Young Readers League 2019 “Hidden History” Writing Contest

Honorable Mention

(Category 1: ages 8-11)

 

“Mystery Package”

by Emelia Lagousis

Grade 6

 

Summary:  The narrator finds a mysterious letter with a mission.

 

The door creaked open, revealing the storm outside- and the strange, battered package on my

porch. I closed the door and unwrapped the brown paper to reveal a stained letter and a delicate silver key. My eyes scanned the page, slowly widening to the size of saucers. The letter read:

 

Dear recipient of this package,

You have received a package that consists of a mystery and a mission. One century ago, in the middle of the civil war, a colonel and three soldiers lived in this house. They made a bet with another colonel and won six hundred dollars in gold. But the other colonel was certain they cheated, and vowed to get them back. He chased them off, away from their treasure and the house. Your job is to locate this gold using the key. Work quickly to unveil the truth about that night and the colonel’s accusation. But others seek this money and work fast to find it. Beat the greedy cowards and track down the treasure before it’s too late.

Good luck.

 

The letter was not signed.

 


CLICK HERE to view the full list of the Hidden History Contest Winners:  http://pasadena-library.net/kids/2019/hidden-history