KAREN M. GREENWALD'S OFFICIAL AUTHOR SITE IS: WWW.KARENGREENWALD.COM.
ATTN: THIS SITE IS FOR CONTESTS, RAFFLES, AND BOOK DRIVES. THE MOBILE SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE VIEW WEBSITE ON A COMPUTER. THE #BOOKHERO AND #SUNWRITEFUN CONTESTS ARE ONLY VIEWABLE ON A COMPUTER. THANKS!
Karen M. Greenwald
Contests/Book Drives
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. ..a NONFICTION of INFORMATIONAL FICTION kidlit story,
of course! So get ready to use your gifts for good when you enter
#SUNWRITEFUN 2026!
NOW-AUGUST 20TH, just give us
a 200 word story on the topic of:
GIFTS
(find any unique aspect, wrap up your facts,
skip the back matter, and enter!)
Is there a
'Helen' here?
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GIFTED AND TALENTED
DON'T LOOK A GIFT HORSE IN THE MOUTH!
Give the GIFT of...
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Hmm. Let me see,
200 words = prize opps?
GENIUS!
ENTRY RULES:
You MUST:
I. Make at least 1 major aspect of your 200 word story NF or INFO FIC.
2. Choose a topic that relates to this year's theme: GIFTS
3. Write something appropriate for a kidlit audience.
4. Respectfully comment on at least 2 other entries.
(NOTE: PLEASE PUT YOUR EMAIL & NAME!)
5. Earn at least
7 Sun Fun Points
to be eligible for a
Grand Prize.
You CANNOT:
(Instant DQ!)
-
Use discriminatory language against any race, religion, ethnicity, or that is profane.
-
Write about a topic that isn't appropriate for children.
-
Write about a topic that deals with international or domestic politics (including war, famine, immigration, et al-there's a reason our contest name includes, "fun!").
-
Use AI (including Chat GPT, Claude, et al.).
This year, we're giving you a gift--it is easier than ever to earn
SUMMER FUN POINTS.
You get 1 point for each post,
but you MUST include the
following in each post:
1. This year's #SunWriteFun logo (see below).
2. The social media handles for your hosts:
a) Karen M. Greenwald: IG @karenmgreenwald
b) Jenny Buchet: X (list her name if on IG)
c) Stephanie Wildman: IG: @stephanie_wildmansf
d) Hilary Elizabeth Margitich: IG: @hilarymargitich
e) Joyce Uglow: IG: @jpuglow
3. The #SunWriteFun contest link:
4. The hashtags: #SunWriteFun and #kidlit.
Just because one is gifted
doesn't mean success comes
without great effort!
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SUMMER FUN POINTS
POSTING OPTIONS
______________________________
WHAT'S YOUR FAV NF OR INFO FIC PB? WHY?
TELL US ON IG, TWITTER, OR BLUESKY.
________________________________
POST A PIC OF YOUR FAV PLEACE TO WRITE AND TELL US IF YOU PREFER THE GIFT OF SILENCE OR GAB SURROUNDING YOU. POST IT ON IG, X, OR BLUESKY
______________________________
WHAT IS A KID-APPROPRIATE SECRET GIFT YOU HAVE THAT YOU CAN SHARE ON TWITTER, BLUE SKY, AND IG?
________________________________
WHAT IS YOUR FAV BOOK TO GIVE AS A GIFT? TELL US ON IG, TWITTER, OR BLUESKY.
________________________________
POST A QUOTE FROM YOUR FAV PB ABOUT GIFTS AND A PIC OF THE COVER ON IG, TWITTER (X), OR BLUESKY
________________________________WHAT PB DO YOU WISH YOU WROTE? POST IT ON IG, X, OR BLUESKY
______________________________
TAG 5 KIDLIT'ERS IN A POST ON
TWITTER (X) /BLUESKY/ INSTAGRAM.
YOU CAN DO THIS 2X'S
______________________________
THANK 5 DONORS IN A POST ON TWITTER (X)/ BLUESKY/ INSTAGRAM
YOU CAN DO THIS 2X'S
______________________________
DONATE 1 UNUSED PB-SEND IT DIRECTLY TO KIDLIT CHARITY, READER TO READER
Reader to Reader
27 Woodlot Road
Amherst, MA 01002
NO LIMITS TO HOW MANY TIMES YOU CAN DO THIS!
PLEASE NOTE: Snapshot of receipt required. DM a copy on IG to either Karen, Hilary, Stephanie, or Joyce, or Jenny on Twitter.
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POST A PIC OF THE COVER OF YOUR FAV. PB ABOUT GENEROSITY ON IG, TWITTER, OR BLUESKY.
POSTS RE YOUR
FAV GIFTS
POSTS RE GIFTS
FOR OTHERS
HOW TO POST THE #SunWriteFun LOGO:
1. RIGHT CLICK ON SWF IMAGE BELOW.
2. CHOOSE "SAVE"
3. OPEN NEW SOCIAL MEDIA
POST & PASTE OR UPLOAD IT.
4. TWEET, IG, OR BLUESKY IT!
BE SURE TO ADD THE RIGHT SOCIAL
MEDIA HANDLES & REQUIRED INFO!
TIP: You can paste it into Canva
and resave to post)
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Give us
your 200
word-stories
yearning to
be awarded
(then,
published)!
The Definitive, 100% True Story of the World’s Greatest Desk
(by Me, the Resolute Desk)
Jennifer Tarr
WC: 200
I’m the Resolute Desk.
(But you probably knew that —
I’m very famous.)
You might know me from such feats as:
Being the star of the Oval Office.
(I’m super photogenic.)
Supporting 146 years of Presidents.
(Supporting? Get it?)
And excelling at hide-and-seek.
(Found you, JFK, Jr.!)
But before I was a desk,
I was a ship.
The HMS Resolute.
And before I was a ship, I was a glorious stand of oak trees,
though that’s a different story.
My journey to desk-hood started like all great desk stories…
with a voyage to the Arctic.
In 1845, British explorers vanished in Nunavut.
I was sent to find them.
Unfortunately, I got trapped in the ice.
(Don’t give me that look. It was a lot of ice!)
My crew abandoned me.
(Scoundrels.)
Eventually, I was found by an American whaling ship.
(In perfect working order, I might add.)
The Americans returned me home,
where I rejoined the British Navy.
I served honorably for decades.
(Obviously.)
When I retired, Queen Victoria repurposed my planks
and gifted me back to my rescuers
in remembrance of their kindness.
Naturally, I was displayed in the White House.
Where else would you put the world’s greatest desk?
Best gift ever
By Anne LeBlanc
(200Words)
“Smash the geode,” said Aunt Terri.
Heather hit the egg-shaped rock with the hammer.
CR-AACK!
The rock split in two, revealing shiny purple crystals. “Wow!” Heather said.
“Those are amethyst crystals.”
“How did they get in there?”
“Remember the layers of the earth?” asked Aunt Terri.
“The core, the mantle and the earth’s crust.”
“Great! The crust is made up of tectonic plates, like a jigsaw puzzle on an orange. Parts of the mantle move in circles under each plate.”
“What do you mean?” asked Heather.
The plates are like air mattresses in a pool. One can be shoved under another. To make your geode, one plate pushed under another, melting and forming magma.
“Did the magma move up to the earth’s crust, making a volcano?” asked Heather.
“Yes. Hot lava, full of gas bubbles, erupted. When the lava cooled, the gas bubbles left holes and cracks in the rock, like air bubbles in a cake. Next, mineral-filled water moved through the cracks, filling in the holes.”
“As the water evaporated, the amethyst crystals grew. The hole in the rock became my geode!” said Heather.
“Exactly, over hundreds of millions of years.”
“Best. Gift. EVER!” said Heather, hugging her aunt.
Peter Rabbit's Tale Begins
By Jessica Jenson
(198 Words)
“KERTYSCHOOO!” Peter Rabbit sneezed. It was dusty among the papers in the drawer. Dusty AND lonely! He had Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail to keep him company. Still, he longed to hear his tale told again and again, like the day his story had been gifted to Noel, tucked inside a letter.
“I miss Noel,” Peter sighed. “Remember how he smiled when he listened to our story? He forgot all about being sick! Do you suppose he might read it again someday?”
“Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” sighed Flopsy. “Imagine, being read again!”
“Noel’s too old for tales about bunnies by now!” giggled Mopsy.
“I suppose we’ll be tossed in the rubbish bin before long,” groaned Cotton-tail.
A crack of light suddenly appeared and grew wider as their drawer slid open.
“Here they are!” Noel beamed down at the bunnies, just as he did when he was five years old. He lifted their letter carefully and handed it to his mother.
“Wonderful!” she said. “I shall show these letters to Beatrix! I believe her story about Peter Rabbit will bring joy to many more children…as a book!”
Peter’s whiskers wriggled with joy. His tale would be told again after all.
Duck and Cover
By Quincy Trochue
200 Words
The day was hot.
Duck wanted to swim and wanted a friend to swim with him.
Duck asked Cover, his friend, the hermit crab.
“I’m stuck, Duck!” Cover groaned. “I’ve grown too big for my shell.”
“If it’s cramped, take it off.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I’ll be naked.”
“Oh,” said Duck.
Duck had an idea, waddled to shore, and snatched a shell from the surf.
“That’s bigger,” said Cover,
“Come try it!”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I’ll be naked.”
“Oh,” said Duck.
“I’ll cover my eyes,” said Duck.
“Okay,” said Cover, ducking inside the new shell.
“You can look,” said Cover, with an echo.
“Let’s swim!” said Duck.
“No.”
“Why?”
“It’s too big. It will fall off. Then… I’ll be naked.”
“Oh,” said Duck.
“Ouch!” said someone. It was Cover’s older brother
“I’m stuck, Duck!” he groaned. “I’ve grown too big for my shell.”
“Perfect!” cried Duck. “You two swap, then we’ll swim.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Why?!”
“We’ll be naked.”
“AAAAAAAAACK!” quacked Duck.
Duck plucked the shells from the hermit-crab brothers.
He swapped them so fast, nobody noticed they were naked.
Duck looked a little crabby.
“You know what you need, Duck?” asked Cover.
“No.”
“Why, you need a swim.”
“Oh, yes!” said Duck.
Let’s Make Hamantaschen!
By Rebecca Singer
(200 words)
Roll the dough
smooth and flat.
Cut out circles,
shape and pat.
Scoop the jam—
sticky-sweet!
Plop and spread to
fill your treat.
Fold and pinch the
corners tight.
Are they ready?
No, not quite!
Bake until they’re
golden brown.
Dress in costume.
Wear your crown.
Pack a basket
full of snacks.
Load up gift bags
to the max!
Bring your friends some
sweets to share.
Gifts of food to
show you care.
Now it’s time to
have some fun.
Happy Purim
everyone!
What is Purim?
Purim is a joyous Jewish holiday celebrating the bravery of Queen Esther who saved her people, the Jews of Persia, from a plot to destroy them. On Purim we wear costumes, play games, and eat delicious cookies called hamantaschen.
What are Hamantaschen?
Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped cookies traditionally filled with poppy seeds or prunes. Jewish families make gift baskets called mishloach manot, filling them with hamantaschen and other tasty treats to give to friends.
Purim Gifts
Jewish law instructs us to give gifts of food on Purim so that everyone can celebrate with a festive meal. In addition to mishloach manot, many Jewish families make donations to charities sharing gifts of food throughout their communities.
WILLA
By Kelly Clasen
198 words
The vast treeless prairie sucked the air right out of the girl.
Where were the woods? The houses? The people? Nine-year-old Willa had never imagined such emptiness. Nebraska was nothing like Virginia. Like home.
After three days by train and sixteen bumpy wagon miles, the Cather family approached their destination: a sun-scorched farmhouse perched on a prairie plateau.
Right away, Willa’s parents got to work, trying to coax row crops from tough Nebraska sod.
As they did, Willa explored. She studied the flowers and grasshoppers and hawks that kee-keeeed overhead.
One day, Willa’s father put on his best shirt and hitched the horses. “We need supplies,” he told Willa. “Ride with me into Red Cloud.”
Excitement zinged through Willa like a jackrabbit. A real frontier city! She hopped into the Studebaker wagon.
In town, Willa and her father met many new neighbors. Some were around Willa’s age!
A sturdy, curly-haired girl approached Willa. “I’m Annie,” she said, eyes flickering with warmth. “Walk with me.” Her voice was rich with the music of Bohemia.
And as Annie extended her arm and her friendship, she planted the seeds of Willa’s gift to the world: stories of the American frontier.
WHERE IS MY FOREST?
By Nina Snyder
184 words
Grandma gave me hiking boots for my birthday.
I’m ready to go hiking!
I lace up my boots.
I pack water and snacks.
I fold up my trail map.
Time to hit the trail, but what’s in this forest?
Waving strands of kelp,
Blue rockfish and giant sea bass,
Salty water flowing over a rocky floor.
No, thanks! This isn’t my forest.
This is a…
Kelp forest
Time to hit the trail, but what’s in this forest?
Thick tangles of roots,
Flashing fireflies and mudskippers,
Tides sweeping in over mangrove trees.
No, thanks! This isn’t my forest.
This is a…
Mangrove forest
Time to hit the trail, but what’s in this forest?
A dense canopy of leaves,
Spider monkeys and scarlet macaws,
Centipedes wriggling across the forest floor.
No, thanks! This isn’t my forest.
This is a…
Tropical rainforest
Time to hit the trail, but what’s in this forest?
Towering oak trees,
White-tailed deer and red foxes,
Burbling streams over mossy rocks.
Yes, please!
I will hike here!
This is my forest! This forest is a…
Deciduous forest
Where do you like to hike?
The Cheese that Lingered
By Stephanie Maksymiw
189 words
Thomas Meacham was a dairy farmer in Upstate New York.
One day he decided to make a mammoth cheese.
Weighing as much as one of his dairy cows and as big as a wagon tire.
It was a 1,400-pound, 4-foot-wide wheel of cheddar cheese!
Thomas sent that cheese to the White House.
It was a gift for Andrew Jackson.
The President of the United States.
Andrew liked cheese, but not that much.
Andrew nibbled the cheese.
His bites made the wheel smaller.
Only slightly.
It was too much for one person.
The wheel of cheddar cheese sat for days.
For months.
For almost two years!
Its flavor grew stronger as time passed.
And so did its smell.
Andrew’s term as president was ending.
He packed his clothes.
He boxed up his papers.
But he was not stuffing the cheese into his trunk.
Andrew needed help.
He threw a party for 10,000 people.
They stuffed their bellies with cheese.
The wheel was gone in two hours.
But not completely.
Poor Martin Van Buren.
His new home smelled of cheese.
It lingered long after the wheel was gone.
Travel Traditions
By Shawna Cain
WC: 199
My family loves to travel. Mom likes to shop. Dad likes to eat. Sister likes to learn languages.
And I, well, I like it all.
I may be the baby of the family, but this year, I’ve got a BIG mission. I’m choosing Bachan’s omiyage, or souvenir. This is no small task. Omiyages are a tradition handed down for generations on my dad's side. Mom didn’t grow up with omiyage, so I teach her by making a list.
How to find the perfect omiyage:
Made/grown locally.
Food = good.
Thoughtfully chosen.
Beautifully wrapped.
As we shop, we pass many souvenirs, but nothing feels like bachan.
Then, I spot a pinkish yellow glow from across the market. Papaya!
“Bachan fed you papaya when you were a baby,” mom says. “It’s perfect!” I say, and pick a green one to ripen in my suitcase. We wrap it in a beautiful box.
When we return to Bachan, I present my gift. My stomach is in knots wondering if she’ll like it. Grandma unwraps, then beams. “My favorite!” she says. I smile ear to ear.
Omiyages are supposed to be just for the recipient. But Bachan grabs two spoons and we dig in.
GARDEN SURPRISE
200 words
Yawn
Stretch
Worm and Snail wake up
to something new in their garden.
“I see green,” says Worm.
“How?” mutters Snail. “You don’t have eyes.”
“My skin senses colors. Why, what do you see?”
Snail’s eyesight is blurry at best.
He moves his eye stalks up…and down.
“I think it’s a…gift bag.”
“Goody!” squeals Worm. “I love presents.”
“Why should you get it?”
“Well, my birthday’s next week…and I love surprises.”
“I think whoever has the most teeth should get it.”
Garden snails have 14,000 microscopic teeth.
“No fair. I have none.”
“The one with the nicest shell, then?”
“I don’t have a shell, either.”
“We’ll race. The fastest one gets the surprise.”
“Fine.”
READY…SET…GO!
Snail crawls on one slimy foot.
Worm grabs the soil with her bristles…and pulls her rear forward.
Squish…stretch
“Ow…cramp!”
It’s the ultimate drag race.
Hours later…
Snail wins.
“You’re too slow for this escargot!”
“Why don’t we share the present?” asks Worm.
“You lost, slowpoke. I won fair and square! I can’t wait to see—"
CHOMP!
Sometimes garter snakes curl up in bags to stay warm.
“That’s why second is always safest.”
“For my birthday, no surprises. I’ll just take a gift card.”