Students can revisit their most powerful literary experiences through a contest that asks them to write a personal letter to an author and explain how his or her work changed their perspective on the world.
The national Letters About Literature competition is open to students in grades four through 12, and submissions are being accepted until Dec. 8. The annual competition is sponsored by the South Carolina Center for the Book in partnership with Target.
To enter, readers write a letter to an author, past or present, describing how that author’s work made an impact. Contestants are cautioned not to summarize the book’s plot, but to express in an honest, conversational tone how the book affected them.
The contest, which focuses on reader response and reflective writing, has three competition levels: Level 1 for students in grades 4-6; Level 2 for students in grades 7 and 8; and Level 3 for students in grades 9-12. Winners on the state level each receive a cash award as well as a $50 Target gift card. The six national finalists and their parents will travel to Washington, DC., courtesy of Target, where the finalists will read their letters during the National Book Festival in fall 2007. The national winners also receive a $500 Target gift card.
To download the official how-to-enter guidelines at the LAL Web site, visit www.loc.gov/letters. All entries must be postmarked by Dec. 8 and mailed to: LAL 2007; Competition Level (Indicate I, II or III); P.O. Box 609; Dallas, PA 18612.
For more information about the South Carolina competition, call youth services
library development consultant Jane Connor at the South Carolina State Library at
(803) 734-8658.
