The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress
in partnership with Target Stores presents

Letters About Literature is a national reading and writing promotion program for children and young adults presented in cooperation with Alaska Center for the Book

THE CONTEST

How did a book inspire you? Did it open your eyes so that you saw the world or yourself in a new way? Did it animate, motivate, or spur you into taking action to help yourself or others? Did it encourage, reassure, or just plain cheer you up when you were down? Maybe it caused your spirits to soar, your imagination to bloom, your belly to laugh, your throat to tighten, or . . . gasp! . . . your heart to beat, beat, beat with suspense.

Whatever your reaction, exploring how and why you respond to the books you read is a valuable lesson. It helps you learn more about yourself—your hopes and fears, your secret desires and your not-so-secret disappointments.

To enter Letters about Literature, think about a book that inspired you, then write a personal letter to the author and explain why. DO NOT summarize the book’s plot. After all, the author wrote the book and already knows what happened. What the author doesn’t know is how the book affected YOU. Here’s another tip: Don’t write a fan letter. Forget the flattery. Instead of trying to impress, express yourself honestly. Just tell the author how his or her work somehow made a difference in your life. Then follow the how-to-enter guidelines on the next page.

COMPETITION LEVELS
The contest has three competition levels:

Level I—grades 4-6 Level II—grades 7 & 8 Level III—grades 9-12

STATE AND NATIONAL PRIZES
State Level. The top essayist on each competition level will receive a cash award and a $50 Target GiftCard. The first-place winners in each state will then advance for national judging.

National Level. Two national winners will be selected on each competition level. Target Stores will send the six national winners, their parents/guardians, and one of their teachers to Washington, DC, to attend the National Book Festival in Fall 2005.The national winners will read their winning letters during the festival and will tour sites within the nation’s capital. PLUS each national winner will receive a $500 Target GiftCard.

DEADLINE
Submission deadline for all levels is December 4, 2004. All state and national winners will be notified on or about April 1, 2005. See how-to-enter guidelines on page 2 for specific submission details.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Download LAL lesson plans and sample letters at the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress Web site: loc.gov/letters.

HOW TO ENTER GUIDELINES FOR LAL 2003-2004

 

Prewriting Discussion
(Adapt for grade level)

Select a fiction or nonfiction book, a short story, a poem or a speech (sorry, no song lyrics) you have read and about which you have strong feelings. Explore those feelings and why you reacted the way you did.

Make a connection between yourself and a character or an event in the story. Did the book mirror your life in some way? What questions did the author force you to ask yourself or others? What surprised you about yourself when reading this book? What strengths or flaws do you share with a characters or characters in the book?

Explore changes. Before-and-after is a great way to organize your thoughts. What did you believe or how did you behave before your read the book? How did your thoughts of behavior change after you read the book? Was this change in you noticeable to others? How do you know?

Writing the Letter
Recommended word count
Level I: 100 - 250 words
Level II: 250 - 500 words
Level III: 500 - 750 words

Lead paragraph: Don’t waste words telling the author your name or where you go to school unless that somehow relates to the way the book affected you. Instead, begin with a question or an interesting but little known fact about yourself or where you live.

Tone: A letter is less formal than an essay or school research paper. It is conversational, friendly. Write honestly and sincerely, using your natural voice. But remember—this isn’t a fan letter meant to flatter the author. Correspond, don’t compliment!

Organization: A good letter, like any good piece of writing, has a concluding paragraph that sums up the key points made in the body of the letter . Your ending may also mirror your opening paragraph.



 

 

 

 

 

Preparing Your Letter for Submission
(Applies to all competition levels)

Return address: This is a letter, so include a return address. Print your name and complete address (either home or school) in the upper-right corner of the first page of your letter.

Letter format: Type or print your letter. Please use ink and write neatly. If the judges can’t read your handwriting, they will eliminate your entry.

Entry coupon: Each letter must be accompanied by an entry coupon. (See below.) Staple the coupon to the last page of your letter. Do not use paper clips as they become separated during handling.

Mailing envelope. Important! Indicate the competition level—either I, II, or III—on your envelope. Judges prefer entries in a flat 9 X 11 envelope.

Submission Deadline
Mail all entries postmarked by December 4, 2004, to:

LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE CONTEST
Competition Level (Indicate I, II, or III)
Post Office Box 609
Dallas, PA 18612

Use the correct postage or your letter will be returned unopened!

TEACHERS PLEASE NOTE:

Mail class sets in one flat envelope rather than individual envelopes. Although we cannot acknowledge receipt of letters, we LOVE cover letters and this will ensure that you are put on the LAL mail list for next year. Also, our judges ask that you do not assign the same book to an entire class as this misses the spirit of the LAL program—identifying a personal relationship with a particular author and/or book.

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LAL 2005 Entry Coupon

· All entries become the property of the Library of Congress and will not be returned.

· Please print; use one coupon per reader rather than a coupon for the entire class.
Staple to the back of your letter.

Student's Name: (Print)____________________________________ Age: _______________

Circle one grade only: Level I: 4 5 6 Level II: 7 8 Level III: 9 10 11

I am entering (check one box only) [ ] through my teacher & school [ ] through my library [ ] on my own

The best way to contact me is at the address below. If this is a school or library contact,
include a school telephone number and a teacher’s name. This will ensure we can
reach you and that your teacher or librarian will be added our mailing list.

Address: _______________________________________________________________

City ___________________________________ State________ Zip ________________

School/Library Telephone: __________________School/Library Email:______________

I attest that the letter submitted is indeed the child’s own work. Signed by (circle one, then print clearly)

Teacher Librarian Parent ________________________________________