Dear Irene Hunt,

We all might have at least one life changing experience because of that one person who puts everything in a different perspective, but sometimes they're not people, but books. The Lottery Rose. At first I read that name with not much of any emotion thinking, “oh” it's just another book. Now when I read that name a flourish of emotion runs through me in an excited joy ready to escape. I am not sure if I should throw the book down and cry, or hug it and take it everywhere I go. I love this book so much, but reading it was so hard because it was like I was in the book experiencing every painful event. One thing that popped into my head when I was reading this book was “reading is but reality through another's eyes” this quote, that my mind conjured up means so much because as sad as this book was to know that it could and has happened in real life is even more heartbreaking.

Your book, The Lottery Rose, has inspired me tremendously. Before I read this book I never really knew what inspired meant. I didn't really know what it felt like to be inspired and now I know. The Lottery Rose inspired me to be thankful I live in a place where I'm not constantly living in fear or worry. An exceedingly important thing this book has inspired me to do is to go after my dream and never to give up or lose hope because without hope we would get nowhere in life. Hope is one thing we get to choose to have.

This book has also changed my thoughts in a way I would have never thought before, starting with how much it has helped me realize how fortunate I am. I have a magnificent family who loves and cares about me. Sure we fight at times and now when we do I do all things possible to stop, because I know we are too lucky to be worrying about things like whose turn it is to sleep on the top bunk or who gets to sit in the front seat. Even if all my luxuries were stolen from me tomorrow, I wouldn't think that I'd have the short end of the stick, because absolutely nothing can replace a family's love for one another.
Even though I had never lost anybody genuine to me when I read this book, when Robin dies at the end of the book it made me feel like I had actually lost someone incredibly close to me. It was the first time I cried because of a book. Amazingly when my grandma died a few months ago my brain went through the file cabinets in my head and pulled a file out that made me remember Robin, as if he were my little brother. The Lottery Rose helped me understand why some people might stop believing in God after they've lost someone close to them, but loosing my grandma made me know there is a God because could you really blame him for wanting someone so special back?

One thing I've realized the most after I read The Lottery Rose is how much I have improved as a writer. Your book has helped me know how to incorporate emotion into all of my writing, especially my poems. I became so good at adding in emotion in my writing that it made some people who read my poem cry. Also in one of my writing pieces I made people laugh so hard their faces turned read. I try to copy your style of writing because it really gets the message out
to the reader. This year I have definitely used higher vocabulary and more poetic devices. My favorite writing piece I wrote this year was my poem about my grandma because it was very important to me to write something to remember my grandma. I have accomplished a lot through my writing, for example just thinking about things to write about I've realized that me and my brother are closer than we think. My memoir about my mom has let my mom know how much I need and love her and helped me know how lost I would be without her. I have noticed that when I write something I care about or really want to write about it sounds a million times better than when I get assigned something I don't have much thought about. This year I have learned how to write an honorable article. My article about Chinese inventions was really neat to write about because I learned things about china like how much China has helped life today grow and I also had fun writing it. Most people think it is hard to reflect back on a paper they wrote, but I wrote all of my papers for a certain reason and meaning. The hardest part about writing my portfolio was choosing the best ones to go in it because I love all of my writing pieces this year and that alone helps me know I have defiantly improved since my last portfolio in fourth grade. The more I wrote after I read The Lottery Rose the more I noticed my writing got more and more like your writing, which makes a smile creep up my face every time I think about it. I truly think it was your book that helped me become the writer I am today. If The Lottery Rose didn't exist or any books for that matter my world would be upside down and I would be a totally different person. I can't even imagine how the world would be without books. Books have vast meanings and immense impacts on people. One book may not be enough to change the world much more than a little at a time, but when we have libraries and libraries filled with books, believe me books make a difference because not one book is the exact same for everyone who reads it. Some of my really awesome ideas and sayings have come from books.
I never thought a book could ever have such an impact on who I am and who I'm going to be. I feel like I was blind before. Reading The Lottery Rose was like a miracle, helping me see colors I never even knew existed.