Chris Van Allsburg’s The Mysteries of Harris Burdick provides highly detailed illustrations and few words. It challenges the reader to solve each mystery. Children in classrooms all over the world have tried to solve these mysteries through creative writing exercises. Stephen King’s short story “The House on Maple Street” is inspired by one of the illustrations. It also inspried inspired a play in 1999 at the Bailiwick Arts Theatre in Chicago.
To celebrate the new Harris Burdick website, Houghton Mifflin put together the following writing contest:
Submit yourBurdick-inspiredstories Though January 15, 2008 marks the end of the contest, Houghton Mifflin Co. will continue to accept stories after that date. The editors there will post them on this site and will occasionally choose lucky writers to receive signed copies of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
