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DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY Texas Center for the Book Letters About Literature Contest 2002 Level One Winner Nathan Wade Harmony Independent School District, Big Sandy, Texas

Dear Mr. Deuker,

I am really glad you wrote Painting the Black. It touched me, and it made me a better baseball player. I want to thank you for writing your book.

Before I read your book, I totally stunk at baseball. I was fat and slow. I just wanted to give up. I was striking out a lot, and when I tried to catch a grounder it always went right through my legs. When I tried to pitch I couldn’t throw a ball near the plate. Heck, I couldn’t even get the ball to the plate. Every time I tried to do something right I did it wrong. Everyone kept getting mad at me. Sometimes I cried, but then I read your book.

It inspired me to get in shape and get faster. At first it was hard to run every day and watch what I ate. I had to hit balls, catch grounders, catch fly balls, pitch one hundred pitches a day, and catch one hundred pitches a day. Every day it kept getting harder. Even though it kept getting harder, I kept at it. After a couple of weeks of doing this, I started to get better. I was getting faster, skinnier. I was starting to catch grounders. My hitting was improving. I was starting to pitch the ball over the plate. My catching was better and I was starting to catch fly balls. I practiced really hard for another 2 months. Then baseball season started. When it was the first day of practice, I was hitting line drives every time. I was catching my grounders and fly balls. When they asked who could pitch, I said I could and when I started to pitch I was throwing strikes every time. Every day I got better and better. When the season ended, I batted over 500, with 12 homeruns, 10 no-hitters, and 90 strike outs. I won the league M.V.P. (Most Valuable Player). That is how your book inspired me and you brought the love of the game to life for me. Thank you.

Your fan,

Nathan Wade

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