While it is true that Perilous Adventure is my favorite Freddy, the winner was chosen by the voters using a survey posted on the web with a link emailed to all Friends of Freddy members with electronic memberships and posted on the Friends of Freddy Facebook page, blog, maillist, and website. So thank you one and all for voting, and thank you doubly to those who submitted an entry in the contest.
Here is what Nancy said when she learned the Norelma Walker Youth Library had won:
I cannot begin to tell you how absolutely surprised and delighted I was to find your email waiting to be opened. . . . I am thrilled to know that the Norelma Walker Youth Library at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fresno, CA. has won the My Favorite Library contest, especially given the other very excellent entries. We are so pleased to be in the company of others who cherish Freddy and who love their libraries. We thought each of the other entries were quite special and deserving of recognition. We hope that the contest will encourage many others, young and young at heart, to support their library and renew their acquaintance with our clever, intelligent, daring, adventurous and lovable friend Freddy.
The Norelma Walker Youth Library will receive three Freddy books, plus The Art of Freddy and Talking Animals and Others.
Nancy will receive two paperback Freddies.
The Friends of Freddy agree with Nancy’s assessment that all the entries were “quite special and deserving of recognition.” The voting was very close with Luke Colson and Dave Carley tying for second place, and Mary Curtis taking fourth. While they wrote about their current library, several other people wrote about the libraries where they were first introduced to Freddy. These contestants recalled child- hood memories of forty and fifty years ago and how much Freddy meant to them back when they were as young as Luke, Mary, Anastasia and Silas, the youngest entrant at age nine.
What came through clearly in all of the entries was everyone’s love for the Freddy books and for libraries. Almost everyone in the Friends of Freddy seems to have been introduced to Freddy at their local library and it is only right that the club should contribute something to the libraries in our community in return. With generous support from Overlook Press, the Friends of Freddy have decided to give all of the contestants the opportunity to nominate a “needy” library to receive a full set of the Freddy books. Each contestant will also receive two paperback copies of Freddy. For the purposes of the contest, our definition of “needy” library is one without a full set of the Freddy books. However, we do ask that the contestants consider how well-funded a particular library may be, and whether or not it is visited by a large number of children.
We could not have arranged to provide these books for the contest winners without the assistance of our Needy Schools and Libraries Fund. Through the Fund we have contributed Freddy books to hun- dreds of schools and libraries across America, but especially to those in rural areas. We also have provided books to children’s hospitals and to libraries on military bases. We welcome all contributions to the Fund, no matter their size, and they are 100% tax-deductible. Checks can be mailed to Friends of Freddy, P.O. Box 912, Greenbelt, MD 20768-0912.
- Alice Tracy
