Read, Be Inspired, Write Back.
How To Enter
Resources for Teachers
2009 Virginia Winners and Finalists
State Winners advance to National Competition - Read More
View a slideshow of the 2009 Festival of the Book Opening Day Including the presentation of Letters About Literature awards.
Level I, Grade 4, 5, 6
1st Place: Jenny Labovitz
Colvin Run Elementary School, Vienna
Level II, Grades 7, 8
1st Place: Charlotte Keeley
Buford Middle School, Charlottesville
Level III, Grades 9, 10, 11, 12
1st Place: Michael Graham
Deep Run High School
See Full list including Honorable Mention Students
A reading and writing program for students in grades 4-12
Students in grades 4 through 12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic, explaining how that author's work has affected the student's way of thinking about the world or themselves.
The Virginia Foundation and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target Stores and in cooperation with affiliate state centers for the book, produces Letters About Literature.
Who is eligible?
Any student in grades 4-12 enrolled in public or private schools or home schooled.
How many winners will there be?
At the state level, three letters are selected as statewide winners, one at each level. They are Level I (grades 4, 5 and 6); Level II (grades 7 and 8) and Level III (grades 9, 10, 11, and 12). We often award Honorable Mentions.
What do the winners receive?
The three state winners will receive $50 cash; a $50 Target giftcard; are invited to appear at the Opening Ceremony of the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville; and advance to national judging
National judges will select six national winners (two per competition level) and 12 national runners-up (four per competition level).
National winners will receive a Target GiftCard of $500. In addition, they will win for their school or community library a Reading Promotion Grant of $10,000. The 12 national runners-up will win for their school or community library a Reading Promotion Grant of $1,000.
Note to Teachers and Parents: Curriculum materials, lesson plans, blackline masters, assessment checklists, and teaching strategies are available by contacting lettersaboutlit@epix.net. Letters About Literature supports national standards for teaching language arts and reading as recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.
