To enter, young readers write a personal letter to an author explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Readers can select authors from any genre—fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. The program has three competition levels: upper elementary, middle school, and secondary. The contest theme encourages young readers to explore their personal responses to a book and then express those responses in a creative, original way.

Alabama finalists will receive a prize and be recognized in the spring. In addition, first-place winners at the state level will receive a $50 gift card from Target and will advance to national judging for the chance to win a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion Grant for their community or school library and a $500 Target gift card for themselves.

Letters about Literature promotional materials will be mailed out to schools in September. The deadline for entries is December 6, 2008, and winners will be announced after the first of the year.

2008 Winners

2007 Winners

2006 Winners

How to Enter

To enter Letters About Literature, please print out the following guidelines document and follow the instructions within.

2008 Guidelines

Teaching Materials

Educators: use the following materials to integrate Letters About Literature into your curriculum.

Letters About Literature Curriculum Chart

Teacher's Guide