Its specific goals are:
- to increase literacy;
- to heighten public awareness of the fact that more kids choose mysteries to read than any other genre of fiction;
- to get kids and mystery authors together;
- to get kids and mystery stories together-no matter the format (books, plays, games, website, etc.).
Kids Love A Mystery was founded in 1997 by MysteryNet and Joan Lowery Nixon during her tenure as President of Mystery Writers of America. It is currently coordinated by Janet Riehecky.
The Eddie Award In 1999, Kids Love A Mystery was expanded to include The Eddie Award. Any library, school, or bookstore in the country can host an Eddie Award Program. Promotional materials and certificates are available at no charge to participating places.(Some limits apply.)
Sites can choose to sponsor either a reading or writing program. In the reading program, kids can earn an Eddie Award Certificate by reading at least one mystery book.
In addition, each book they read earns one chance in a drawing for special prizes to be held at each site sponsoring a program. Children and young adult mystery writers have donated autographed copies of their books to be used as those prizes.
In the writing program, kids sign up to write their own mystery stories. Everyone who writes a story receives an Eddie Award Certificate. A panel of judges at the sponsoring site can select the best stories and those kids will receive special recognition and an autographed book.
KLAM 2000 Authors in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Washington, and California visited participating schools, libraries, and bookstores during the week of February 20 - 27, 2000 to hand out certificates and prize books and talk about writing mysteries. More than 2000 kids across the country earned an Eddie Award certificate.
Both MysteryNet.com and the Mystery Writers of America web site publicized the activities occurring during the week. In addition, members of Mystery Writers of America contacted their state legislators to ask that their state officially proclaim February 20 - 27, 2000, as Kids Love A Mystery Week.
For information on sponsoring an Eddie Award Program, please email Janet Riehecky at:
JRiehecky@aol.com
If you'd like to participate in Kids Love A Mystery Week, please contact:
Janet Riehecky
National Coordinator Kids Love A Mystery Week
tel 847-695-9781 • email JRiehecky@aol.com
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