57th Street Books is proud to present our Unfinished Manuscript Writing Contest, open to young writers of all ages and imaginations. See the manuscript below, author bio below, and read on for rules for entry. And don't miss Philip and Erin Stead live in store on Thu. 10/12 6pm at 57th Street Books (RSVP and details here)!
Amabel Bing was born October 31, 1904 in Normal, Illinois, though her upbringing was anything but. The middle (or so) child of Tad and Delphine Thistlefodder's nine and a half children (Delphine having claimed to be the biological mother of a "rather mopish" sack of flour till her unexpected death in 1912, when she conscientiously, if humorlessly, confessed to being legally blind in the final throes of facing down what she'd assumed was the mail but in fact, as bystanders confirmed from the start, was a small fiery meteor roughly the size of, well, Delphine). But I digress. After changing her last name (and who could blame her?), Mabel briefly attended the all girls Academy for Burgeoning Washing Maids at the insistence of her father, which, to exactly no one's surprise--except maybe her father's, who was about as unprepared as a newly widowed man at the turn of the last century could be for the amount of laundry amassed by nine children and a decidedly inanimate jute rug--was not really Amabel's thing. She quite literally sneezed at her father's coercions, allergic as she was to bicarbonate, and proceeded instead to imagine and write down much grander adventures than a stay at home life could afford, such as those that might take place on pirate ships (The Average Spyglass, 1931); haunted mansions (The Lackluster Candelabra, 1957); and, in her final story, unfinished at the time of her own death in 1983, a soon to be burglarized stagecoach, apparently (The Best Dagger). Only recently, somewhat unceremoniously, "discovered" under a ream of old Yellow Pages in a box labeled "Dog Food," The Best Dagger is believed to have all but reached its conclusion at the time of its mysterious abandonment. And while there is little debate concerning its source, scholars and enthusiasts alike can't help but speculate on Bing's intended/avoided climax.
Who's in the stagecoach? Where is it headed? And why is the dagger in such a great hurry? What do you think?
Write your own ending and send to kidsbooks@semcoop.com by October 1, 2017 for a chance to win a signed copy of Mark Twain's never-before-published, previously unfinished children's story The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine, brought to life by Caldecott Medal winners Philip and Erin Stead, get published in our children's newsletter, A Young Peron's Guide to 57th Street Books, and read your winning masterpiece in front of a live audience at ourOctober 12 event with Philip and Erin Stead (click here for details). Please keep your submission to around 300 words or less, and have fun!
