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Children's Book
NOTE: All work MUST be original and created by the competitor(s) himself. By submitting your work you are agreeing that MIST has the right to return or keep all work/submissions/entries. Important Note:3 copies of the submissions must be mailed no later than February 4th, 2008.
If you violate and/or not fulfill any of the following rules, you could loose points or even be disqualified from the tournament.
- No more than 2 students from each team can register for this competition.
- This competition is NOT a team effort. Each competitor must turn in a separate piece of work.
- MIST ID and order of competition will be pre-assigned on a random selection basis.
- Competitors shall report at the appropriate time and place designated.
- Judges shall know the competitors by their MIST IDs.
- All work must be labeled with the MIST ID ONLY. If the contestant name appears anywhere on the work, it will be disqualified.
- Contestants must submit 3 copies of their book to the orientation moderator during the competition orientation.
- Be ready to answer judge's questions during the interview period.
- The Children's book must have the following requirements:
- Written for ages 8 to 9 or 3rd grade to 4th grade level reading. For examples of excellent children's writing, refer to My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin. This page also provides excerpts of the book. These excerpts will help contestants see the quality of writing and vocabulary level needed for this competition.
- Must be typed using MS word, MS Publisher, or any other application.
- No less than 3500 words and no more than 4500. Articles, prepositions, "a", "an" and "the" are countable.
- Book topic must relate to the theme.
- While books must have an "Islamic" flavor, it should also be appropriate for mainstream American non-Muslim readers. Ethnic/muslim words or concepts can be used as long as they are easily understood within the concept of the sentence. For example: "He said to his friend, 'Peace be upon you.' This was the typical Muslim greeting and he said it in Arabic."
- Submissions should be in the form of a book. Book must be bound. Any binding method can be used such as ring binding, comb, coil, wire, thermal, perfect, or case binding. Binding can be done at any Copying or printing business such as FedEx Kinkos, Staples, Office Depot...etc. Information about Binding. Be sure to make the binding attractive. The more "book-like" your book looks, the more impressed the judges are.
- Contestants can receive extra points by illustrating their book. Illustrations can be their own or borrowed. Borrowed illustrations must be identified as such. Contestants might also find someone to illustrate their book for them. If the contestant uses this method, they should clearly give credit where it's due.
- Judging criteria will be based upon the official MIST National Ballot.
Tips & Advice
- Stay away from cultural stories that are well known such as a remake of Cinderella.
- Don't get bogged down in clichés. Judges don't want to see cute talking animals, "ugly duckling" stories about shy wallflowers who save the day, and moralistic tales that shout "it's OK to be different!" Strive for originality. (A note about taking animals: Talking animals aren't completely taboo, it's just that most writers don't do them very well. What's important is that your animals have completely developed, unique personalities and characteristics. You need to develop these characters just as carefully as if you were creating human characters. Too many writers use their animal characters as stereotypes, thinking kids will be immediately drawn to them just because they're animals. Everything your animals say and do should be a logical extension of their individual personalities.) Excerpted from The Do's & Dont's about writing for Children.
- The elements of a book -- the plot, characters, setting, description -- are all important, but alone they make up the bare bones. With a voice, a book becomes more than words on a page; it becomes a story. The writer's voice breathes life into a book and gives it a soul.Excerpted from Finding Your Voice.
- Endings are important. They are the final contact you'll have with your readers; your last chance to make an impression. Take time with your endings and write them carefully. A satisfying conclusion will not only make reading an enjoyable experience, but children will anxiously await your next work.Excerpted from Writing Powerful Endings.
- For more help on writing for children, refer to these FREE articles on the Craft of Writing.
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