Letters About Literature 2014

It’s time again for Letters About Literature, the national reading and writing contest for students in grades 4-12! In the contest, students write a personal letter to the author—living or dead—of their favorite books, explaining what the books meant to them, how the books changed their lives, how they related to the characters…or anything at all, as long as it is a personal letter! Books can be nonfiction, fiction, or even a short story, poem, or speech.

There are three Levels of Competition:

Level I: Grades 4-6

Level II: Grades 7-8

Level III: Grades 9-12

Letters About Literature awards prizes on both the state and national levels. Each participating state center has its own panel of judges who select the top essayists in the state. State Winners will receive a cash award--$100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place in the competition levels—and first place letters will advance to the national level judging. A panel of national judges for the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress will select one National Winner per competition level to receive a $1,000 cash award. The judges will also select one National Honor per competition level to receive a $200 cash award.

In order to accommodate high volumes of letters, there are two different deadlines:

Letters for Level III (grades 9-12) are due by December 15, 2014

Letters for Levels I and II (grades 4-8) are due by January 15, 2015

Entries must be accompanied by an entry coupon; a copy of the official rules and an entry coupon (located in the official rules) are available at the Letters About Literature website.

For more information, contact Mississippi Center for the Book Coordinator Tracy Carr at tcarr@mlc.lib.ms.us.

Please pass this information on to other teachers, librarians, or parents who might be interested.