LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
Read. Be inspired. Write back.

The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores and affiliate state centers for the book presents Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing promotion program for children and young adults. The North Carolina Center for the Book is our state sponsor. Letters About Literature invites students to write a letter to an author - living or dead - explaining how that author's work changed the student's way of thinking about the world. There are three competition levels: Level 1- grades 4, 5, and 6; Level 2- grades 7 and 8; Level 3 - grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. LAL awards prizes on both the state and national levels. Each state center has its own judges who select the top essayists in the state. State Winners receive a $50 Target Gift Card and additional prizes (see North Carolina Awards below) and their letters then advance to the National Level Judging.

 

North Carolina Awards

The North Carolina Center for the Book awards a $75 cash prize to the State Winner on each competition level, and these three State Winners also receive a $50 Target GiftCard and their letters advance for national judging. Four State Honorable Mention Winners on each level receive a $50 cash award.

 

National Awards

On each competition level, a panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select six (6) National Winners (2 per Level of Competition) and twelve (12) National Honorable Mention Winners (4 per Level of Competition). The National Winners will receive a $500 Target GiftCard, plus each will secure a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in his/her name for a community or school library so that others can experience personal relationships with authors and the stories they tell.  The National Honorable Mention Winners will each receive a $100 Target GiftCard, plus each will secure a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant in his/her name for a community or school library. The community or school library selected for the National Winners and National Honorable Mention Winners is at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Refer to the National Level Judging in the Official Rules for more details.

Check out North Carolina's 2011 semi-finalists and our winners and honorable mention award recipients and their letters.

Letters About Literature 2012 Official Rules and Guidelines