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Here are some letters from you, as well as a letter to students from Ben (found at the bottom of the page).

Send e-mail to Ben at; ben@benmikaelsen.com
 
Hi Ben,

How are you?  I am doing well!  Gosh, I can't believe it has been over a year since I saw you at the IRC in Springfield IL .  Anyway, my little brother told me that you told my 7th grade English and reading teacher that you wanted to hear my poem that I wrote for a book that was put out by my school.  Here it goes......


You Don't Know


You don't know
The pain I've had
The tears I've shed
The sorrows that have passed through my heart
The thoughts that have crossed my mind
You don't know
How many times I've heard people talk about their plans
Wishing they included me
Too many times to count

But you don't know
The wonderful people I've met
Who have done wonders to my life
The memories I have
They will never leave
You don't know
These things about me
Just like I don't know them about you
And I don't care to know
But I can tell you something
Everyone has pain
Everyone has tears
Everyone has worries
Everyone has thoughts
Everyone has special people in their life
And everyone has memories that will never leave

There you go.

Hope to hear from you soon.
Mary, IL

(This poem is from a very special person I met during my travels.  Mary has Cerebral Palsey and is in a wheel chair.  She has a perspective all of us can learn from.  Thanks Mary. Ben)
Dear Mr. Mikaeslesn,
My name is Nicholas. I'm in the 5th Grade at Hellgate. Last year I read all of your books. They are the best books that I've ever read. My favorite was Countdown. I suggested you to my best friend Ali. You are his favorite author too. I'm interested in knowing if you're writing any more books. I would be happy if you would write back,
Nicholas, Montana

 
A poem by Kelsey in SC...

It's a Good Thing Anyway

The girl with the looks
The nerd with the books
An angel in the sky
A demon making me cry
Nothing is the same ,
Īcause the world would be lame
That man is sick
And that oneās got kick
She lives in an old rusty van
He has a summer house and 60 acres of land
Nothing is the same
Īcause the world would be lame
You speak Yankee
While I speak country , quite frankly
Her worldās at peace
There is fighting on his streets
Nothing is the same
Īcause the world would be lame
He gets everything  his way
She gets fussed at everyday
She puts her family to shame
He is on top of his game
Nothing is the same
Īcause the world would be lame
He praises the Lord and talks to God
Around all these Christians she feels a bit odd
She loves to run
He thinks athletics are just no fun
Nothing is the same
Īcause the world would be lame
Weāre all different ,can't you tell 
  Whether you succeed in life
Or  whether you fail

Dear Mr. Mikaelsen,
Hi, I am a student from Lawrence Creek Middle School.  Right now I'm in the middle of one of your books, Rescue Josh McGuire, so far it's been one of the best books I've ever read.  I really admire Josh's courage for wanting to save the cub Pokey.  But a character I'm not to fond of is Sam McGuire.  I don't like him very much because he's mean to Josh.  I have come to chapter 12 and like it very much so far.
Mr. Mikaelsen, I would like to thank you for reading this letter. I know you probably get 1,000,000,000 letters a day but thank you for taking time to read mine.
Sincerely,
Lexie, Santa Rosa, CA
Dear Mr. Mikaelsen,
You are my favorite author because you have thrills and happy things that happen in your books. I love the beginning of Stranded because Koby was out in the ocean trying to save Lady and then she went down to save the baby whale. I was wondering if you are going to have a new book come out? If you are what's the name of it? For our class project we had to write our favorite author so of course I wrote you. If you could please write back and if it wasn't any problem to send me an autographed picture of you.
Sincerely,
Shannon, Yreka,CA
Dear Mr. Mikaelsen,
You have made this a very special school year for a group of 5th and 6th graders on the Yukon River.  It took us almost 2 months to carefully read through Rescue. We got intensely involved in the story. My students said "Thank You" for creating such an exciting adventure story. My students will definitely be talking about you and your book, Rescue, for a long time.
Our local elders were happy  to have had the opportunity to meet you and listen to you speak. We wish you safe journeys this winter.
Anna Maase (thank you very much),
Karen
Dear Ben Mikaelsen,
Hi. My name is Luke.  I attend an elementary school called Sanderson.  It is in Lancaster, Ohio.  I am a 6th grade student. My favorite animals are sheep, elephants, and bears. I like grizzly bears the best because they are big and sometimes mean. Do you like being an author or would you rather not be sometimes? My favorite book that you wrote is Rescue Josh McGuire because I like bears and I think it would be cool to be out in the wilderness with my dog and a bear cub. In the envelope there is a little square piece of  fabric. My class is doing a project about getting either an author or illustrator to sign or draw something on the square. If you would sign the square it would help us accomplish our goal. Thank you for signing our quilt square.
Sincerely your reader,
Luke, Lancaster, OH
Dear students,
A big thank you to everyone who has sent letters, E-mail, or drawings.  They are all appreciated very very much. I will try to answer some of the questions I am often asked.
I love the outdoors.  I enjoy hiking, soccer, backpacking, skiing and flying.  We fly a 1947 North American Navion and a L 19 Bird Dog. I also enjoy playing piano and guitar. My books are often based on experiences like raising Buffy, flying, and the outdoors.
Buffy was born January of 1984. He weighs 700 pounds and hibernates each winter.  Buffy hibernates in a cement culvert with lots of straw. He is a little groggy when he first wakes up. He eats about 5 gallons of food a day. His favorites are tomatoes, watermelon, and grapes. I often take him for walks and swimming in a nearby creek. He is about 7 feet tall when he stands on his hind feet. 
I enjoy many children's writers like Will Hobbs, Paul Pitts, and Gary Paulson. Their books are very outdoor based. I also like Richard Bach, Wilson Rawl's, and Jack London. My favorite book as a student was Jonathon Livingston Seagull.
I liked to write poetry as a child. My first language was Spanish, so occasionally I have problems spelling in the English language. I hadn't planned on being a writer, but the stories came into my head and so I started writing. I wrote my first book in 1986. I was 30 years old.
I graduated from Bemidji State College in Minnesota. My degree is in Industrial Arts Teaching. My only advice for students is to WRITE, WRITE, and WRITE some more. If your characters have emotion and give you a visual picture, they will come alive.

Good Luck,
Ben Mikaelsen