MrsP.com has announced the names of finalists in its third annual Be a Famous Writer contest, open to kids between the ages of 4-13.

Willa Lane, 8, of Northfield is one of the finalists for her story “Summer of Cousins” in the group ages 4 through 8.

“Every year the contest continues to grow. This year entries came from 27 states, more than half the county,” said Kathy Kinney, who stars as Mrs. P and who, before co-creating the website, was best known as Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. “We also had teachers from across America use the contest as a class writing project, all the way from Kodiak Alaska, to Vermont.”

Finalists were selected by a panel of celebrity judges: Bonny Becker best-selling author of the Bear and Mouse picture books, including “A Visitor for Bear” winner of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award; David L. Ulin book critic of the Los Angeles Times and author, most recently, of “The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time”; and Renèe Watson author, educator and poet, her book “What Momma Left Me” debuted as the New Voice for 2010 in middle grade fiction by The Independent Children’s Booksellers Association. Mrs. P herself also acted as a judge.

On January 16, 2012, the Grand Prize winner from each age group will be announced. The Grand Prize winners will have their stories read by Mrs. P in videos featuring original illustrations and produced by a Hollywood production team. The videos will be posted for viewing by a global audience at the website. Each winner will also receive a bound copy of the illustrated story, as well as prize packs filled with goodies from Powell’s Book, and Sakura of America, the sponsors of the contest.