The purpose of the McLean County Unit District No. 5 Young Authors Program is to encourage and recognize student authorship. The district program is part of the statewide effort supported and endorsed by the Illinois Reading Council.

The authorship process begins in the classroom. Many teachers begin the writing process with their students early in the year. Students are involved in brainstorming and information gathering followed by a rough draft version of their manuscript. After revision and editing, a final manuscript is published. Students write fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. In addition to their original writing, they illustrate their text designing a book cover to enhance their work.

Each elementary and middle school in the district is allowed to submit two to five books for district level judging. The number of books submitted from each building is determined by the total enrollment in the school. Fifty-five to sixty books are submitted to the district where several authors are selected to represent McLean County Unit District No. 5 at the state Young Author Conference. The authors of the books submitted to the district are invited to a Writer’s Workshop in April sponsored jointly with the Normal Public Library. At this event a children’s author talks to the participants about writing and the publishing process.

Each book is read and reviewed by judges. The criterion includes originality, creativity, grammar, interest to children, illustrations, and total composition. This review process is coordinated by Kurt Swearingen, Director of Elementary Education in Unit 5. At the end of the day, books are selected to represent the district at the Illinois Statewide Young Authors Conference held in May at Illinois State University. This conference emphasizes language as a vehicle for communication with others. The participants are recognized as ambassadors of writing. Their books are read, discussed, and affixed with the official seal of the Young Authors Conference.

The Young Author program, from the classroom to the state conference, provides a plethora of opportunities to encourage and support authorship, a love of books, and skills that will benefit our students for a lifetime.